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Pujara debuts, Yuvi gets boot
‘It’s a dream come true’
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I’m fit and in-form: Yuvraj
Pacer Sidebottom retires
Flip-flops continue as PCB chief takes aggressive stand again
Victoria crush Wayamba to stay alive for semis
All-India JP Atray Memorial Cricket Tournament
Premier
League
Canada, Australia, UK issue travel alerts
Adhere to govt guidelines, Sports Ministry to IHF
Independence Cup Hockey Tourney
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Pujara debuts, Yuvi gets boot
Pujara was the lone new face in the team announced by the Cricket Board selection committee here. Selection committee chairman Krish Srikkanth said the criteria for selecting the team was performance and fitness. “We don't have to give any particular reason (for dropping Yuvraj). I think, performance and fitness. Everything is taken into account. That itself answers the question," Srikkanth said when asked the reason behind Yuvraj's axing. Ironically, Yuvraj has been named captain of the 'Rest of India' team which will take on Ranji champions Mumbai for the Irani Cup from October 1. Srikkanth said by virtue of his fine performance in the domestic circuit, Pujara has powered his way into the national squad. “Pujara has done very well in the domestic circuit in the last couple of seasons. He is a good player and also did well in the 'A' series. With the sheer weitage of his performace he has muscled his way into the team. You will have to give credit to his domestic performance," he said. “We have given weightage to performance in domestic A series and this it how overall performance of every player has been taken into account. We have consulted (coach) Gary Kirsten and Dhoni and ultimately, this was the consensus," the chairman of selectors added. As expected paceman Zaheer Khan, who was not picked for the Sri Lanka tour in July due to a shoulder injury, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who missed the third Test in Sri Lanka due to fitness issues, and S Sreesanth have returned to the squad. While Zaheer replaced Munaf Patel, Sreesanth made his way into the squad at the expense of young Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun. Among batsmen, opener Gautam Gambhir, who suffered a knee injury after the first Test in Sri Lanka, also returned to the Indian squad, which will be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Suresh Raina's impressive display with the bat in Sri Lanka paid rich dividends for him as he retained his place in the 15-member side along with other opener Virender Sehwag, and seniors such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay also found a place in the squad as a back-up batsman. Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra have retained their place in the spin department which will be spearheaded by Harbhajan. Pujara has been a prolific run-scorer in the domestic circuit and for quite some time the right-hander was in the reckoning for a place in the national team. The 22-year-old's dominance with the bat in domestic circuit can be gauged from the fact that he has so far made 14 centuries and 13 half centuries during his five-year-old first class career. Srikkanth said he and his colleagues have selected a balanced team for the Test series against
Australia. — PTI |
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‘It’s a dream come true’
Chandigarh, September 20 On being selected in the Indian Test squad Pujara, who was is in the city to play for the IndianOil Corporation in the J.P. Atray Memorial Tournament , said: “It’s a dream come true as I have been working hard to get a place in the team. It’s a challenge for me as I would be playing at Indian soil and too against the world’ best team Australia”. Avoiding the query over the replacement with Yuvi, Pujara said, “I have been performing well in the domestic cricket and that could be reason that selectors have chosen me. It’s a beginning and now it is my duty to give better performance in Test cricket.” Son of former Ranji player Arvind Pujara, Cheteshwar said thecredit goes to his parents especially his father who had been continuously grooming and coaching him as an all rounder since childhood. Cheteshwar’s first class debut was in December 2005 when he played for his home team Sourashtra. He has played 49 first class matches and scored over 3925 runs including 14 centuries and 13 half centuries with an average of 60.38. One of the top run-getters in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy season, Pujara signed on with the Kolkata Knight Riders in March 2008. He has also scored two triple-hundreds for Saurashtra in an Under-22 tournament. In the World Cup, his 97 against West Indies and unbeaten 129 against England - an almost faultless one-day innings - took him to the top of the run-charts, past his big-scoring team-mates Gaurav Dhiman and Rohit Sharma. |
