 |
|
|
PART I
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
WI enter semis Dhoni apologises to nation Indian eves enter semis
Torres helps Spain rout NZ
Junior Men’s Hockey WC
|
|
PART I
The Indian cricketers travelled from here to Nottingham on Monday for their third and final appearance in the Super Eight stage of the World Twenty20 – a match now only of academic interest after India’s defeat to England on Sunday and consequent disqualification for a semifinal place in the competition. Perhaps, two questions need to be addressed. Where did India err in the tournament in general? And where did they commit mistakes in the encounter against England? There can be no doubt that after the continuous cricket the Indians have engaged in recently, fatigue was bound to be a factor. The Indian Premier League may make commercial sense for both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the players’ pockets, but it is not in the national interest, if such a tournament impedes the Indian team’s showing. Five weeks of mentally (caused as much by money as match situation pressures) and physically exhausting cricket on the brink of a global event where India were the defending champions and hundreds of millions in the country were emotionally integrated too, was a careless act on the part of the BCCI. In addition to aggravating the Indians’ tiredness, the IPL, unfortunately, also caused injuries to two key performers – Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. While Sehwag’s replacement Rohit Sharma promised much in the warm-up and preliminary games, his shot selection was suspect in the two matches that really mattered – versus the West Indies and England. Had Sehwag clicked in his characteristic vein in either, India would probably have won this match. As for Zaheer, he recovered enough for Bangladesh and Ireland, but not for the West Indies and England. His strength lies in his ability to take early wickets – and thereby impelling the opposition on to the defensive – not necessarily being economical. He essentially failed in his primary role. Ishant Sharma was a disappointment in the tournament proper. 18 months of national and domestic demands in all three formats of the game has taken a toll. This young man is a priceless commodity, for India have rarely possessed a strike bowler in their history. Mohammed Nissar in the pre-independence period was said to be genuine fast. Kapil Dev was hugely successful, with his banana swing; but he was, bar a brief phase in his career, fast medium rather than express. The Indian selectors must realise that unless Irfan Pathan bowls faster and swerves the ball with control, he is unworthy of inclusion. His occasional batting success does not merit consideration. Not that Rudra Pratap Singh is a whole lot better – his batting and fielding are, in fact, distinctly inferior to Pathan’s - but he can be sharper, if he bends his back. One wonders if Kris Srikkant and company will have to revert to Ashish Nehra or resort to the up-and-coming brigade! In his teens, Suresh Raina was touted as the left-handed Sachin Tendulkar. Of late, word has spread he’s uncomfortable against short-pitched bowling. He was predictably removed by a bouncer in the England match, but was also found wanting against pace and deviation in the West Indies game. He also wasted his opportunity against Bangladesh. Raina’s front foot is too far forward for his aerial strokes, as a result of which his bat is ending up below the ball and he’s achieving elevation but not distance. Some people have made a big deal out of India being pulverised by deliveries dug in. The fact is bumpers have limited utility in Twenty20. The slightest error in height can be adjudged a wide; and only one such ball an over can be delivered any way. Because of the extra bounce outside the sub-continent, the hook can be a high risk option early in one’s innings – even on spongy surfaces in England as opposed to the harder wickets in Australia and South Africa. In Twenty20 one needs to be more innovative by guiding a rising ball into vacant spaces at fine thirdman. After so much exposure nowadays outside South Asia, it’s shameful if Indian batsmen still have to carry the tag of being ill-equipped against the throat ball. Crucially, Dhoni is presently not the undiluted basher he used to be. A run a ball is inadequate in T20; it’s got to be one and a half runs a ball to make a material difference. It’s also no small matter that he frequently drops catches standing up to the stumps.
