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New Zealand in India
New Zealand's Jesse Ryder celebrates century against India during third day
of the first Test in Ahmedabad on Saturday. — Reuters
Ryder had stiff calf muscle: McCullum
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Ronaldo’s scoring run leaves Forlan trailing
Bhupathi-Mirnyi advance
Gibbs gets taste of his own medicine
Pakistani batsman Younis Khan plays a shot during the fourth ODI against
South Africa in the Dubai. — AFP
Fans predict Oz defeat in Ashes
Batsmen fought really hard, says NZ coach
Club Licensing
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New Zealand in India
Ahmedabad, November 6 As it turned out, Indian spinners were woefully ineffective, pacers fared just marginally better and the Kiwi batsmen were successful in blunting all the firepower which Indian captain Dhoni chose to hurl at them. At stumps on Day Three of the first Test here, New Zealanders had done extremely well in reaching 331 for 5. Left-hander Jesse Ryder had compiled his third Test century (103) and debutant Kane Williamson (who hails from Tauranga in Northern Districts) was unbeaten on 87. Throughout the day, the visitors lost just three wickets and the number one Test team in the world was made to look quite ordinary and mediocre. Admittedly, the pitch was lifeless, the turn from the deck slow and the New Zealanders were prepared to play within their limitations. But, more zip and energy were expected from the top Test team in the world. More imaginative field placings were expected from the Indian skipper. And, more attacking and consistent bowling was expected from the Indian attack. Sadly, the home team disappointed on all these counts today. Before the start of the Test series, New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch had stated that his team would be quite happy if they are able to draw all the three Tests with the number one team. And, their batting today, mirrored that approach. If they want to draw this series, their batsmen will have to show a lot of patience--they did that today. They will have to display a lot of concentration and discipline-today they did that as well. The New Zealand batsmen had a plan in mind and they stuck to it like glue. Overnite batsmen, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor went on to complete their half-centuries and put on 104 runs for the third wicket. Later, Jesse Ryder and debutant Kane Williamson turned out to be equally talented and determined in frustrating the Indians. Ryder (who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL) has proven to be India’s nemesis in the past as well. When India toured New Zealand in March last year, Ryder was the most prolific Kiwi batsman scoring a double hundred the Test at Napier and a century in the Test at Hamilton. On Saturday too, Ryder batted with his customary aplomb and thwarted the Indian bowlers. He did give a chance on his personal score of 11, but the usually safe Rahul Dravid dropped the catch in the slip cordon off the bowling of Sreesanth. It proved to be a costly mistake. Scoreboard India (1st innings) 487 New Zealand (overnight) 69-2 McIntosh c Dhoni b Zaheer 0 McCullum st Dhoni b Ojha 65 Watling b Ojha 6 Taylor c Laxman b Harbhajan 56 Ryder lbw b Sreesanth 103 Williamson not out 87 Extras: (b1, lb9, nb4) 14 Total: (in 117.3 overs) 331 Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-27 , 3-131, 4-137, 5-331 Bowling: Zaheer 19-6-38-1, Sreesanth 17.3-1-70-1, Ojha 38-8-80-2, Harbhajan 34-7-90-1, Sehwag 1-0-7-0, Raina 6-0-20-0, Tendulkar 2-0-16-0.
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Ryder had stiff calf muscle: McCullum
Ahmedabad, November 6 McCullum, who has given up his wicket-keeping duties in Tests to colleague Gareth Hopkins, saw a bright future for the Ryder and Kane Williamson, who remained unbeaten on 87. "I watched some of the best batting we've seen from a New Zealand No.5 and No.6 for a long long time. I don't think anyone could have expected those guys to play as well as they did," said the 29-year-old Dunedin-born hard-hitting batsman. "We have high expectations of each member of this team, but Jesse (Ryder) hasn't played a Test for a while and Kane (Williamson) was playing his first. To put on that size partnership against quality bowlers has put us in a position where we're now back in the match," he said. Left-handed Ryder slammed his third century in his 12th Test and incidentally all his three-figure efforts have come against India. He scored 102 and 201 during India's tour of New Zealand in March 2009. Baby of the team Williamson remained unbeaten on 87 in a team total of 331 for five that has left the Kiwis 156 runs adrift of the India's first innings tally of 487. "He's 20 years of age. Guys don't tend to develop in New Zealand till they're much older than that. He's an incredible talent. We saw that during his one-day hundred in Bangladesh a couple of weeks ago, and we've seen it here against a very good Indian bowling line-up," McCullum said. "He has ability to negotiate tough periods and fight his way through. He has a real calm presence at the crease and I hope he goes on tomorrow to what would be a memorable Test hundred," he elaborated. McCullum, who has the credit of hitting the first-ever century in the IPL, was optimistic that his side can still make a match of it. “There's still two days to go in the Test and we've all seen that a lot can happen in Indian conditions in that time on a wearing wicket. We have five wickets tomorrow and we have to bat as deep as we can, try and get as close as we can to the Indian total..”
