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Semis battle gets underway
Total hockey at its best
PCB ban evokes mixed reactions
World Cup Diary |
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Kings’ king worried about Singh Yuvraj set to miss IPL opener Salgaocar hold JCT
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Semis battle gets underway
New Delhi, March 10 And hockey fans do not want to leave the team in the midstream. On Friday, when India returns to the action for the last time to play for the seventh and eighth position against Argentina, another packed stadium is expected. Tomorrow, it will be Canada taking on Pakistan in the wooden spoon match. It is the second time that Pakistan will be playing for the 11th and 12th position. Last time it was in Willesden, London, where Pakistan beat India to avoid carrying home the wooden spoon. The hockey fraternity, however, will be waiting with gasping breath for the Germany-England encounter. In the 2009 European Championship, Germany and England played each other twice, first a 4-4 draw in the pool game and then in the final, England pulled up a surprise 5-3 win over the World Cup champions. The win in European championship was the first warning England had given to the world hockey about its serious preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games it is going to host in London. Otherwise England had beaten Germany in the World Cup only once, in 1986, in London where they beat them 3-2 in the semifinals. England finished with silver medal as a host. Otherwise of total five encounters between the two countries, Germany has won thrice and the one game ended in a draw. Both Germany and England have progressed well. Though England started the pool matches with a flourish by recording a shock 3-2 win over Australia, it ended its league engagements on a little bitter note losing the last game to Spain. Germany has been improving with every outing. Their best match had been against the Netherlands that ended in a 2-2 draw. Incidentally, Germany has been the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far. After playing a 2-2 draw against Korea, Germany has been convincing in its wins. Australia, who have finished with silver medal in the last two editions of the World Cup are aspiring to return home with a gold medal from a country that taught them hockey. Australians owe their success in hockey to Pearce brothers. And if the present chief coach of Australia, Richard Charles worth, accepted Indian assignment, it was an emotional gesture of gratitude. It is a different story that Richard was a victim to the apathy of the Indian officialdom and red-tapism. Still he wants his team to return home with a gold medal. They take on the Netherlands, the orange shirts, in the second last semifinal. Both Australia and the Netherlands have four wins each in eight World Cup games they previously played against each other. Since 2004, the Netherlands has never beaten Australia while losing eight consecutive games to them, including Olympic Games, World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Last win for the Netherlands came at Athens Olympic Games when they beat Aussies 2-1. In 11 World Cups, Australia has participated, they will be playing their ninth semi-final while for the Netherlands, and it will be their eighth. After losing to England, Australia has been giving an excellent account of itself. Luke Doerner shares the top goal scorer spot with six goals to his credit. Australia have also set a new record of the biggest win in the World Cup by trouncing SA 12-0.
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Total hockey at its best
New Delhi, March 10 Each of the 30 group matches were furiously, closely and intently fought, with no quarters asked and none given. A few upsets underlined the fact there were no real, solid favourites as any of the 12 teams could win or lose, depending on their form and luck on a given day. That 159 goals were scored in the 30 group matches proved that aggression was the byword of the contests as each goal was replied with an equally vehement counter. The disciplined Korea, the hallmark of whose game was speed, thrust, stamina and their uncanny ability to score from quick counter forays, have elevated the image of Asian hockey to a higher plane as they fought relentlessly in each of their matches to drive their rivals up the wall. Fancied opponents like defending champions Germany, whom they held in their opening match 2-2, and former champions Holland, whom they shocked 2-1 in their last Group A match to threaten to sneak into the semis at the cost the Dutch, but for a minus one-goal difference, showed that the days would not be far behind when Korea would fight as equals with the European teams. That Holland eventually pipped Korea to the semifinal post also showed that the European team, for whom hockey is a virtual religion back home, had done their home work well and chalked out their game plan with a nicety to score important, big wins in the early stages of the league phase, which stood them good stead. Ditto was the case with Australia, who were in Group B along with hosts India and Pakistan, and who recovered from a shock defeat at the hands of England in their opening match to top the group and sail into the semifinal with their typical brand of aggressive, energy-sapping hockey. England, after a fine exposition of total hockey in which they gave equal importance to attack and defence to notch up four consecutive wins, lost to Spain in their last league match. But the four wins in a row they stitched together, got them 12 valuable points which paved their path to the semifinal without much fuss. However, Australia’s 12-0 goal-rush against South Africa put them on the top of the group, on the strength of the sheer volume of the goals they scored - 21. Though hosts India’s high point was their 4-1 triumph over Pakistan in their opening match, they did not do that badly either in other matches, as they played as a fighting unit in each of the five matches and the closely fought 3-3 draw against South Africa, which they could have clinched had not a video referral robbed off them of a goal, was an indication that Spanish coach Jose Brasa has worked hard on them, and the Indian team are on the road to recovery. And India need not fuss or fret over