New Delhi, March 11
In a rare exhibition of controlled and classic hockey, defending champions Germany completed a hat-trick of making World Cup finals, defeating European champions England 4-1 in the first semi-final of the 12th Hero Honda World Cup Tournament at Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium here tonight.

Though big margin of victory does not reflect the closeness of the fierce contest, Germany appears to have succeeded in their game plan of taking early lead, consolidating it before their opponents could settle down and hung on to the earlier advantage till the close. The plan supplemented by some strategic planning, solid defence and interventional interceptions did upset calculations of the English team that had made a sensational start with an upset 3-2 victory over Australia.

At no time, the supremacy of the superior Germans was in doubt. Fully conscious of the fact that England has a solid defence supported by an alert and agile James fair in the goal, Germany visibly had set their targets on breaking it for an early lead. On the offensive from th word go, they forced their first penalty corner in the fifth minute and it was Jan-Marco Montag, who as an alternate flicker sprang a surprise for James fair from the middle of the circle strike. With a goal in their tally, the Germans did not look back and went all out for consolidating the lead.

It took them another five minutes to beat James Fair again, this time, a free pass from the 25 yard line as well intercepted by Oliver Korn and he also flicked from almost the same spot from where Montag had scored. Beaten twice, English defence reorganized itself and reinforced their left side defence.

Putting behind the first two reverses, England had no choice but to go for a goal to comeback in the game. But Germany were still on the rampage. Once skippe Bary Middleton while cutting a centre, stopped the ball cleanly but unfortunately fell on the ball to concede second penalty corner for Germany. James Fair, howeve, stood his ground to successive attempts by Wess Benjamin and Montag. Though England were served well by Middleton, Tindall and Richard Smith, they had to wait till 30th minute to have a first good glimpse at the German goal, and a successful one too. Richard Smith made full use of the first penalty corner England earned in the 18th minute.

Once back in the game, after reducing the margin, England did work out some effective moves, penetrating deep into German defence but it was the finish that was not enough to to get past Max Weinhold in the German goal. Five minutes before the teams broke for the breather, Germany had put yet another hurdle in England’s way with a brilliant penalty corner conversion by Martin Haner from the fourth penalty corner.

England and Germany both were beneficiaries of video referrals. While Germany got a penalty corner in the 59th minute, England got a similar award reversed a minute later. It wax during these video referrals that Germany got their fourth and final goal with Linus Butt picking up ball from the pads of James Fair to slam it in the roof of the net.

New Delhi, March 11
Australia kept its third consecutive World Cup gold medal appointment with Germany defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the second semifinal dominated by body and power play at Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium here tonight. While the first semifinal saw Germany knocking out England 4-1 with an exhibition of classic hockey, Australians relied more on power play to demolish their opponents in a contest of robust tactics and close calls.

The Netherlands were unlucky in the second half not to get a deserving equaliser, especially in the dying moments of the game when skipper Teun de Noojier masterminded several incisive moves but found Luke Doerner and goalkeeper Nathan Burgers too hard to crack.

Amazingly, Australians, who failed to make use of any of 13 penalty corners they earned against England, had the consolation of scoring one of two goals against the Netherlands through penalty corners. Luke Doerner continues to be at the top of individual scorers list with seven goals, all coming from penalty corner conversions.

Australia’s chief coach Richard Charlesworth preferred not to share the team bench. Instead he named his deputy Reid as the coach . And he was jubilant at the outcome of the match hoping this time; the team would convert the Saturday match into a golden triumph against Germany.

Australia made its intentions clear right from the start Skipper Jymie not only played as an excellent game maker but also spearheaded a couple of good moves coming close to scoring in the initial stages of the game.

Experienced Guus Vogels had an excellent time in the Netherlands goal but could not thwart all Aussie attacks. In the 26th minute, when Australia forced its second penalty corner, Guus gave in and conceded the first goal of the match. Earlier, when the Netherlands got its first penalty corner, opportunity went abegging as Taeke Taekema was out. Teun de Noojier was close to putting the Netherlands ahead in the 24th minute but it was not to be.

Australia started the second half with another massive onslaught. Their fourth penalty corner in the 44th minute was abortive. In a counter offensive led by Teun de Noojier, it was Nathan Burgers who stood his ground in what looked a lethal attack with four of the Dutch forwards trying to get past the Australian custodian with ball struck to his kickers. Australia did not have to wait for long. In the 50th minute, Glenn Turner picked a centre in the middle of the circle and hoisted the ball in the net to make it safe for the Aussies. Two goals up

The Netherlands came back strongly and forced a penalty corner that saw Taekema making a powerful flick that hit a defender on the body on the goal line. The Dutch asked for video referral, while umpire had blown for a free hit for Australians, and video umpire converted it into a penalty stroke. This time Taekema had no trouble in beating Nathan. But the Dutch could not progress beyond that.

New Delhi, March 11
Canada caused the biggest upset when they edged out Pakistan with an extra-time golden goal 3-2 to push the four-time champions to the wooden-spoon in the placement match of the 12th Hero Honda FIH World Cup Hockey Championship at the National Stadium here today.

