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NZ coach banking on new faces
Younis leads strong Pak reply |
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Gill felicitates ’56 soccer heroes
Anand outwits Wang Yue in Rd 4
Delhi, HP in quarters
Punjab rout Himachal
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Christchurch, February 23 Moles said New Zealand have a few surprises up their sleeves in the form of newcomers. "We have got quite a few new faces that the Indians wouldn't have seen. (Martin) Guptill did really well in Australia, as did (Grant) Elliott. (Neil) Broom is coming on as well and improving with each game. We are a developing team and it's really exciting to be involved with the team at this moment," said Moles at a press conference. The former Warwickshire batsman also hoped the youngsters could catch India off guard with their performance. "It will be nice if we can catch the Indians out because they don't know too much about some of our younger players coming through. But again, we have to execute our plans and make sure we play good cricket," he said. The 48-year-old Englishman said they have a strategy in place to counter Indian batsmen. "They are coming here from Sri Lanka where the wickets, like in India, can be a little low. So if we get the ball to bounce a bit, they could find it hard to play here. So we need to bowl well with the new ball." However, Moles agreed that to make things work, they would have to bowl well and in the right areas. "But having said that, in (Gautam) Gambhir and (Virender) Sehwag they have got two of the most explosive players in the world. They are an excellent cricket team. It's all about whether we can raise our game and carry out the plans that we want to put in place. If we do that, then we believe we will be competitive," said Moles, who replaced John Bracewell as New Zealand coach. Moles was not inclined to read too much into India's dismal away record. "Certainly in the past, the Indian teams haven't toured too well. But I think they have put a lot of that to bed over the last couple of years. They have started to tour well. They did really well in Australia last year." Asked whether he fancies defeating India, the New Zealand coach said, "We have got Zack Hitchcock who is our scouting man. We have got a meeting tonight which will probably run for a couple of hours. We will go through all the stuff that he has compiled about the Indians playing over the last couple of series. Obviously, we have got John Wright in our camp who is very experienced with the Indian team. "But of course, it is alright knowing what you want to do. But then you got to put it into practise. That is what we are going to be looking at over the next couple of days, to make sure that we carry out the plans that we are going to come up with." Moles also made it clear that the hosts would do everything to defend their reputation at home. "From our point of view, we are really proud to play at home. We like to defend our own ground. I am really looking forward to putting the Indians under pressure whenever we can and hope to expose the weaknesses they have. It is an opportunity again for the individuals in our team to show what they can do." He admitted the 2-2 series draw in the one-dayers against Australia would act as confidence booster for his side. Though Australia retained the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after the decider was washed out, Moles felt New Zealand players could take heart from their performance ahead of Wednesday night's opening Twenty20 match against India. "Having gone 2-0 up in Australia, the feeling in the camp was really good. I think we probably just stood back a little bit and waited for the Australians to give us opportunities to win the game," he said. "We have spoken about the need to make sure that we are proactive and we are going to go about looking to win games. Against the Indians, who I believe are probably the number one side in the world at the moment, we need to make sure that we are at our very best in all components of our game. We are looking forward to a really tough challenge. But at the end of it, if we play well, we will come out of it with a bit more kudos for our team." Moles admitted they are waiting to get on with the series which will be a good indicator to where New Zealand cricket was heading. "India are coming at a time which will be a really good test for us. It is really exciting for New Zealand cricket. I know the players and the support staff around me can't wait for the series to start because we will really start to see areas that we need to improve in and work in areas we are doing well," said Moles. — PTI
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Don’t lose sleep over tracks, Taylor tells Indians India should not lose sleep over the nature of the tracks here and the two Twenty20 Internationals would be enough for them to get used to the bounce, said New Zealand middle order batsman Ross Taylor. Taylor said things have changed a lot since India toured New Zealand last in 2002-3, when they struggled to make a series-high score of 219 in nine innings spanning two Tests and five ODIs. "I think a lot of people have made a lot of the wickets the last time they were out here. I think the wickets have improved a lot since then. I don't think the Indians need to worry about green, seaming wickets," Taylor said. "It shows in our domestic form. The little dibbly-dobbly bowlers aren't having as much success as they had five or 10 years ago. That is good for New Zealand cricket that the bowlers are having to work a bit harder for their wickets and I am sure over the next month or so, the Indians will see how our conditions have changed," he said. "There's a lot of cricket played. The idea is to adapt as quick as possible. There will be a little bit of getting used to for the Indians but our wickets aren't as bouncy as Australia," he said. "I am sure after the first two Twenty20 games, they would have got used to the bounce and in the nets as well. That won't be a factor come the first one-dayer. It will be interesting to see how it goes," he said. Personally, Taylor hoped his injured hamstring wouldn't flare up again during the series. "At this stage, I have sprinted for the first time at about 95 per cent on Saturday. At the moment it is okay, but I still have to have a final fitness test before I get the green light to play Wednesday's game," he said.