|
|
Pakistan march into semis Cricket is no respecter of riches. The team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the game’s wealthiest national federation, are knocked out of the World Twenty20. Yet, the unit of the Pakistan Cricket Board, facing bankruptcy in their recent, relative isolation from the international scene and absence of profitable home engagements with India, are through to the semifinals. They predictably beat International Cricket Council associate member Ireland by 39 runs. Pakistan’s current better net run rate as compared Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Group F of the Super Eights means that at best only one of the last two mentioned can improve on this in Tuesday’s match between the two. At present, Sri Lanka like Pakistan, have four points each. If the former defeat New Zealand, they will proceed to the last four as the top team in the group, with six points. On the other hand, if New Zealand subdue the Sri Lankans, net run rate will decide which of the two join Pakistan. Opener Kamran Akmal set the tone with 57 from 51 balls. He was the fourth man out yorked by Trent Johnson attempting an adventurous stroke in the 17th over. The rest of the Pakistani batting chipped in supportively rather than substantially. But they reached an adequate 159 for five. Principally responsible for the restraint on Pakistan was Ireland’s giant of a new ball bowler - Boyd Rankin - who did not capture a wicket, but conceded no more than 11 runs in his four overs. Wicket-wise, Kyle McCallan was the most successful, removing Shahid Afridi, caught at long on, and Misbah-ul-Haq, held at the wicket. And this spinner was not uneconomical either, giving away just 26 runs. But inevitably, the introduction of spin disturbed Ireland’s chase. Neither Afridi nor Saeed Ajmal, an orthodox off-spinner, is as bamboozling as Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis presently is. But against batsmen unaccustomed to high quality spin, they are equally effective. Indeed, the promising Ajmal established this point with a crafty return of four for 19. Left-handed William Potterfield, captain and top scorer, holed out at extra cover; while Kevin O’Brien, who was looking good, was stumped by Akmal. Ireland finished with 120 for nine. Lambs probably squeal when slaughtered. This must be true of the famous New Zealand variety, as well. That does not give licence to Kiwi cricketers to echo this when slayed in the flannelled sport. For them to accuse Pakistan of ball tampering after Umar Gul had claimed a record breaking five for six against them over the weekend was unsportsmanlike. Gul was again among the wickets, albeit against less formidable Ireland, easing in with two for 19 in an untiring workout. Gul has succeeded in reverse swinging the older ball, with which he’s mostly been utilised by skipper Younus Khan. Scoreboard
Pakistan Akmal b Johnston 57 a(51) Shahzaib c McCallan b Cusack 23 (19) Afridi c Mooney b McCallan 24 (13) Younis b West 10 (8) Misbah c O’Brien b McCallan 20 (14) Razzaq not out 15 (9) Shoaib Malik not out 4 (7) Extras (lb 3, w 2, nb 1) 6 Total: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 159 Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-78, 3-102, 4-133, 5-141. Bowling: Rankin 4-0-11-0, Johnston 4-0-45-1, Cusack 4-0-41-1, West 4-0-33-1, McCallan 4-0 -26-2. Ireland Porterfield c Younis b Ajmal 40 (36) O’Brien c & b Aamer 7 (10) Stirling b Afridi 17 (16) K O’Brien st Akmal b Ajmal 26 (30) Mooney c Razzaq b Ajmal 2 (8) Johnston b Gul 0 (1) White b Gul 5 (7) Cusack st Akmal b Ajmal 2 (2) McCallan not out 2 (6) West run out 1 (1) Rankin not out 5 (5) Extras (b 1, lb 7, w 3, nb 2) 13 Total: (9 wickets; 20 overs) 120 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-42, 3-87, 4-93, 5-99, 6-108, 7-110, 8-110, 9-111. Bowling: Aamer 4-0-19-1,Razzaq 3-0-18-0, Afridi 4-0-26-1, Ajmal 4-0-19-4, Shoaib Malik 1-0-11-0, Gul 4-0-19-2. |
|
WI enter semis In a tournament of upsets, unheralded West Indies stormed into the semifinals of the World Twenty20. Set to score 80 runs to win in a match abridged to a nine over bash under Duckworth/Lewis calculations because of rain, the West Indies elbowed out England by five wickets. In the very first over, Andre Fletcher skied a top edge off James Anderson like a rocket; wicket-keeper James Foster comfortably took the catch. Next over, Ryan Sidebottom bowled Chris Gayle with an in-swinger. This was the big wicket; and was followed by the exit of Lendl Simmons in the third over, caught at deep thirdman, which made it 16 for three. Kieron Pollard then off-drove Graeme Swann for a six, but was cleaned up by leg-spinner Adil Rashid, which made it 41 for four. Rashid had been lofted to extra cover for a maximum by Dwayne Bravo, but this all-rounder was thereafter stumped off Swann. But Shivnarine Chanderpaul, joined by Ramnaresh Sarwan, realised 37 off 20 deliveries to ensure victory. A chasing side is more often than not at an advantage in the D/L method, especially in Twenty20. England posted a susceptible 161 for six, the highlight of which was an essay of 55 from Ravi Bopara. In sunny conditions, on this ground’s true wicket, generally totals of above 180 have been deemed to be safe. The West Indies’ media manager said Fidel Edwards, lynch-pin of the Caribbean attack, injured his back just before the toss - won by England - to be replaced at the last minute by Darren Sammy, who bowled cheaply but without scalps. This gave Bopara and Kevin Pietersen rather more freedom to drive off the front, with even Jerome Taylor, no trundler, getting the treatment. The Jamaican’s first over - the last of the power play - cost 15 runs; and included an on-drive apiece from Bopara and Pietersen as well an off-drive from the latter - all for attractive fours. Pietersen rushed to 31 off 19 balls as he and Bopara put on 56 for the 2nd wicket before the former top edged a slog sweep off Lendl Simmons to deep midwicket. Owais Shah came in and crafted a quick-fire cameo, including a flick to long leg for six