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I’m fit and in-form: Yuvraj
Patiala: Axed from the Test squad on grounds of poor form and fitness, Yuvraj Singh today insisted he was in good nick during the Sri Lanka tour and the selectors' decision has come as a big disappointment for him. Yuvraj, who has been struggling to cement his place in the Test side, felt scoring a century and a fifty in the two games he played in Sri Lanka should have earned him a place in the two-match series against Australia. He had smashed 118 in the practice game before the first Test at Galle, where he made 52 in the first innings. “Selection is not in my hands. In Sri Lanka I played two games, in the first I scored a hundred and a fifty in the second. If that's not good enough, I can't say," he told reporters here. “Of course it is a disappointment but disappointments have become part of my life. In the last two years, I have had a lot of injuries and struggled. It's out of my hands," he added. Yuvraj missed the second Test due to illness and was left out of the third Test as well after Suresh Raina scored a century on his debut in second match. Asked about his fitness, the Punjab left-hander said, "It's much better now. Sri Lanka tour was hard for me especially due to dengue and the neck injury. In the next few days I will be more fitter." Yuvraj lends a lot of solidity to the middle-order in the Indian ODI team but has never been a regular in the Test side. Asked why he was struggling in the longer format of the game, Yuvraj said he himself could not identify the shortcomings. "Not a great feeling. For the last seven years I have been trying to cement my place in the Test team but have not been able to do that.
— PTI |
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Pacer Sidebottom retires
The 32-year-old Sidebottom last played for his country in the Twenty20 victory over Pakistan earlier this month. During his career, he also played 25 one-day internationals and 18 Twenty20 matches. “I have had a truly fantastic period of my life with England but now it is time to hand over the ball to those a little younger," Sidebottom said. "It has been a fantastic time but I have no doubts that now is the right time to announce my retirement." The Nottinghamshire paceman was a member of England's victorious World Twenty20-winning squad earlier this year in the West Indies. "Winning the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, my Test debut at Lord's, a Test hat-trick against New Zealand, plus a man-of-the-series award are just a few of the highlights which spring to mind," Sidebottom said. "I have been fortunate enough to live the dream." Sidebottom made his debut for England in a Test match against Pakistan at Lord's in 2001 but had to wait six years for his second Test. His last Test appearance came against South Africa in Johannesburg earlier this year. His bowling average was 28.24 in Tests and he claimed one 10-wicket haul -- against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2008 -- as well as taking five wickets in an innings five times. "Ryan Sidebottom has been an important member of the squad in recent years and has excelled in the shorter formats of the game, particularly Twenty20 cricket," England coach Andy Flower said. "His contributions in the West Indies were instrumental in England winning our very first global title."
— AP |
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Flip-flops continue as PCB chief takes aggressive stand again
The statement comes after Butt did a U-turn where he said that he never accused the England team of match-fixing, barely a day after suggesting that English players had thrown the Oval ODI and that they should be ivestigated by the ICC. “We will no longer tolerate this effort to humiliate our players. We have a strong case of a conspiracy against our team,” Butt said. The ECB, while rejecting Butt's accusations, said it will take all legal and disciplinary action following his comments. Butt, however, said ECB could take legal action if they wanted to but the PCB was prepared for it and would give a fitting reply. The PCB chief also lashed out at the ICC for holding parallel investigations into spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohamamd Asif. Scotland Yard is investigating newspaper reports that the trio had been paid to