the missed penalty corners as tops teams like Germany, Australia, England and Holland also muffed many a short corner, despite having the best drag-flickers in their ranks. That the domination of the European teams on the synthetic hockey turfs is here to stay as others have to work a lot more hard to match their speed, flair, recovery and total hockey on the demanding surface, is a bare fact exposed in this championship. And they score goals when they need them most, and not as a matter of routine, though they do that too. But the European and Australian teams bring out their best when they face adversity. Sadly, that has not been the case with India and Pakistan, once the super powers of world hockey, who dominated with their skill and flair. Skill and flair, like dribbling and speedy runs down the corridor, are all fine, but the Asian teams invariably bungle once inside or top of the circle to squander finely structured moves. Though the new referral system for goals, penalty corners and infringements is time-consuming and often irritating, it gives a level-playing field as the error of the on-field umpire can be corrected by the video umpire. And last but not the least, the lack of mementos of this World Cup. Fans and the media have nothing to show that a World Cup was staged in New Delhi. The media persons of course can flaunt their hard-earned media cards, but otherwise, Hockey India, FIH and others concerned with the organisation of the 12th World Cup missed a chance to market merchandise like pins, badges, vests, shirts, caps as the signature products of this World Cup, as a lasting memory for those who were there at the National Stadium. |
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PCB ban evokes mixed reactions
Karachi, March 10 The Board banned seniors Mohammed Yousuf and Younus Khan for life and handed one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the wake of their flop show Down Under. Brothers Kamran and Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi were put under observation and imposed heavy fines. “How can you treat senior players Yousuf and Younus like this? How can you ban them for life? If they were doing something wrong the board should have spoken and warned them first. You don’t take such harsh decision at once,” a fuming Inzamam asked. Inzamam was baffled why the team management kept silence during the tour and came out with sever punishments now, “Why were Kamran and Umar not sent back from Australia? Why was Afridi not penalised in Australia by the team management? Why come out with such harsh decisions in one go which could badly damage the image of Pakistan cricket?.” Inzamam was also critical of the composition of the inquiry committee saying it was not an independent and unbiased body. “How can you have Yawar Saeed or Zakir Khan on the committee. Yawar was recently manager of the team?,” he asked. Rashid Latif questioned the timing of the action and felt the Board may have done it to save its own skin. He also suggested players to knock the judicial doors, challenging the punishment, and was confident that aggrieved players would come out victorious. “Younus I think has been treated unfairly for long now, what was his fault and yet he is banned for life. This is not the way to improve things in Pakistan cricket. “If things were so wrong in Australia then what was the team management doing. I am getting a feeling that the board has taken these decisions to save themselves after the recent poor performances and controversies,” he said. However, former captain Zaheer Abbas, Abdul Qadir and Sarfaraz Nawaz, had a different view on the whole issue. “Obviously it is very disappointing and sad that senior players like Yousuf and Younus have been banned for life but the fact is this action of the board will help in improving the Pakistan cricket team's culture and performances,” Abbas said. “The players must realise whatever they are today are because of their country and the team. For too long these players’ power culture have been allowed to fester and it is right time to remove them,” he added. — PTI |
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Hockey needs celebrities
Prabhjot Singh Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 10 Even many in the International Federation or those in the stands may not understand why the umpires had blown the whistle. It is at times difficult to comprehend the infringement committed. There is a generation gap. People of older generation may go to watch only those games where they can enjoy niceties or finer points of the game, including skills. But the new generation is more techno-savvy and loves to be with catchy gadgets like iPods, blackberrys and follow their celebrities on twitter. For them going to a game is fun so that next day they can talk about saying they watched David Beckham in action or were at a promo where Tiger Woods had been the special guest. Unfortunately, hockey does not have that many celebrities who can pull younger generation to watch the events like World Cup Hockey. Aaron Sher shared some of his views with a select band of journalists here today saying that sports management was becoming highly professional with increased dependence on twitters, iPods and blackberrys. He, however, admitted that a lot needs to be done to improve media facilities at venues of FIH events. Flow of information had to be uninterrupted. Some problems witnessed during the ongoing World Cup were primarily out of security concerns. He said that in the US and other countries, the concept of putting huge screens at sports complexes was running out of fashion. Instead the emphasis was more on providing instant information on handsets or the mobile sets of people where the receiver gets to see the video or action replay than looking at a huge screen put up at some place in the stadium. What Aaron Sher said may be relevant in the advanced or Western countries but developing nations like India, Pakistan and South Africa have still a long way to go where the turnout of spectators is primarily out of love for the sport and in case of cricket; it may be more because of their celebrities. There cannot be any explanation for huge difference in turnouts on days when India is playing even if it is a classification game. Low turnout on other days when top teams are playing is intriguing.
