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‘I suffered injury during IPL’ |
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No ICL players for Ranji fitness camp National Hockey at Pune Pargat inspires soccer fans
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India thump Ireland Title holders India revved up in style for the next stage of the World Twenty20 by strolling to victory over Ireland – who had beaten Bangladesh – by eight wickets after restricting them to 112 for eight. Zaheer Khan ripped through the opposition with a return of four for 19, while Rohit Sharma delivered the coup de grace with an unbeaten 51. India’s next engagement is versus the West Indies on Friday in the Super Eights, prior to tackling England and South Africa on 14 and 16 June respectively in Group E. In terms of the tournament, there was nothing at stake. But prestige-wise, India had a lot of lose and the Irish plenty to gain. In the event, the Indians kept their reputation intact. Had their bowlers operated with greater intensity, though, they might have bowled out their opponents. The face-off between the diminutive Gautam Gambhir and Boyd Rankin, 6 ft 7 in and broad shouldered, was akin to David tackling Goliath. But as in the Biblical outcome, the little man won, lashing the first ball of the innings through the covers before upper cutting him for six to point in the 5th. The 50 of the innings came up in the 7 th ; the 100 in the 14 th . India reached their target in 15.3. Mahendtra Dhoni filled the void after Gambhir sliced Regan West to short thirdman. Rankin was brought back and beat the Indian skipper outside the off-stump, but Sharma retaliated with a humungous smear into the stands behind midwicket in the same over. Next over, Dhoni recorded another failure with the bat as he swung Kyle MCallan into the hands of square leg. The Irish may be divided into an independent Eire and British-controlled Northern Ireland. But in cricket it’s a union of the two entities, sporting the southern flag, whose colours are identical to India’s, except that their stripes are vertical instead of horizontal. After a delayed start due to rain and the match was pruned to 18 overs a side, India invited Ireland to bat under cloud cover; and Irfan Pathan – swing being historically his forte – was entrusted with the new ball. Success, though, surfaced from the other end. Zaheer snatched three wickets in seven balls to have the Irish on the ropes at 17
for three. For the second match in succession, Ojha took a wicket with his first ball – Kevin O’Brien bowled off an inside edge. This made it 28 for four in 6.1 overs. Wicket-keeper Gary Wilson, sent in at number three, battled it out for 23 deliveries for 19 until a delectable doosra from Harbhajan Singh hit the top of off-stump – 48 for five. John Mooney resisted for 22 balls for his 19 before a reverse sweep against Ojha proved injudicious. A ball later, a brilliant throw from Suresh Raina at mid-on terminated West’s vigil. It was 73 for seven. Andrew White defiantly replied with the solitary six of the Irish innings – a pull to long leg off Pathan, the only Indian bowler not to make an impression. That it was possible to angle if not swing the old ball, as well, was reinforced by Zaheer, who had the same batsman - top scorer with 29 off 25 — caught behind. Scoreboard Ireland Porterfield c Yusuf b Zaheer 5 (8) Bray b Zaheer 0 (7) Wilson b Harbhajan 19 (23) Botha c Yusuf b Zaheer 8 (5) O’Brien b Ojha 2 (4) Mooney c Yuvraj b Ojha 19 (22) White c Dhoni b Zaheer 29 (25) West run out 1 (1) Cusack not out 12 (6) McCallan not out 9 (7) Extras (lb 6, w 2) 8 Total (8 wickets; 18 overs) 112 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-9, 3-17, 4-28, 5-48, 6-72, 7-73, 8-92. Bowling: Irfan 3-0-22-0, Zaheer 3-0-19-4, Ishant 3-0-18-0, Yuvraj 1-0-4-0, Ojha 4-0-18-2, Harbhajan 4- 0-25-1. India Gambhir c Rankin b West 37 (31) Rohit not out 52 (45) Dhoni c Bray b McCallan 14 (13) Yuvraj not out 3 (4) Extras (lb 4, w 3) 7 Total (2 wickets; 15.3 overs) 113 Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-100. Bowling: Rankin 4-0-28-0, O'Brien 2-0-17-0, Cusack 2-0-13-0, West 4-0-23-1, McCallan 3.3-0-28-1.
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‘I suffered injury during IPL’
“I had suffered the injury during our IPL semifinal clash against Deccan Chargers when I dived to stop a ball,” said Sehwag. The semifinal against Deccan Chargers, which Delhi Daredevils lost badly, was held in South Africa on May 21, almost three weeks ago. The injury has been described by coach Gary Kirsten as “a Grade I tear” and with the urgency being shown on Sehwag’s treatment, it raises question why no medical solution to get him in shape was sought for close to three weeks.
