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India’s Tour of South Africa
Day 1: Australia fail to impress |
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Anand draws with Kramnik, ends second
Barca test awaits Espanyol
JCT play East Bengal today
Polo Cup goes down to the wire
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India’s Tour of South Africa
Centurion, December 16
Captain Mahnedra Singh Dhoni lost the toss after the first day's play was delayed by more than four hours due to overnight and early morning rain and his opposite number Graeme Smith sent the Indians in on a pitch which appeared to have lots of moisture and tinge of green. Straightaway, the Indian frailties on pacy and bouncy tracks stood exposed as openers Virender Sehwag (0) and Gautam Gambhir (5) and one down Rahul Dravid (14) fell cheaply. At the tea break after 20 overs, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman were holding the fort at 22 and six, respectively. South African opening bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel did not let the opportunity go away as they hurled down a battery of short balls, using the pace and bounce offered by the Supersport Park which was made playable only because of the excellent drainage and good work by groundsmen. The much talked about Virender Sehwag and Dale Steyn duel lasted just three balls with the Indian opener out for a three-ball duck. Sehwag quietly let go the last two balls of Steyn's opening over but could not resist the temptation to whack a length ball in the first delivery of the fast bowler's second over and South Africa's third. Sehwag opened his bat without completely reaching to the pitch of the ball wide outside the off and the ball went up the air to Hashim Amla at third man to the glee of the South Africans. Morkel, who extracted fiery pace and bounce throughout the session, kept the pressure on Gautam Gambhir with short pitch stuff but Dravid eased off a bit with two boundaries off Steyn in the fifth over. Morkel finally got his man in Gambhir who ended his laboured innings for a 43-ball five, edging a fullish length delivery coming off the stump. Gambhir, who at one time could not score a single run for 20 balls, came out late for a drive only to find the outside edge land to Ryan Harris' hands at first slip an hour into the day's play. — PTI Dravid is third highest Test run-getter
Rahul Dravid today overtook former West Indian captain Brain Lara as the the third highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket when he reached 11 in the first of the three-match series against South Africa here today. Coming into the match needing 11 runs to surpass Lara's 11,953 in the all-time run-getter's list, Dravid reached the milestone with a double, clipping Dale Steyn off the back foot towards the square-leg region at the Supersport Park. Dravid, who has an average of 53.31 before this Test, achieved the feat in his 148th match. His team-mate and Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart with 14,3666 runs from 175 Tests, followed by Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who till date has scored 12,332 runs from 151 matches. Dravid is also just one short of becoming the first cricketer to take 200 catches in Test Scoreboard India 1st innings Gambhir c Harris b Morkel 5 Sehwag c Amla b Steyn 0 Dravid lbw b Morkel 14 Tendulkar lbw b Steyn 36 Laxman b Steyn 7 Raina c de Villiers b Kallis 1 Dhoni batting 1 Harbhajan batting 8 Extras (lb 5, w 1, nb 2) 8 Total (6 wickets; 27 overs) 80 Bowling: Steyn 10-1-34-3, Morkel 7-4-4-2, Tsotsobe 5-2-19-0, Kallis 4-1-12-1, Harris 1-0-6-0. |
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Day 1: Australia fail to impress
Perth, December 16 The situation could have been worse for Australia, which slumped to 69-5 just after lunch, but half-centuries from Mike Hussey, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson enabled the hosts to post a decent total before being bowled out 30 minutes before stumps today. Still, England is well positioned to push for a victory that would see the tourists secure a successful Ashes defence, with Australia's bowlers having struggled for wickets over the first two tests. England won the second test in Adelaide by an innings and 71 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-test series. Tremlett wasted no time in making an impact, bowling recalled Australian opener Phil Hughes for 2 with the last ball of the first over, and then having the out-of-touch Michael Clarke caught behind for 4. He took 3-63 in 23 overs. In between, James Anderson, 3-61, claimed the prized scalp of Ricky Ponting for 12 when the Australia captain was brilliantly caught at third slip by Paul