— PTI |
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Ronaldo’s scoring run leaves Forlan trailing
Forlan said: "It's only normal that when you are not scoring people start to question you but I have a contract here and until there is something concrete then these are just rumours." Forlan, who shared one season with Ronaldo at Old Trafford, hopes playing the local rivals will change his luck - fortune being something Atletico have not had much of in 11 years of derby-day misery. Their last win against their city rivals came in 1999 with Claudio Ranieri leading them to victory over John Toshack's Real side. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who had joined the club from Leeds and was later sold to Chelsea, scored twice in the win in what was still a relegation season for the victors. Since then they have lost 11 matches against their bitter rivals and drawn six. If they win tomorrow they will not only break that 11-year record but smash an eight-year unbeaten run for Jose Mourinho in the process. The Real Madrid manager has not lost a home game since 23 February 2002 when Beira Mar beat Porto in what was his sixth game in charge of the club. "I feel we have more of a chance of winning something now that he is here," said Ronaldo of his coach, and added: "I'm convinced that this year will be different to the last." Last year's coach, Manuel Pellegrini, is back in Spanish football having been given the job of leading big-spending Malaga out of the relegation zone. Pellegrini was interviewed for the Liverpool position after Rafa Benitez's departure in the summer, with the club opting for Roy Hodgson. He finds himself working for Malaga owner Sheikh Abdullah al-Thani who fired Jesualdo Ferreira this week. Barcelona midfielder Xavi said he has no intention of quitting international football despite the niggling achilles injury that has troubled him this season. It has been suggested that he might copy former England international Paul Scholes by withdrawing from the national side to concentrate on his club. But Xavi said: "Anyone who doubts my commitment to the national side should take note - I plan to play on until the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil." Barcelona face Getafe tomorrow night and have the chance to go top if Atletico can make history by beating Mourinho and ending their derby jinx. — By arrangement with The Independent
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Bhupathi-Mirnyi advance
Valencia (Spain), November 6 Third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3 6-7(6) 10-6 win over Czech Frantisek Cermak and Slovakia's Michal Mertinak. Bhupathi and Mirnyi will next face top seeds Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Oliver Marach of Austria in the euro 1,357,000 hard court event. Bopanna and Qureshi had plenty of chances but could not cash any. In all, they had seven breakpoints -- two in the first set and five in the second -- but could convert none. The Spaniards though converted all three breakpoints they got in the match. They broke Bopanna and Qureshi twice in the opening set and once in the second to book a place in the semifinals. Meanwhile, India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus advanced to the men's doubles semi-finals of the 1,357,000-euro Valencia Open tennis. Third-seeded Bhupathi-Mirnyi outlasted Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic and Michal Mertinak of Slovakia 6-3, 6-7(6), 10-6 and are next up against top seeds Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Oliver Marach of Austria. — Agencies
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Gibbs gets taste of his own medicine
Johannesburg, November 6 Writing about the night before a match against Bangladesh in 2008, Arthur in his book 'Taking the Mickey' said that Gibbs had "attached himself to the hotel bar a little earlier than was polite – certainly for an international sportsman." "He took too much fuel on board, at indecent haste by all accounts, and became involved in a series of embarrassing altercations. "The hotel management had attempted, unsuccessfully, to encourage him to leave, and reported to calling (captain) Graeme Smith and (assistant coach) Vinnie Barnes for assistance. "Hersch was apparently making inappropriate comments about the attire and attractiveness of the wives accompanying a group of businessmen attending a function in Sandton. It may sound humorous, but it was offensive." Arthur said that they allowed Gibbs to play the game the next day, but sat him down immediately afterwards to lay down the law. "Team Manager Doc Moosajee and I took (Gibbs) into the gym under the Wanderers changing room and told him that his time was up. "There were no more warnings, fines or reprimands left for him. Doc explained that he needed to undergo a full rehabilitation course – not a token 'tea and biscuits' session, but a full alcohol addiction programme. This meant he would play no cricket for five or six weeks. Naturally, it was a massive shock to his system. "But it didn't sink in until Doc announced the decision to the world at a press conference the next day. It was an extremely hard thing to do, but the relief we felt told us it was the right thing to do."