bowl deliberate no-balls during last month's Lord's Test. Butt said that the ICC had caused great damage to the Pakistan team by suspending its three key players. “They suspended our players despite the absence of evidence against them. Scotland Yard is still investigating the case and have not charged the players," Butt said. The PCB chief claimed that the Scotland Yard had made it clear that until they completed their investigations no other inquiry should be held. "But the ICC started a parallel investigation into the allegations and suspended our players. "If this is not enough to conclude there is a conspiracy against our players then what is," Butt said. Butt had yesterday irked ECB officials by stating that the ICC should investigate how England lost the third one-dayer at the Oval and that he had heard from bookmakers that some English players took money to lose the match. — PTI
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Pakistan draw level with 38-run win
London, September 20 Earlier, Razzaq revives Pakistan against England London, Sep 20 (AFP) Abdul Razzaq's rapid unbeaten 44 helped Pakistan recover to 265 for seven against England in the fourth one-day international at Lord's here today as the ongoing 'fixing' row escalated. Pakistan had been 155 for five, with off-spinner Graeme Swann taking four for 37 in his maximum 10 overs. But Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi made 37, including a straight six off Swann, in 22 balls. And the big-hitting Razzaq, who launched seamer James Anderson for a huge six, made his runs in just 20 balls including eight fours. Opener Mohammad Hafeez top-scored with 64 as Pakistan looked to level this five-match series at 2-2. There were doubts though as to whether this series would continue at all after Pakistan cricket chief Ijaz Butt accused England of corruption. England captain Andrew Strauss, shortly before the toss, expressed "outrage and dismay" at Butt's comments but said this fixture and the series finale, at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground on Wednesday, would take place as planned. — Agencies Scoreboard Pakistan KAkmal c Strauss b Broad 28 Hafeez c Trott b Swann 64 Shafiq b Swann 11 Yousuf c Davies b Swann 3 Alam b Swann 29 UAkmal c Davies b Broad 21 Afridi c Strauss b Bresnan 37 Razzaq not out 44 Gul not out 5 Extras (b2, lb17, w4) 23 Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 265 Bowling: Bresnan 10-0-62-1; Anderson 10-1-54-0; Broad 10-0-44-2; Yardy 7-0-39-0; Swann 10-0-37-4; Collingwood 3-0-10-0. England Strauss c Alam b Akhtar 68 Davies b Ajmal 49 Trott b Afridi 4 Bell c sub (Azhar Ali) b Ajmal 27 Collingwood b Gul 4 Morgan c Yousuf b Akhtar 28 Yardy b Akhtar 9 Bresnan b Gul 1 Swann b Gul 12 Broad b Gul 2 Anderson not out 2 Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 14, nb 2) 21 Total (all out; 46.1 overs) 227 Bowling : Akhtar 10-0-59-3, Razzaq 7-0-42-0, Gul 8.1-0-32-4 Hafeez 7-0-27-0, Ajmal 7-0-31-2, Afridi 7-0-31-1
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Victoria crush Wayamba to stay alive for semis
Peter Siddle returned with a four-wicket haul to help Victoria bowl out Wayamba for a paltry 106 after Jehan Mubarak won the toss and elected to bat. David Hussey (47) and Aaron Finch (38) then shared an unbeaten 47-ball 77-run third wicket partnership to overhaul the target with 6.4 overs to spare as Victoria moved to the second spot in the points table of Group A. Victoria's brilliant runchase have also improved their runrate but the road to semifinals will depend on the result of the match between the Warriors and Chennai Superkings at Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Chasing 107 to win, Victoria lost early two wickets -- Brad Hodge (8) and Matthew Wade (5) -- for 31 runs in 5.3 overs but Aaron Finch and David Hussey added an unfinished 77 runs in 7.5 overs to romp home comfortably. — PTI Scoreboard Wayamba Jayawardene b Siddle 51 Kulatunga b Pattinson 0 Udawatte run out (McKay) 0 Mubarak c Hussey b McDonald 44 Perera c Hussey b Pattinson 2 K’nayake st Wade b McDonald 0 Perera c Wade b Siddle 0 Udana c Hastings b Siddle 0 Herath b Siddle 2 Mendis b Nannes 1 Welegedara not out 0 Extras: (B-1, LB-1, W-4) 6 Total: (all out in 16.3 overs) 106 Bowling: Dirk Nannes 2.3-0-10-1, James Pattinson 3-1-14-2, Peter Siddle 4-0-29-4, Clint Mckay 2-0-14-0, Andrew McDonald 4-0-22-2, John Hastings 1-0-15-0. Victoria Finch not out 38 Hodge c Udana b Perera 8 Wade b Udana 5 Hussey not out 47 Extras: (B-4, LB-2, W-3, NB-1) 10 Total 108 Bowling: Udana 3-0-31-1, Perera 2-0-13-1, Mendis 3-0-10-0, Herath 3-0-23-0, Karunanayake 2-0-15-0, Welegedara 0.2-0-10-0.