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Younis leads strong Pak reply
Karachi, February 23 Younis ground out a patient and unbeaten 149 runs at the national stadium to keep alive the home side’s chances of surviving the Test after Sri Lanka took control with a first innings total of 644 for seven declared. Pakistan require another 149 to avoid the follow-on. Younis, leading Pakistan in a Test for the fifth time, opened his score in the second over of the day and went on to make his 16th Test hundred and fourth against Sri Lanka in 11 Tests. His 149 came from 282 balls with 17 fours while his hundred came from 191 balls in the final over before tea. His third wicket partnership of 149 with his immediate predecessor as captain, Shoaib Malik (56), kept the Sri Lankan spinners at bay with the pitch starting to take more turn. The turn encouraged Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene to operate with the second new ball with pacer Chaminda Vaas and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Sri Lanka gained two successes in the day dismissing debutant opener, Khurrum Manzoor (27) and Malik. Manzoor fell caught behind to Ajantha Mendis in the first session while Malik was run out shortly after lunch after hitting the ball straight to Muralitharan at mid-off and trying to steal a quick single. Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss praised Younis's performance. “He is a very good batsman. But in his first Test as appointed captain I thought he sent out a clear and positive message when he came out to bat last night instead of a nightwatchman,” Bayliss said. The Australian said despite the Test being played on a very flat wicket, there was still only one team that could win the Test. “The likely result appears to be a draw but if we play good cricket we can still win this Test,” he added. — Reuters Scoreboard Sri Lanka (first innings) 644 for 7 decl Pakistan (first innings) (overnight 44-1) Manzoor c P. Jayawardene b Mendis 27 Butt c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 23 Younis not out 149 S Malik run out 56 Misbah not out 20 Extras (b-4 lb-2 w-1 nb-14) 21 Total: (112 overs, for 3 wickets) 296 Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-78, 3-227. Bowling: Vaas 20-4-41-0, Fernando 22-1-75-0, Mendis 35-9-78-1, Muralitharan 34-7-92-1, Dilshan 1-0-4-0.
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Gill felicitates ’56 soccer heroes
New Delhi, February 23 The Indian team had achieved the honour of becoming the first-ever Asian nation to qualify for the semifinal of the Olympics. Striker Neville D'Souza, who emerged as the highest scorer with six goals, became the first and only Asian footballer till date to score a hat-trick at the Olympics, a feat he achieved during India's opening match against Australia. Talking to mediapersons here during a function to felicitate the surviving members of that team, Gill said,''I still remember how the entire nation was thrilled by the achievement of these great men. The country owes a lot to them.'' The minister, who confessed that he is an avid fan of football, stated that he was overwhelmed to meet the seven members of that historic team who turned up at today's event. He also recalled fond memories of India's triumph in the inaugural Asian Games in 1951. He mentioned that he was awestruck by Sahu Mewalal's superb goal in the final against Iran. ''I was in college at that time and came to Delhi from Meerut with my father to watch the final,'' he reminisced. ''I remember Mewalal scored the winner with a brilliant back volley.'' Lamenting the rapid decline of the game in India, the Sports Minister said,''there was a time when we used to be the kings of Asian football. But now we are languishing near the bottom of the rung in the FIFA rankings.''
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Sahara adopts 30 wrestlers, boxers
Olympic bronze medallists Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar have been named amongst 30 pugilists and grapplers whom the Sahara India Pariwar has adopted for next four years as part of an emotional commitment for the betterment of sports in the country.