The Canadians, who were the whipping boys in Group A, losing all their five league matches, finally found their scoring touch to fill Pakistan’s cup of sorrow to relegate them to the 12th position for the first time in the history of the World Cup while Canada finished 11th. The teams were locked 2-2 at full time and the first half of extra time also produced no goal. But in the fourth minute of the second half of extra time, Canada were awarded their sixth penalty corner and Tupper swept in firm and clean to account for a golden goal and shut out Pakistan to the bottom.

It was so ironic that Pakistan ended up on ground zero after scoring the first goal in the fourth minute when Rehan Butt neatly put home a high cross from the right by Shakeel Abbasi. The Canadians, instead of getting intimidated, kept on pressing and in the 12th minute, their efforts were rewarded when Connor Grimes hit in. Though Canada forced two penalty corners in the last two minutes of the first half, they could not capitalise on them.

Pakistan regained their lead 12 minutes into the second session through Akhtar Ali who guided in a high cross from the right. In the 23rd minute, Canada came up with the equaliser when Mark Pearson scored a numbing field goal, which was also okayed by the television umpire after Pakistan asked for referral. The rest of the play in the regulation period and the initial half of extra time also went goalless. Canada clinched the issue off their sixth penalty corner and Tupper accounted for the first golden goal of the championship. Pakistan’s worst World Cup dispaly was their 11th position in 1986 in England while the four-time champions had finished sixth in the last edition in Germany.

President Pakistan Hockey Federation Qasim Zia on Thursday sacked the entire selection and management committee of Pakistan hockey team for worst-ever performance in the World Cup currently underway in New Delhi.

Zia announced the decision shortly after the Pakistan team suffered a humiliating 3-2 defeat in their match against Canada for the 11th and 12th place. Pakistan relegated to the bottom in the 12-team World Cup. Zia’s announcement was earlier preceded by instant resignation of chief selector and former Olympian Hasan Sardar minutes after Canada won the match through a golden goal in the extra-time after both teams ended regular time 2-2.

“I have taken the decision as PHF head while other actions would be decided by the board of the federation on receipt of full report from concerned officials of the team,” Zia said. The PHF president said on paper this team had considerable potential and showed considerable improvement in the preceding outings. It had been picked up with the upcoming Asian Games in view.

“Ï will consider stepping down from my office in case the team performed as badly in the upcoming Asian Games as well,” he said. Asked about the team manager and PHF secretary general Afzal Bajwa who has been under attack, Qasim Zia said Bajwa holds an elective office and cannot be removed by him.

All the 18 members of the Pakistan hockey team Thursday announced their retirement from the game out of utter despondency in the wake of their disastrous performance in the World Cup in progress in New Delhi.

"We accept our responsibility for bringing shame to the nation by our despicable performance,"Zeeshan Ashraf, captain of the hickey team, told Pakistani TV channels on telephone from New Delhi.

New Delhi, March 11
Chief coach Jose Brasa said it was certainly an upward movement for the Indian team that they would be fighting for the seventh-eighth position when they take on Argentina in the placement match of the 12th Hero Hondia FIH World Cup Hockey Championship at the National Stadium here tomorrow.

India had finished 12th in the 11th edition in Germany, and now they will be vyeing for a far better placing and Brasa does not want his team to suffer yet another defeat. "I will be sad if we lose to Argentina. If we finish seventh or eighth, we are improving". He said it was his dream to see India through to the semi-final. That did not happen and the next best goal was the fifth position. That also eluded India. "To finish fifth would have been very good. And to finish 7-8 would be normal. Not very good, but it shows improvement", he noted.

Brasa said he had made some changes in the seven months he had been at the helm of the national team."We have improved. May be we can get better results", he said, talking about the match against Argentina tomorrow. India had beaten Argentina in the Champions Challenge in their own back yard to win the bronze, and Brasa expects that his boys would play an encore. He said the team had played some tough matches, some difficult matches. "We have played open, attacking hockey. Our team will play well against Argentina". He said he would not take Argentina lightly as they had got lots of goals and conceded lots of goals too.

Looking ahead at the Commonwealth Games and then the Asian Games, Brasa said the team preparation should revolve around playing matches. "We have to play important matches at the right time. Playing against Pakistan is good (Hockey India is planning a series against Pakistan). They are our neighbours, they have a good hockey level. They played well against Australia."

New Delhi, March 11
Was it for a cause or pure commercial consideration that Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, cricketer Virender Sehwag, shooter Raghuvendra Singh Rathore appeared in “Dhak dhak go” promo that wanted people to come and support Indian hockey team in the World Cup at Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium.

Unfortunately, none of them could either make it to the venue of the event or their presence went unnoticed. Not only Priyanka Chopra, Virender Sehwag or Raghuvendra Singh Rathore kept their date with hockey, even others, including Ambassador of hockey Sunil Shetty, and the Big B (Amitabh Bacchan), who volunteered to help Indian hockey players, failed to spare time for the sport, they claim they love most.

