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‘Motera-like tracks will kill Tests’
Match-fixing row hits European soccer
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Hooper can stay in India: Kalmadi
Sandeep ruled out of Champions Challenge I
Small boy for the big stage
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‘Motera-like tracks will kill Tests’
New Delhi, November 21 "Such pitches will kill Test cricket. It's a free ticket to batsmen and offer no contest," Harbhajan told PTI over phone from Ahmedabad. Tthe Motera track has drawi flak from all quarters and both captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara said they expected the pitch to offer some assistance to the bowlers on the last two days. The 'battathons' of Motera are now in public domain but the bigger picture of pitches in India ought to make cricket administrators sit up and take notice. Seven of the last 12 Tests in India have been draws. One triple century, six double and as many as 32 Test centuries have been hit. One score in excess of 700, three each of 600 and 500 runs and no less than six scores of 400 and more have been managed. The bowlers understandably have groaned under the strain. It has not mattered if the likes of Dale Steyn, Andrew Flintoff, Shoaib Akhtar or Muthiah Muralitharan have been in operation. Bowlers now have genuine concerns for their careers in India, said Harbhajan. Despite his 2 for 189 from 48 overs at Motera, Harbhajan is not overtly concerned about his own well-being as he has picked up 54 wickets from these 12 Tests against batting sides such as Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, England and Sri Lanka. His 216 wickets from 43 Tests at home at an average of 27.40 with 17 five-wicket and four 10-wicket hauls is still very impressive. "It's not me alone. At least I bowled on the second and third day (of the Motera Test). The best match-winner in the history of the game (Murali) was struggling to go past the bat even on the fifth afternoon," said Harbhajan with palpable concern. "It doesn't matter if the pitch is not spinner-friendly. It would be alright even if it helps seamers alone. But bowlers need to be in business. They shouldn't be there to just serve the batsmen," he added. Indian captain Dhoni has already said he wouldn't like to play on wickets such as Motera's. — PTI
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Match-fixing row hits European soccer
Bochum, November 21 Police in Germany, Britain, Austria and Switzerland cracked down on the ring on Thursday, staging simultaneous raids that resulted in 15 arrests in Germany and two in Switzerland. Officers also seized one million euros ($1.49 million) in cash or goods as part of the investigation into the suspected manipulation of games across nine European leagues. Some 50 properties were searched in the four countries. "We at (European soccer's governing body) UEFA are stunned by the magnitude of this," UEFA representative Peter Limacher told reporters at a Bochum police news conference on Friday. "This is undoubtedly the biggest match-fixing scandal that European football has ever seen. Now we must do everything to make sure those referees, players and officials are taken to justice." Bochum police said 200 people were suspected of involvement in attempts to rig about 200 matches in 2009, some during the current season. No details of which teams or players and officials involved were released. "There was a group of individuals who did or tried to influence matches with money and make illegal profit through the placing of bets," said Bachmann. A City of London spokeswoman said in a statement: "Following a request from German law enforcement officers, City of London police assisted in the execution of a search warrant in the Greater London area on Thursday." She added no arrests had been made and just one property was searched.
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Hooper can stay in India: Kalmadi
Hooper, whose repatriation to London he had demanded, can stay in India in the wider interest of the Games. In an interview to CNN-IBN, Kalmadi has stated that though Hooper has been allowed to be stationed in India, he would be “constrained and restrained” in some ways by CGF president Mike Fennell. Kalmadi said the charges he made against Hooper in October were not his own comments, but that of the Organising Committee and the Indian Olympic Association, for which he was not apologetic about. Kalmadi said Fennell’s demand of an independent technical review panel will be reviewed in December, though he did not refute or deny the statement of Hooper that an independent panel will start functioning from January. On Fennell’s demand that foreign experts be appointed in specific areas to assist the Organising Committee, Kalmadi revealed that only two-three experts had been appointed, and termed it as a “small thing”, as Fennell had demanded the appointment of “many experts”. Kalmadi said the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer and three IAS officers to the Organising Committee did not mean that his powers as chairman of the OC had been whittled down, as he insisted that he had the “full support” of the Prime Minister. Kalmadi did not see any threat to his authority in the appointment of a finance committee either, nor the decision of the Group of Ministers to meet every two weeks to track progress of the preparation of the Games.