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All-India JP Atray Memorial Cricket Tournament
Chandigarh, September 20 Cheteshwar Pujara (5), who has all reasons to smile following his selection in the Indian test squad today afternoon, and his team mate Wasim Jaffer (12) who could not live up to the expectations in the match, which was reduced to 30 overs due to the wet outfield conditions here. Put into bat first, IOC were all out for 153 in 30 overs. While the top players of the team, including skipper Jaffer and Pujara could not click, Paresh Patel (33) and Saurav Dubey (24) rescued the team to a respectable total. Foremer Indian Test player Sanjay Bangar tore apart the rival’s batting line-up with 4 for 20. JP Yadav won the man of the match award for his brilliant performance. Brief Score IO: 153 all out in 30 overs (Paresh Patel 33, Saurav Dubey 24, Sanjay Bangar 4 for 20, K Parida 2 for 20, Nirlesh Chauhan 3 for 28). IR: 154 for 9 in 29 overs (JP Yadav 70, K Parida 19 n o, Rohan Raje 4 for 27, Javed Khan 2 for 18). II
Indian explosive all rounder Yuvraj Singh failed to impress with his meager 20-run knock, though his team Air India defeated PCA Colts by 7 wickets at Dhruv Pandove Stadium, Patiala today. Yuvraj hit 20 off 13 with the help of two sixes and one four while chasing the target of 156, which his team overhauled in 27.2 overs at the loss of 3 wickets. Batting first, PCA Colts scored 155 for 9 in 35 overs. M Bisla guided the AI to win with his 61-run knock in 66 balls while Mohammad Kaif chipped in unbeaten 43 runs. AI’s Ajit Chandela, who took four for 14, was named man of the match Brief Score PCA Colts: 155 for 9 in 35 overs (Robin Singh 31, Taruwar Kohli 33, Ajit Chandela 4 for 14). AI: 156 for 3 in 27.2 overs (M Bisla 61, Mohd. Kaif 43 n o, Yuvraj Singh 20). III
In the other match between DY Patil Academy, Mumbai and LIC Cricket Club played at St. John School, Sector 26, the former beat the latter by five wickets. In the rain truncated 30 overs match, LIC made 126 all out in 29.5 overs. In reply, DY Patil achieved the target in just 20.5 overs. Iqbal Abdulah, who returned with figure 4 for 29, was declared man of the match. Brief Score LIC: 126 all out in 29.5 overs (Gurkirat Mann, 47, Iqbal Abdula 4 for 29, Harshal Patel 3 for 19, Siddharth Chitnis 2 for 20). DY Patil: 129 for 5 in 20.5 overs (Swapnil Asnodkar 44, Karaveer Singh 2 for 29) |
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Premier
League
London, September 20 Berbatov sealed victory for United with an 84th-minute winner at Old Trafford after Liverpool had recovered from two goals down thanks to a second-half brace from skipper Steven Gerrard yesterday. The win saw Sir Alex Ferguson's side go level on points with second-placed Arsenal, but four points behind Chelsea, who maintained their 100 percent record with a ruthless demolition of Blackpool at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's fifth consecutive win was settled in the opening 45 minutes, with Salomon Kalou, Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda (2) putting Carlo Ancelotti's rampant Blues 4-0 up after half an hour. The reigning champions have now rattled in a remarkable 21 goals in only five games and could have had a fifth had they not been denied a certain penalty in injury time after a foul on Drogba. In the day's other match, Manchester City moved up to fourth with a 2-0 victory away at Wigan. Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure got the goals at a rainswept DW Stadium as City registered their second win of the campaign. But the story of the day was at Old Trafford, where Berbatov stole the show with a virtuoso display that left Liverpool shattered and languishing near the foot of the table in 16th position after five games. It was the first time a Manchester United player had scored a hat-trick in 64 years, and left Berbatov on top of the goalscoring charts with six goals from five games this season. "It was probably my best day in a United shirt," Berbatov said. "Obviously I am happy. I am going home with a smile on my face. But I am nothing special. I am going home to play with my kids." Berbatov put United 1-0 ahead on 42 minutes after being left in acres of space by marker Fernando Torres when Ryan Giggs swung in a corner. The Bulgarian then doubled United's lead on 59 minutes with a sublime effort, using one touch to control a Nani cross before sending an overhead kick crashing in off the underside of the Liverpool bar. — AFP |
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Canada, Australia, UK issue travel alerts
The advisories come in view of the shooting incident near Jama Masjid involving two foreigners yesterday. "There is a high threat from terrorism throughout India. Terrorists have targeted places in the past which westerners are known to visit including public places such as restaurants, hotels, railway stations, markets and places of worship. Two Taiwanese tourists were injured in a shooting incident near the Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi on 19 September," the UK advisory said. In its latest travel advisory, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said, "Australians in New Delhi should be aware that the Commonwealth Games will be held in a security environment where there is a high risk of terrorism." "Pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks. Terrorist attacks could occur at any time anywhere in India with little or no warning.