Not only Bollywood and other sport stars, even political leaders, including Chief Ministers and Sports Ministers of different states, could spare time to watch this biggest hockey event. Many politicians and bureaucrats looking after sports department would have made a beeline in case this event or similar international sporting events are organised overseas.

How many of the bureaucrats and politicians who visited Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games came to see the World Cup matches here. Their love is perhaps not for sports but for jaunts abroad. Intriguingly, had it been cricket, they would have done everything to secure special invites, not only for themselves, but also for all members of their families, to see each and every game of the World Cup.

Blame must go to Hockey India, Indian Olympic Association and the organising committee of the World Cup. None had done any home work to make a list of invites. Even those who wanted to come but were not invited had their faces sullen in anguish. Their grouse is that their contribution to the sport has been ignored.

Besides, their right to get invitations for all major events of the sport has been violated. Not many of them even made efforts to get in touch with the organisers or buy tickets to watch the biggest event of the sport they love most. On the opening day, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit came. Though the Union Minister of Sports Manohar Singh Gill watched most of India games here, other ministers, both from the centre and the states remained conspicuous by their absence.

Interestingly some states who announced special grants for players, too, could not make it to the union capital to come, watch hockey and back up national team. Tailpiece: While FIH claims that more than 50 per cent of its total revenue comes from India, the country does not have enough to support and sustain its own national team players.

Mumbai, March 11
Forced to shift tent to South Africa due to security fears last year, the Indian Premier League returns to the country promising a heady mix of cricket and entertainment with last season laggards Kolkata Knight Riders taking on defending champions Deccan Chargers in the tournament opener here tomorrow.

The opening ceremony preceding the first match at the D Y Patil Stadium will see top international performers Lionel Ritchie, UB40 and Bjorn Agan, besides Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, give a rocking start to the 45-day event. A spectacular fireworks display is to follow after which the debris from the field would be cleared to set the stage for the opening clash between the no. 1 and no. 8 teams of the second edition.

Day two of the IPL will see two legends of the game crossing swords with each other at the famous Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai. The Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians would kick off their campaign to make up for indifferent displays in the first two seasons against 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals captained by Australian Shane Warne.

As was the case in the first two seasons, some international stars, busy with their international commitments for their home countries, would be missing from action in the initial stages of the tournament. Those teams would have to use the other players in their roster intelligently to pick up points and gain early momentum in the race to the top.

In IPL 3, the players have the added incentive of the players’ auction ahead of IPL 4 to look up to as most of them would go under the hammer for the next season that would see an additional two teams in action. The players would be aware that a top class display in this season would increase their demand from the IPL franchises at the auction and fetch higher prices.

This time around, three more centers have been added to witness IPL action - Ahmedabad, Cuttack and Dharamsala - while Deccan Chargers will not play their seven home matches strictly at home - in Hyderabad - but in Navi Mumbai, Nagpur and Cuttack.

The 2.5-minute strategic breaks would be another important factor with both the fielding and batting sides given specific overs to take them. The bowling side captain can opt to take them anytime between overs 6 and 8, while the batting team skipper has a wider time frame to decide - between the 11th and 16th overs.

This short period in the fast-paced game provides not only some rest for the players but also gives the teams’ an opportunity to rework their strategies as per the situations. The opening clash under lights will see Adam Gilchrist, the retired Australia wicket keeper-batsman, revisit the venue that he lit up with his pyrotechnics two years ago. — PTI

Chandigarh, March 11
Among the most pleasing sights on a cricket field, apart from the enthusiastic and barely clad cheerleaders, is to watch a technically gifted batsman, get behind the line of the ball and then play it right under his nose, with a still head. Well, it might sound too complicated to some, for Sri Lankan batting ace Mahela Jayawardene, its just another day in the office. His thoughts, just like his play, are on the front foot and leave you gasping for more. He speaks on the eve of the IPL opener.

Q: You played under Yuvraj, and now it is your compatriot at the helm. How much difference does that make?

A: We are all professional sportsmen and when you have so many talented and experienced players in a squad, you feel like there are 11 captains. All of us are leaders at one time or another.

Moreover, the change in captaincy is to allow Yuvraj to concentrate on his batting as he is an extremely dangerous batsman.

Q: But doesn't that put extra pressure on Sangakkara?

A: Well, Sanga has been leading the Sri Lankan side for a while now. He has more experience of being in these situations and handling the responsibility. So he should be able to handle it better.

Q: How do you see your form coming into the IPL?

A: I have been playing some domestic cricket and am feeling quite confident that I will be able to contribute to the team's cause as well.

Q: Kings XI has been hit by a few injury worries. How does the team plan to cope with that?

A: There are a few injury worries for us, but hopefully they will be cleared out before the game. Even if not, then we do have some really good home grown talent that can aid us.

Q: Who are the domestic players you think can excel in IPL?

A: There are so many of them. Manvinder Bisla is one. Then obviously Bipul Sharma is another very talented spinner. And of course, there is Reetinder Sodhi, who I remember playing with almost eight years ago. He has loads of experience in this format and that will be priceless for us.

Q: Who do you think are the favourites this time?

A: The Kings XI ofcourse. The first game against Delhi will be a good test and clear the picture for us a bit.