Collingwood, who flung himself to his right at third slip and held on to a one-handed catch. Ponting, whose scoring shots were three boundaries, hung his bat out at a James Anderson delivery, and another brief innings will increase pressure on the captain to keep his place in the team. Tremlett deepened Australia's problems when he removed Steve Smith for 2 in the second over after lunch. Hussey and Haddin, who also batted Australia out of trouble in the first test, counter-attacked effectively. Hussey hit a six and nine fours as he continued with his imperious form with the bat. With other scores of 195, 93 and 52, he has been Australia's standout batsman of the series. Haddin, another batsman in form, added 52 runs for seventh wicket with Johnson. — AFP Scoreboard Australia 1st innings Watson lbw Finn 13 Hughes b Tremlett 2 Ponting c Collingwood b Anderson 12 Clarke c Prior b Tremlett 4 Hussey c Prior b Swann 61 Smith c Strauss b Tremlett 7 Haddin c Swann b Anderson 53 Johnson c Anderon b Finn 62 Harris b Anderson 3 Siddle not out 35 Hilfenhaus c Cook b Swann 13 Extras - 3 Total (all out, 76 overs) 268 Bowling: Anderson 20-3-61-3, Tremlett 23-3-63-3, Finn 15-1-86-2, Collingwood 2-0-3-0, G Swann 16-0-52-2. England 1st innings Strauss not out 12 Cook not out 17 Total (for no loss in 12 overs) 29 Bowling: Hilfenhaus 4-2-5-0, Harris 4-1-16-0, Siddle 2-1-4-0, Johnson 2-1-4-0.
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Anand draws with Kramnik, ends second
London, December 16 The final round victory by the Norwegian ensured him a first place regardless of the other results as he had the best tiebreak score. With four victories, one draw and two losses, Carlsen tallied 13-points in the Soccer-like scoring system and remained two points ahead of Anand and Mcshane. Kramnik and Hikaru Nakamura of United States finished joint fourth on 10 points each while Michael Adams ended his campaign on eight points following a draw with Nakamura in the final round game. David Howell held McShane to finish ahead of Short who scored just two points from two draws besides five losses. The victory by Carlsen will also see him reclaim his place at the top of the official rating list in January 2011 although Anand is also having a marginal gain in rating points. Carlsen's mentor Garry Kasparov was present at the venue to comment on the games of the final round and see his protégé win the tournament for the second successive year. The first game to finish was the pairing of the current world champion Anand and his predecessor Vladimir Kramnik. Anand faced the Berlin defense yet again and carried a token edge into the middle game that ensued Kramnik was up to the task in exchanging pieces at regular intervals and it came down to an opposite-coloured bishop endgame where Anand's extra pawn was of no consequence. Nigel Short faced Carlsen with the black pieces and his plan of going for a simplified position backfired. With clinical precision, Carlsen restrained Nigel's queenside development and occupied crucial squares to win a pawn and it soon subsided into a straightforward technical win. In the VIP room Garry Kasparov correctly predicted Magnus's plan and then said "this is a technical win - let's look at another game!" David Howell and Luke McShane played a full-blooded Sicilian Dragon - one of the wildest openings in the canon. —
PTI |
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Sorry to disappoint but I’m not coming back: Warne
Melbourne, December 16 "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there will be no comeback in this Ashes series," the 41-year-old wrote in his column for 'The Herald Sun'. "I must say I was very flattered and surprised that a lot of you out there wanted me to make a comeback and play in the series," he said. Warne said although he would have wanted to be in the thick of things but it would require quite an effort to be match fit. "...if there was to be a comeback I'd need time to get match-fit. My general fitness is as good as it's ever been - I have worked hard on that lately - but toiling away for long spells and backing up the next day takes time, practice, lots of physiotherapy and even more dedication. "I must admit it did cross my mind, but then I woke up in London, where it was snowing, and realised I was only dreaming," he said. "I will continue to help the Aussie boys any way I can in their quest to reclaim the Ashes." Warne predicted that the Aussies, who are down 0-1 in the series, would win the third match in Perth to draw level and keep the contest alive. "I think they will win this match because they know the conditions better. They also know the length to bowl, which will help them take 20 wickets. "It's about giving the