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Kings’ king worried about Singh Chandigarh, March 10 Q: With Yuvi, Lee still uncertain to play, how bothered are you? A:Yuvi is one of the best shorter version players I have seen in the last decade. Though we never complain in Sri Lanka whenever he is not playing against us, but yes in a tournament as big as IPL, his injury is a concern. He, Brett (Lee) and Irfan are vital cogs in our scheme of things for the season, and as a captain, I would want all of them available for every game. There presence is a psychological boost for the team. Q: How does it feel to lead a side in a domestic Indian league? A: It is a privilege, I must admit, to be given the chance to do that. Leading any side brings a lot of responsibility and this is no different. But at the at end of day, whichever place you play, it is all about performance. My job is to keep scoring runs for the side and contribute to the success. Q: How difficult it is to lead a group of internationals like Yuvraj, Lee, Jayawardhene and Irfan? A: I have always believed that leading a side is situational. Especially in a shorter format there are times when different players raise their hands and lead the side. All of them are quality players and we know what can they do on a given day. Q: A lot of apprehensions have been raised about security. What is your take on it? A: Well, safety is paramount as we have experienced it first hand (in Lahore terrorist attack on our team). At the same time, there can never be 100 per cent security provisions anywhere in the world. Indian government has done enough to make us all feel safe here and the players have to trust that. Q: How has the team preparation been for the IPL? A: The players have had a lot of domestic and international cricket before coming here. We have been practicing for the last couple of days and everybody seems to be in a good knick. We are raring to go. Q:What is the immediate goal for the season? A: Last year was not great as far as results are concerned. We reached the semifinals, and we are determined to improve on it. The guys are all ready to go and have a blast. Q: Daredevils are your first opponents and they will pose a stiff challenge. A: We are ready for anything. No match will be easy, we know that. Our job is to believe in our strengths and play to the best of our abilities. We know we have the talent and we will aim to win every match. |
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Yuvraj set to miss IPL opener Mohali, March 10 Sources said Yuvraj has been still recuperating from a wrist injury so there are very bleak chances of his being a part of the playing eleven. Yuvraj suffered a ligament tear on his left wrist and was also ruled out of the home series of Tests and one day matches against South Africa recently. “The unavailability of the southpaw in the first few games of the league would not only affect the fans but the skipper of Kings XI Punjab team Kumara Sangakara would also miss the batsman, on whose performance, the local team largely banks upon”, said a PCA official. The Kings XI team would play warm-up match at Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh on Friday. |
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Salgaocar hold JCT Ludhiana, March 10 In the first half, players of both teams looked a shadow of themselves as missed passes and poor cohesion punctured most of their moves. JCT were distinctly unlucky not to open their account in the 10th minute when midfilder, Emmaniel Okuro’s header went just over the crosspiece. The visitors, too stormed into the rival citadel twice but lacked sting and often fell through. Few seconds before half time, JCT’s Gurpreet Singh obstructed Ruhollah Samieinia in the striking zone and earned a red card. This followed the refree awarding a penalty but Ruhollah could not capitalise on this chance. The home team went into the lead in the 48th minute when N Henry Ezeh's header beat Salgaocar custodian Kalyan Chalbey who marched ahead to take control of the ball. They missed chances to ehance the lead as Kalyan stood his ground. The equaliser came in the 69th minute following a parallel pass by E Fernandes to Ekene M. Ikenwa who sent an angular header into the net, much to the chargin of JCT custodian and skipper, Karamjit Singh (1-1). With this, both the teams shared one point each. After 15 matches, JCT secured 18 points while the visitors collected 15 points to maintain their 10th and 12th position, respectively. JCT now play Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan on March 15 at
Ludhiana. |
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New Delhi, March 10
The reason: absence of the home team from the games scheduled for Thursday. Though Indian team has done precisely little to warm cockles of hearts of ardent followers of the game here, their win the opening game against Pakistan rekindled hopes of revival of lost glory in the sport. 