— Agency Ntini played race card: Former coach
South African cricketer Makhaya Ntini played the race card when things did not go his way, disclosed former team coach Mickey Arthur in his to be released book. Ntini, hailed as the country's greatest black cricketer, alleged racism by captain Graeme Smith and Arthur when he was dropped from the squad due to bad form, wrote Arthur in his book 'Taking
the Mickey'. — PTI |
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Younis-inspired Pakistan shock South Africa
Dubai, November 6 Younis's sedate 73 built Pakistan's run-chase but they owed it to their tail-enders Haider (19 not out) and Riaz (18) as they put on 28 runs for the ninth wicket to help their team chase down a challenging 275-run target, yesterday. Fit-again Graeme Smith played a captain's knock of 92 to steer South Africa to a challenging 274-6 but once again his team choked in the final moments despite having grabbed all top wickets. Pakistan still needed 31 when they lost Abdul Razzaq (33) -- whose robust 72-ball 109 not out which shocked South Africa by one wicket in the second match in Abu Dhabi -- but Haider and Riaz held their nerves. Even when Riaz was run out with three needed off as many deliveries, Haider kept his cool, scoring two off paceman Wayne Parnell and then pulled the penultimate delivery for a single, much to the delight of a 25,000 capacity crowd. The win helped Pakistan level the series at 2-2 and set up an intriguing fifth and final match here on Monday. It was Younis whose 115-ball
half-cenury with only one boundary that put Pakistan on course for a tight run-chase, adding 58 for the second wicket with Mohammad Hafeez (42) and 56 with Asad Shafiq (36). So cautious was Younis that his first boundary came in the 37th over, but he kept Pakistan on course with another 49 for the sixth wicket with Razzaq before paceman Morne Morkel dismissed both to finish with 3-48. Captain Shahid Afridi also bolstered the run-chase with a swift 25-ball 29 studded with four boundaries. Pakistan coach Waqar Younis praised his team's fighting ability. "One should praise the game, it was a hell of a match and all praise to the boys who showed great fighting ability, especially Younis who batted well and the tail-enders who kept us in the hunt," said
Waqar. Earlier Smith missed his ninth one-day century by just eight runs on his return after injuring his hand during South Africa's eight wicket win in the first match in Abu Dhabi. South Africa took a 2-1 lead with a narrow two-run win in the third match here on Tuesday. Smith put on a 94-run stand with AB de Villiers (49) to put South African on course for a big total before he was trapped leg-before by off-spinner Hafeez in the 31st over. De Villiers then took charge alongwith Jean-Paul Duminy (36) as South African added 84 in the last ten
overs. De Villiers's 70-ball knock was without a boundary but he batted sensibly after Smith's departure.
— AFP |
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Fans predict Oz defeat in Ashes
Melbourne, November 6 In a poll conducted by the Sunday Herald Sun online, more than 6000 fans took part, with questions ranging from the make-up of the team for the first Test at the
Gabba, starting on November 25, to whether there is too much cricket being played. The people blamed the selectors for Aussie team sliding to No 5 position in the world Test rankings. The poll also showed that they believe that coach Tim Nielsen is a failure and should be replaced by Shane
Warne. Besides, an overwhelming 74 per cent said that Michael Clarke should not become the next Test captain. And while Michael Hussey remained a line-ball selection but Marcus North, who only last week was projected as a future captain, did not get fans' support. In fact, people's verdict said that he did not even deserve to be in the team, with 69 per cent of them saying that he should be dropped. Meanwhile, 85 per cent voted against Nathan Hauritz as the spin bowling answer for Australia and instead chose young gun Steve Smith as the preferred option. In other shocking responses, the fans preferred Cameron White to take over Test captaincy from Ricky
Ponting. Also, they voted England's under-fire batsman Kevin Pietersen as Australia's biggest danger, just ahead of spinner Graeme Swann. Most of the fans voted that the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch must be dumped for former Australian captain Greg Chappell. Meanwhile, Test cricket was still the preferred form of the game, with 68 per cent voting in its
favour. Twenty20 came in third behind the 50-over game. However, the biggest shock of the survey came as the cricket lovers have all but given up hope on Australia winning back the Ashes this summer. "What a disastrous build-up to the Ashes this is turning out to be," Terry of Shellharbour posted. Even the Test captain-in-waiting Clarke took a belting from the fans again. "Clarke is clueless as captain," Gazza of Newcastle wrote. Australia's losing streak has reached seven with the SCG defeat by Sri Lanka on yesterday. But the fans preferred to hold selectors responsible for the debacle, rather than the players, with 90 per cent claiming the selectors are not doing a good job. While 68 per cent delivered the same scathing verdict on coach Nielsen. Fans instead want former spin king Warne as the coaching replacement.