— PTI |
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Adhere to govt guidelines, Sports Ministry to IHF New Delhi, September 20 In a letter addressed to the IHF president, director in the Ministry Deepika Kacchal asked the IHF to comply with the government guidelines “in order to ensure free, fair and transparent elections”. She said the government had defined the following basic principles to be followed while holding elections: a) An independent returning officer (preferably a retired high court judge) should be appointed who will initiate the election process; b) There should be a clear election schedule spelling out the date of filing of nominations, withdrawal of nominations and scrutiny of nominations, publication of the list of candidates, date of elections etc; c) There should be a clear and transparent voter list which will form the electoral college; d) The elections should be held through secret ballot. The ministry has directed the IHF to intimate the schedule of the election process, including the dates of notifications, nominations, scrutiny and announcement of candidates, along with the name of the returning officer, “urgently”. The ministry has warned the IHF that “failure to follow the government guidelines will have impact upon the recognition of the IHF as a National Sports Federation (NSF)”. Interestingly, the IHF agenda circulated had simply mentioned that the AGM and elections would be held, and no other detail. The ministry noted that “while we are yet to receive any intimation about the necessary changes having been carried out in the constitution of the amalgamated society, we are in receipt of this letter informing about the proposed elections of the office-bearers”.
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Independence Cup Hockey Tourney
Mandi, September 20 The attacking top-seeders of the PSB gave no time for recovery for the meek-looking Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). In a one-sided match, the PSB outplayed the CISF defeating them by 6-0. The PSB featured top international players and they came up their reputation punching six goals into the target. But it was no lucky day for PSB’s Kulvinder as he scored record four goals in the match, but he missed his hattrick. The PSB attackers stunned the CISF poor defence line throughout the match. Kulvinder scored the first goal in the 4th minute, scored the quick second goal in the 7th minute and was on his way of scoring the hattrick but it was Harvir Singh who converted the penalty corner in the 26th minute of the game. PSB’s flurry of goals continued in the second half. It was Kulivinder again who stole the show. In a brisk attack Diler Singh scored fourth goal in the 30th minute. The second semi-final match did not breath any fire plays and was a thrilling cliff-hanger. Both BSF and PNB were pitted on an even field as both teams have no internationals on their sides. The PNB were awarded three penalty corners while the BSF got four. But both failed to convert and match ended in a draw 0-0. But then came the tie-breaker. The lady luck smiled on PNB’s side while the BSF faced a “rough border of the PNB goal keeper”. They missed a plenty shooter while the PNB scored all five and won in the tie-breaker by 5-4. |
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Right-handed batsman from Sourashtra Cheteshwar Pujara today made debut in the Indian Test team. He has been selected to represent the country in the first Test match to be played against Australia at PCA Stadium in
Mohali.
Chennai, September 20
London, September 20
Karachi, September 20
Centurion, September 20
New Delhi, September 20
Sania improves ranking