Announcing this here today, Sahara India Pariwar chairman Subrata Roy Sahara said, ''We want them (boxers and wrestlers) to be free from every financial concerns and concentrate on their sport, therefore, we decided to support the players so that they can bring more laurels to the country.'' Sahara will support 17 wrestlers and 13 boxers as part of its initiative with 2012 Olympics at London as its main goal. Roy admitted that the performance of the boxers and wrestlers at the Beijing Olympics was a compelling factor that his organisation decided to support these two games but assured that in future, a few other sports were also on their agenda. |
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SA favourites against Oz: Donald
Johannesburg, February 23 ''South Africa will shoot themselves in the foot if they are overconfident and arrogant against Australia,'' Donald wrote in his column for Sondag. ''I don't think that Graeme Smith will allow that of his team. ''The biggest thing that they have to be worried about is the expectations of the South African public. The public will start to expect that the Proteas must win in every game. The players will start to feel the pressure and I really hope we won’t be too relaxed,'' he added. The 42-year-old Donald further called on Smith's side to improve 5-10 per cent on their Australian performance to ensure that they add the home series to their victory in Australia.
— UNI
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Anand outwits Wang Yue in Rd 4
Linares (Spain), February 23 After getting the second victory in four games, the Indian ace inched himself up to 2.5 points in all and now stands sole third. Overnight leaders Levon Aronian of Armenia and Alexander Grischuk of Russia also recorded victories to reach 3 points and continued to share the top spot jointly. Grischuk got he better of off-form Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan while Aronian grounded Lenier Dominguez of Cuba. Anand, playing with his white pieces, he again opted for the queen pawn that he had successfully used in the world championship match against Kramnik last October. Going for a recently popular variation Anand went for the early trade of queens that gave him a minuscule advantage and once Wang Yue failed to find the right plan, white had a vice-like grip on the position resulting in extreme pressure on both flanks.
— PTI
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Delhi, HP in quarters
Una, February 23 Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Services were off to a steady start with their openers RK Pandey (40) and Tahir Khan (55) negotiating the Delhi bowlers comfortably. But they sufferred two quick losses when Pandey was run out and Tahir was dismissed by Chetanya Nanda. Services continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as the Delhi bowlers managed to put the brakes on the run rate. Delhi started their chase on a disastrous note when Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed in the fourth over with just 10 runs on the board. However, Chopra (95) and Viraat Kohli (45) managed to bring the Delhi innings back on track with a partnership of 93 runs. Scores: Services: 231 for 8
(Tahir 55, Yashpal 57; Chetanya 1 for 32, Yogesh 3 for 55). Delhi: 233 for 4 (Chopra 95, Manhas 54; DS Attri 1 for 21, A Sinha 2 for 33). |
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Punjab rout Himachal
Dharamsala: Punjab defeated Himachal by eight wickets in North Zone Ranji Trophy one day match organised at Dharamsala international stadium here today. Punjab won the toss and elected to field. The Himachal openers failed to negotiate the onslaught of the Punjab new ball bowlers. Sidharth Kaul took six wickets giving away just 39 runs. Harmeet Singh and Sarabjit Singh were the other two successful bowlers for Punjab with two wickets each.
Ajay Manu was the only Himachal batsman to be able to put up some resistance and he scored 72. Sarandeep Singh (50) and Vineet Indulkar (34) also made useful contributions. Himachal were ultimately shot out for 205 runs, including 14 extras. Punjab managed to reach the winning total in just 38.5 over loosing only two wickets. Vishwas Bhalla scored an unbeaten 108 in just 109 balls to help Punjab pull off a convincing victory. Uday Kaul (50) and Ravinder (26) were the other contributors for Punjab. Scores:
Himachal: 205 all out in 49.4 overs (A Manu 72, Sarandeep 50, V Indulkar 34; S Kaul 6 for 39, Sarabjit Singh 2 for 24). Punjab: 207 for 2 in 38.5
overs. (V Bhalla 108 not out, U Kaul 50; Vikramjeet 1 for 40, Vishal Bhatia 1 for 44).
— TNS |
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Karachi, February 23
New Delhi, February 23