— PTI Ponting denies reports of infighting in team
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has dismissed reports of "disharmony" within the team and said these are completely made up stories and far from truth. The reports of in-fighting and a split over Michael Clarke's candidature as Ponting's successor-in-waiting emerged in the media at a time when Australia were looking to erase their seven-match losing streak across all formats of the game. The Australians had last won a Test in July against Pakistan. The first Test of the Ashes series begins on November 25 in Brisbane.
— PTI |
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Batsmen fought really hard, says NZ coach
Ahmedabad, November 6 “I think we showed today that we can bat. We always knew we could turn it around and the bad performance in Bangladesh ODIs is behind us. We really fought hard today,’ said Kiwi opening batsman Brendon McCullum after the day’s play. “Not only in terms of this match but for the future of our team I think now we have a very strong pair at number five and six in our Test team. Ryder and Williamson played really well today. Ryder has scored all his three Test tons against India and hopefully Kane can complete his ton on debut tomorrow,” said McCullum. Ryder batted with a runner (Ross Taylor) towards the latter part of his innings but McCullum said that the batsman is fine. “He had some stiffness in his calf muscle so he used a runner today. But he should be OK,” said McCullum. “I’m also quite satisfied with my performance. It is only the second me that I have opened the batting in a Test and I am happy that I could contribute. So, we can say that this move of me going up the order instead of at six or seven, worked for us,” said McCullum. The Indian bowlers felt that there was no help from the dead track and they tried their best. “It is really a flat track and you have to work very hard for your wickets. We dropped Ryder on 11 and that proved costly,” said India pacer Sreesanth. “But all credit to Ryder and Williamson they batted very well,” conceded the Kerala
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We bowled well on a flat track, says Sreesanth
Ahmedabad, November 6 "It was a flat track. We bowled very well but there was nothing for the bowlers. There was no reverse swing too," said the temperamental Kerala bowler who finally broke the defiant fifth wicket stand by sending back 26-year-old left-hander Ryder, with the third ball of the 118th over. New Zealand, riding on half centuries from more experienced batsmen Brendon McCullum (65) and Ross Taylor (56) initially and then boosted by the superbly conceived 194-run partnership between Ryder (103) and 20-year-old Williamson (87 not out) ended the third day at 331 for 5 in reply to the home team's first innings score of 487. Sreesanth also pointed out the reprieve Ryder got early on in his knock off his bowling when Rahul Dravid not only could not latch on to a thick edge from the batsman at first slip also helped Ryder cash in on the opportunity. "We should have had Ryder but for the dropped catch," he said about the chance floored when the Wellington-born Ryder was on 11 with team total on 166 for four in the seventh over of the second session. Ryder went on to slam ten boundaries and also stepped out to hit Harbhajan Singh over long on to cap his splendid 205-ball effort that took him a shade over five hours.
— PTI |
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Still hope for Mohun Bagan, East Bengal
New Delhi, November 6 They two clubs will, however, be out of contention for AFC Champions League berth if they fail to fulfill the said norms. (For eg. East Bengal have qualified for AFC Cup by virtue of winning the Federation Cup. Now if they happen to do well and qualify for Champions League, they can only play if the licensing norms are fulfilled by December 31). "They won't be allowed to take part in the Champions League if they fail to fulfill the criteria. But the AFC could show leniency as far as playing in the I-League is concerned," a sourcesaidI. According to sources in the AIFF, the AFC committee headed by director of competitions, Tokuaki Suzuki, has asked the two Kolkata clubs to have separate sponsors and bosses or face elimination from the 2011-12 league. UB Groups have major stakes in both the clubs and have Vijay Mallya as their chairman, which is not in accordance with the AFC rules. Expressing hope that the clubs would sort out their sponsorship issue, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar said, "We are sure they would work out a solution. A report (highlighting the shortcomings of the clubs) has already been sent to them," said Dhar. Among the I-League clubs, Goan heavyweights Dempo and Churchill Brothers, Kolkata's Chirag United, JCT, Pune FC and Mumbai FC received the green light from the AFC committee. — PTI
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What could Indian spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ohja have done differently on Day Three when the New Zealand batsmen were obdurate in defence, preferring to play the waiting game? Well, for starters they could have given the ball more air, inviting the batsmen to come out of their crease rather than trying to hit the deck continuously, without much success.
Two former Manchester United strikers will go into battle in tomorrow night's Madrid derby at the Bernabeu - one having scored 10 goals in his Cristiano Ronaldo, of Real Madrid, is Spain's top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions and, having hit 10 in five games, is now chasing a club record set by Puskas who scored 13 goals in seven matches in the 1960-61 season. Ronaldo is also on a roll of 38 goals in his last 38 games in La Liga while his opposite number in the Atletico Madrid side, Diego Forlan, has gone almost two months without hitting the back of the net leading to suggestions he may be allowed to move on at the end of the season.
Charlottesville (USA): 