English something to think about, start them doubting themselves and worrying about Australia," he said. Warne, however, conceded that a loss in Perth could trigger wholesale changes in the team. "The way the Australian team plays this week will give us an indication of where it is really at. If the team fails here, then there will be some big changes at the end of the series, but a win could change everything. Warne lavished praise on rookie spinner Michael Beer, who could not get into the final XI for the ongoing third Test. "I'm sure the dressing room was daunting when he walked in because he did not know many teammates, but by now they will have realised he is a feisty player who doesn't get overawed and gives as good as he gets. "He is an in-your-face player and, as I said earlier, this is what the Australian team needs. He could surprise many with his ability to spin the ball. With his change of pace, he reminds me a lot of New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori," he said. — PTI
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Madrid, December 16 "It's a game with a lot of rivalry and intensity from both sides," Espanyol's Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters. "It will be disputed rather than aggressive. I believe in positive rather than negative aggression." Espanyol have a good record of ruffling Barca's feathers and in the corresponding fixture back in April, Guardiola's team were uncharacteristically defensive in outlook. Barca had Dani Alves sent off after an hour and were harried, hurried and ultimately held to a 0-0 draw by the hosts in a niggly encounter. Barca, however, go into the derby in irresistible form and with 40 points from 15 games they are already 12 ahead of Espanyol. Barcelona have a 100 percent away record with seven wins from seven, are unbeaten in 21 outings, have won nine in a row and scored 26 goals in their last six games without reply. "The two sides are in great form, each with their own qualities," Barca captain Carles Puyol told reporters. "It will be very tough ... it is the most difficult away trip we have left this season." Puyol's statement demonstrates the respect Barca have for Espanyol given that they still have to visit Real Madrid, who face Sevilla on Sunday (2000). Jose Mourinho's side are two points behind leaders Barcelona in second, and have recovered from their mauling in the 'clasico' to win three in a row. They will be forced into a number of changes with Marcelo and Xabi Alonso suspended, and Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos out injured, but Mourinho does not have as many problems as his counterpart Gregorio Manzano. The former Real Mallorca boss has only been at Sevilla two months since replacing Antonio Alvarez, and he has seen his side's confidence ebb as they slipped to 11th. — Reuters
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JCT play East Bengal today
Chandigarh, December 16 The visitors have won all three of their matches so far and are looking every bit the force they are considered to be. JCT are currently placed second from bottom with just one point. On the other hand, East Bengal have nine points and will be looking to extend their reign on the top with another commanding performance. Can the JCT boys stop the East Bengal juggernaut? The answer wont have to wait too long as the match kicks off at 2pm, local time.
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Polo Cup goes down to the wire
Chandigarh, December 16 Last race weekend saw Parth Ghorpade taking advantage of 5 time race winner Sailesh Bolisetti having a tough weekend and therefore leading the championship into the final round . With the Championship on the line, racing fans can look forward to a no-holds barred effort from both drivers as they fight for their claim to be Number one. In addition, last weekend’s race winner Vishnu Prasad and Sahil Shellar will be battling it out for third position. The 5 th round of the Polo Cup India 2010 saw the 17-year Parth Ghorpade overtake Sailesh Bolisetti to emerge as the Championship leader, after 5 rounds.
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Indian batsmen found themsleves in big trouble against a fiery South African pace attack in fast-bowling friendly conditions as they were 80 for six after 27 overs on the first day of the opening Test here today.Captain Mahnedra Singh Dhoni lost the toss after the first day's play was delayed by more than four hours due to overnight and early morning rain and his opposite number Graeme Smith sent the Indians in on a pitch which appeared to have lots of moisture and tinge of green.
‘Pak preparation not up to mark’
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