Kirsten had earlier said Sehwag’s medical treatment, besides the physio’s work, was restricted to just giving injections to the opener. “It’s the type of injury we can’t make a decision on, yet. He’s had an injection and we want to see how he responds to that,” Kirsten had said. “He was picked in the squad and he then had got injured which wasn’t serious enough for him to miss the whole tournament.” — PTI
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Jayasuriya powers Lanka win A 124-run opening partnership in 12.3 overs between Sanath Jayasuriya and Tilakaratne Dilshan forced the West Indies into retreat; but they fought gamely before losing to Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the last Group C match in the World Twenty20. Jayasuriya streaked to 81 in 47 balls, while Dilshan was no laggard with 74 off 47 till he became medium pacer Lendl Simmons’ fourth victim. Simmons had dismissed Mahela Jayawardene in the same over and altogether conceded just 19 runs. He also, opening the innings, recorded 29 runs from 19 deliveries, with five crisp fours. 193 was, admittedly, a destination too far; but as long as Dwayne Bravo (51 in 38) and Ramnaresh Sarwan were at the wicket - and they added 77 in 9.8 overs for the 5 th wicket - the West Indies were in the hunt. In the 18 th over, Bravo swung Malinga over midwicket for his second six; but got more elevation than distance off the next ball to hole out at mid-on. The sky turned grey as West Indies commenced their chase. But not for Andre Fletcher, who blasted Lasith Malinga for six to midwicket. Next ball, he was bowled by a full toss. Xavier Marshall mistimed against the deceptive Ajantha Mendis to be caught at deep midoff. Even the seasoned Shivnarine Chanderpaul played for a googly, which turned out to be a leg break. Earlier, Muttiah Muralitharan had Simmons edging to slip with a doosra. Three wickets fell in the space of seven balls - condensing the West Indies from 70 for one to 73 for four. The West Indies, though, bounced back in cavalier, Caribbean style. Bravo miraculously avoided a foot fracture against a vicious Malinga yorker; but responded with a falling square cut in the same over. The game had no bearing to the future of the tournament. But Sri Lanka’s batting was as hot as their curries; and a feast for a jovial attendance. Denesh Ramdin, deputising for an injured Chris Gayle, inserted Sri Lanka on a balmy English summer’s afternoon. But the West Indies appeared helpless and resigned to their fate as long as Jayasuriya wielded the willow. The veteran flicked off the hip for six to long leg at Fidel Edwards’ expense in the 2 nd over. He followed this with a pull off Jerome Taylor for equal purchase in the next. In the 6 th over, Kieron Pollard was bashed for three fours and a six steered to thirdman by Dilshan. The first 10 overs produced a flood of 105 runs without loss. Finally Jayasuriya fell leg before wicket to Simmons. But not before the left-hander had scooped Edwards - who was particularly expensive as was Pollard - over point for his third six. Scoreboard Sri Lanka: Dilshan c Benn b Simmons 74 (47) Jayasuriya lbw b Simmons 81 (47) Sangakkara c Fletcher b Simmons 5 (6) Jayawardene c Ramdin b Simmons 4 (7) Mubarak not out 8 (5) Silva c Ramdin b Taylor 7 (7) Mathews not out 3 (2) Extras (lb 5, w 4, nb 1) 10 Total: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 192 Fall of wickets: 1-124, 2-147, 3-168, 4-172, 5-189. Bowling: Taylor 4-0-32-1, Edwards 2-0-37-0, Bravo 4-0-29-0, Benn 4-0-25-0, Pollard 3-0-45-0, Simmons 3-0-19-4. West Indies: Simmons c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 29 (19) Fletcher b Malinga 13 (11) Marshall c Silva b Mendis 14 (11) Chanderpaul b Mendis 1 (5) Sarwan not out 28 (26) Bravo c Mubarak b Malinga 51 (38) Pollard not out 19 (11) Extras (lb 4, w 17, nb 1) 22 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 177 Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-70, 3-71, 4-73, 5-150. Bowling: Jayasuriya 3-0-34-0, Malinga 4-0-45-2, Udana 4-0-36-0, Mendis 4-0-25-2, Muralitharan 4-0-21-1, Mathews 1-0-12-0.