at Taylor’s expense. But in trying to clear midwicket with a pull, he was brilliantly caught, one-handed by Fletcher. The bowler to benefit was Bravo, whose over - the 12th of the innings - cost a frugal four runs. Bravo later trapped captain Paul Collingwood leg before wicket to ultimately collect two for 30. Bopara completed a 43-ball 50 with an off-drive for a single. But having done the hard work, he failed to capitalise as Gayle trapped him lbw. Gayle finished with one for 25. Soon after, rain intervened for the first time. England’s lack of big shots from their middle order surfaced once more. The ball didn’t cross the fence even once between the 11th and 20th overs, until the last two balls were clouted for a four and six by the left-handed Stuart Broad off Sulieman Benn, whose overall return was one for 30. Furious running between the wickets, though, extracted 45 runs in the last five overs. Brief Scores:
|
||
|
Dhoni apologises to nation London, June 15 "We are more disappointed (than you) and we respect the emotions of our fans and the country. We gave our best and we say that with an open heart, we have nothing to hide. But the next Twenty20 world cup is coming again in nine months and we would have an opportunity of proving ourselves," said a dejected Dhoni after India's heart-breaking three-run loss at Lord's last night. “Sometimes you don't know what would happen. We thought Jadeja could stabilise the innings as well as go after the bowling. He did try but somehow he always found the fielders. It was unfortunate it didn't work for us. We needed somebody to play percentage cricket at that stage.” — PTI
|
||
|
Taunton, June 15 Punam Raut hit a patient 30 off 40 balls, while Mithali Raj cracked an unbeaten 22-ball 32 to help India romp home after restricting the Lankans to a paltry 94 for six in a rain-reduced 18 overs per side match at County Ground here. Chasing 95 to win, openers Punam and Anjum Chopra (11) made a watchful start scoring 27 in the first seven overs before the latter was sent packing by Udeshika Prabodani. India soon suffered a mini-collapse, losing Sulakshana Naik (2) and Rumeli Dhar (0) and were reduced to 39 for 3 in 10 overs. Mithali then joined Punam and clubbed two fours to share a crucial 24-run stand between them before the opener run herself out in the 13th over. However, Mithali continued and stitched 19 runs with Reema first and later forged an unbeaten 16 run stand with Amita to score the winning runs with seven balls to spare. Earlier, Rumeli and left-arm spinner Sultana bagged two wickets each to help India restrict a hapless Sri Lanka after Polgampola elected to bat. — PTI
|
||
|
Torres helps Spain rout NZ
Johannesburg, June 15 Host South Africa, however, was unlucky to settle for a 0-0 draw against Iraq in the opening match at Ellis Park. Torres, who scored the lone goal in Spain’s 1-0 win over Germany in last year’s European Championship final, put his team ahead in just the sixth minute in Rustenburg, curling a shot past New Zealand goalkeeper Glen Moss. He made it 2-0 in the 14th, side-footing a pass from David Villa into the net, and completed the hat trick with a header from Joan Capdevila’s cross. Cesc Fabregas and Villa also scored for Spain, which stretched its unbeaten streak to 33 games, two shy of Brazil’s record. The Spanish team leads Group A with three points and next faces Iraq. The atmosphere at the Royal Bafokeng stadium was dulled by the thousands of empty seats. But in Johannesburg, the vuvuzela trumpets rang out loud as the local fans supported their team in earnest. The hosts, however, failed to convert an easy opportunity in the 84th minute when a header from Kagisho Dikgacoi hit the back of the leg of South Africa forward Bernard Parker on the goal line and bounced out. Although Mohammed Kassid may have been beaten on that play, the Iraq goalkeeper made some other outstanding saves to preserve the draw, including a one-on-one stop from forward Katlego Mashego late in the match. “This tie for us is positive. Ok, we had a chance there, but I think this game was for a tie,” Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic said. South Africa next plays New Zealand in Rustenburg, and then faces Spain in Bloemfontein.
— AP |
|
Junior Men’s Hockey WC
Singapore, June 15 Captain Diwakar Ram (25 min), Mohammad Amir Khan (27th), Victo Singh (40th) and Jay Karan (59th) scored a goal each to ensure the facile win for India at the Seng Kang Sports Complex here. With two successive wins in as many matches, India now top Pool G with six points and are certain to play for the 9-10 position play-off match. They will next take on England in their last pool fixture here on Wednesday. For the second day on the trot, the Indians played a well controlled match with well measured accurate passes and good counter attacks. However, India squandered three early opportunities to take the lead with an alert Belgian defence bringing off goalline saves from the attempts of forward line trio of Mandeep Antil, Victo and Danish Mujtaba. The Indian colts finally broke the ice in the 25th minute when Diwakar’s powerful dragflick found the top left corner of the Belgian goal as custodian Jeremy Gucassoff stood like a silent spectator. Two minutes later Amir Khan doubled the scoreline, deflecting home from a Mujtaba cross from the right flank. Towards the end of the first session, Belgium earned three penalty corners but on all the three occasions a vigilant Mrinal Choubey, under the bars, foiled their attempts to see India go into the breather with a 2-0 lead. Five minutes after the resumption of play, India increased their tally when Victo trapped a hard centre from Antil to push past Belgian goalkeeper Gucassoff. From there on, the Indians made rapid substitutions in their forward line and accelerated the pace in the last quarter. An electric Jay Karan and Danish Mujtaba move in tandem gave India it’s fourth goal with the former getting the final touch in the 59th minute.
— PTI |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