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Sandeep ruled out of Champions Challenge I
New Delhi, November 21 “Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh has been medically ruled out for the FIH Men’s Champions Challenge I Hockey Tournament to be played at Salta, Argentina from December 6-13,” Hockey India said in a statement. “As per the medical report of Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Parag Sancheti, he is suffering from acute lumbar strain with right L5 radculopathy. He has to undergo rehabilitation programme for a period of three weeks and has been advised not to do any strenuous activity which might aggravate his pain,” it added. Sandeep will, however, be able to undergo his cardio exercises and rehabilitation programme. “He has also been advised not to play competitive hockey during this period. However, he can undergo his cardio exercises and rehabilitation programme. The surgeon has advised Sandeep to come for re-examination at Pune after three weeks,” the statement said. Hockey India also named Sandeep’s replacement. “Sandeep Singh’s replacement for the Champions Challenge I squad will be former India junior captain and penalty corner flicker Diwakar Ram.” — PTI
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Small boy for the big stage
Chandigarh, November 21 Meet Zorawar Singh, all of 12 years and already setting his eyes on the 2010 Equestrian World Cup. The promising Chandigarh lad has every reason to do so after bagging second position in the junior category of Preliminary Dressage at the recently concluded the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Dressage Challenge. The youngest participant in the tournament showed ample signs of what can be expected out of him in future. Q: Competing and excelling in an international event at your age is extraordinary. Have you ever pondered over the magnitude of your achievement? A: It was a big event for me and I had prepared mentally for the challenges. I had trained hard, for I expected tough competition. Although I was a bit nervous in the beginning, I settled down once the event started. Q: Amid all the training hours, how do you squeeze in time for your studies? A: (Smiles) I take my books along when I go to Delhi for training. Q: Almost everybody in India wants to be a cricketer. Then how did your interest grow in equestrian? A: I used to read a lot about horse riding from a very young age. My mother tells me I was three when i started taking active interest in the sport. Q: Was your mother scared at the thought of you riding a horse? A: (Smiles) Initially yes a little bit. But now she trusts me fully. Q: This was the first international event you participated in, and almost won. How does it feel after coming so close? A: From the outset I knew it was going to be very demanding and challenging as the best equestrians were participating in the event. But I had the confidence that I will do well. I lost first position by a thin 0.64 percentile. Q: What is your training A: I have been training under Major G S Ahluwalia, a Germany based-trainer, for the past three years. We have our personal training set up at Chatarpur in New Delhi. I spend 15 days in a month there training with my horses Prowler and Rebellion. Q: Tell us something about the Dressage event? A: Dressage is the most technical part where the rider has to tread a difficult line of both skill and balance. He has to control the horse at varying speeds while at the same time the horse must look elegant too. At the more advanced level Dressage becomes an art wh en the riders can use their horses creatively as a means of expression. Q: The sport in our country is in a very nascent stage. How do you view its progress? A: You can compare the growth of horse riding with Golf. Horse riding is what golf was 20 years back. Slowly and surely it is coming out of the Army confines as more and more civilians are taking it up. With more exposure it is only bound to grow. Till now we do not have any participation at the Olympics. Q: What about the finances involved. Is the sport too costly? A: Yes it is very costly. Everything from the horses to the instruments and the training too. I hope to get sponsorships for my participation in the World Cup to be held in 2010. Q: The World Rankings will be out early next year? A: I am keeping my fingers crossed as my participation in the FEI World Cup 2010 depends on the rankings. I am confident that I will finish among the very best.
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New Delhi, November 21
New Delhi, November 21