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We will rise above KP rivalry: Smith London, June 10 Pietersen controversially quit South Africa and opted to play for England, where his mother was born, in protest at a policy of racial quotas in domestic cricket which he believed were hampering his prospects. Smith, another white cricketer, by contrast stayed and his relationship with Pietersen has often been fractious. England batting ace Pietersen labelled Smith “an absolute muppet” in his autobiography and Smith once said: “Kevin and I would get on a lot better if he kept his mouth shut.” But Smith, speaking after South Africa’s one-run win over New Zealand in their final group match, insisted such ill-feeling was a thing of the past. “I don’t think there’s animosity there,” he said. “There will always be the competitiveness between players. He’s a world-class batter. There's no doubt he'll be up for the game on Thursday and tactically we will look at a few things.” During the past year South Africa have won Test series in both England and Australia and Smith said that was proof of their increasing maturity. “It’s shown in the results we’ve turned out in the last two years. We’ve travelled to pretty much every continent and won.” Pietersen top-scored with 58 in England’s 48-run win over Pakistan having missed their shock defeat in the tournament opener against the Netherlands with an Achilles injury. Asked which England would turn up at Trent Bridge, Smith replied, “We are preparing like we are going to get the one that played against Pakistan.” Yesterday’s match against New Zealand may have been a ‘dead’ game, with both sides already through to the second phase after beating minnows Scotland, but Smith was heartened by the way in which his bowlers held their nerve at Lord’s. “I think in terms of the bigger picture it was fantastic for us to have a high pressure game,” said Smith. — AFP
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The Indians, who have played just two T20 Internationals, finished third in the ODI World Cup in March and they did not have the best of the build-ups to the tournament with a 17-run loss to New Zealand here yesterday in their only warm-up game. Skipper Jhulan Goswami was confident that her side had the wherewithal to be among the top sides in the tournament. “You need to play with your mind. If you’re mentally strong you can beat any team and we are confident about ourselves,” she said. Goswami will though depend a lot on her two seniormost team-mates - Anjum Chopra and Mithali Raj - to soar up the batting which could not chase down 124 against New Zealand yesterday. Both former captains, Chopra and Raj had played 116 and 115 ODIs and they have vast experience of playing in England though they are also new to Twenty20 having played just one and two Internationals respectively. England, on the other hand, have played 11 T20 Internationals (six wins and five losses) and they have two experience campaigners in captain - Charlotte Edwards and Claire Taylor, the world’s number batswoman and Wisden Cricketer of the Year. If Goswami and her bowling colleagues could keep the two English senior batswomen quiet, the job would be half done. Edwards insisted her team can cope with the pressure of playing at home. “I’d rather be in our position than not to be honest. It’s new territory for us, but we’re not feeling the pressure from it at all.” The first round of the tournament will be played at Taunton, the home of English county Somerset, while the semifinals (at Trent Bridge in Nottingham and the Oval in London) and the final (at Lord’s in London) to be played simultaneously with the men’s ICC World Twenty20. — PTI
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No ICL players for Ranji fitness camp While about 30 other Punjab players, besides nine Indian Premier League (IPL) players, have been sent a letter each to come for the fitness camp, the name of the ICL players is missing. The fitness camp will tentatively commence from June 28. It will be three-week long camp and will test players strictly on the basis of their fitness level irrespective of their status. “We are awaiting a written confirmation from the BCCI and only after receiving that can we allow the players to play from the state association. We don’t have any idea when will the Board will send the confirmation,” said GS Walia, joint secretary, PCA. However, he also confirmed that if they receive the letters in between the Katoch Shield tournament, the former ICL players might have a chance to play in the ongoing matches itself. Sources in the PCA opined that the cricketers might have to sit idle for atleast this year if they don’t get a chance to play in ongoing tournament. Earlier, after receiving their NOCs from and a go head from the BCCI, players including Dinesh Mongia had raised their hopes of playing in the Katoch Shield. Speaking to The Tribune, Dinesh Mongia, said, “I haven’t received any letter from the PCA for the fitness camp. Let’s see how future unfolds as there are many tournaments coming up ahead.” Even though state associations are reluctant to take back these players, citing written approval by the BCCI as a reason, they can take a cue from the clubs. In one such instance former India all-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi has become the first player to play a match in the so-called mainstream after leaving the ICL. He today played his first match from Air India against Sonnet Cricket Club in Delhi. Sodhi turned in a fine performance picking up two wickets and seeing his team through to the final. Talent, as you see, is in the man, not his affiliation. |
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National Hockey at Pune New Delhi, June 10 Meanwhile, in an interesting development, secretary-general of the now disaffiliated Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) Amrit Bose and president of the Bengal Hockey Association J.B.Roy said in a joint statement that a meeting of various State level men’s and women’s hockey associations, scheduled to be held in Delhi on June 13 and 14, has been shifted to Amby Valley in Mumbai in protest against the invitation extended to the former, tainted secretary-general of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) K. Jyothikumaran. “The various State-level associations have one objective in mind - that there should be an elected body for both men and women hockey associations, and the same should be constitued in a clean and transparent and democratic manner”, said Roy and Bose. The rebel meeting will "prospectively discuss" the issues threadbare and shall chart a future course of action based on the democratic participation of all stake holders to ensure that Hockey India shall be "reformed" to its past glory and that there is a mechanism that "young Indian talent can bloom in a free and transparent atmosphere". The rift in the rebel group is sweet music for Hockey India as Amrit Bose had drifted away from the official group, though IOA president Kalmadi, while announcing the formation of Hockey India in Delhi recently, had claimed that Bose was a member of the nine-member committee
constituted by the IOA to work out the modalities for the formation of Hockey India. |
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Pargat inspires soccer fans Jalandhar, June 10 |
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Nottingham, June 10
Reports now suggest Sehwag would leave for South Africa to show himself to a specialist, but he first intends to show himself to a specialist in London. “There is little I can do. At the moment I would leave for London with my wife and son,” Sehwag said.
Taunton, June 10
Chandigarh, June 10
