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India’s Tour of South Africa
Johnson leads Australia’s fightback
Johnson’s spell fantastic: Marsh
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Brasa was an asset to the team: Sardara
Arsenal draw Barca, inter play bayern
JCT lose to East Bengal
Ranji: Baroda thrash HP
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India’s Tour of South Africa
Centurion, December 17 Earlier, Alviro Petersen struck a sparkling 77 as South Africa increased their first innings lead to 156 after 71 overs. After bundling out India for a paltry 136, the South African batsmen laid the foundation for a mammoth first innings lead by taking the score to a comfortable 236 for two at tea with Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis at the crease. Resuming at the lunch score of 111 for one, Petersen and and Hashim Amla put on 55 runs for the second wicket before Harbhajan Singh struck for his team again. Harbhajan plotted Petersen's dismissal as he flighted the ball on middle and leg stump. Petersen got half-forward to defend and got an inside edge onto pad for Gambhir to take a smart catch at forward short leg. Petersen looked quite comfortable in the middle till this blemish. His knock of 77 came off 114 balls and was laced with nine boundaries and a six. The Indian bowlers lacked the sting in the post-lunch session and barring Harbhajan, who managed to get the odd ball to jump up, none of them really looked like getting a wicket. The Indian pacemen got no movement whatsoever in the session and the absence of pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who is sitting out of the match because of a hamstring injury, was badly felt. Petersen took upon himself the task of scoring the runs after the dismissal of his captain Graeme Smith and completed his third Test half century shortly after the lunch break. Petersen was particularly severe on Ishant and Sreesanth and even Harbhajan was not spared when he erred in line or length. Amla also made his intentions clear by clobbering Harbhajan for a six and was not afraid to play the sweep stroke to balls pitched outside the off-stump. Jacques Kallis joined the action after Petersen's dismissal and the experienced right hander got into the run scoring business by pounding Sreesanth to the boundary. But a few overs later, the Kerala speedster managed to hit Kallis on the helmet with a short-pitched delivery. Indian captain Dhoni introduced part-timer Suresh Raina into the attack in place of Harbhajan and he turned out to be really expensive with Kallis smashing him for two sixes. He conceded 23 runs in his two overs. — PTI Scoreboard India 1st innings MS Dhoni lbw b Morkel 33 Unadkat not out 1 Extras (lb 6, w 3, nb 3) 12 Total (all out; 38.4 overs) 136 Bowling: Steyn 10-1-34-3, Morkel 12.4-5-20-5, Tsotsobe 9-2-50-0, Kallis 6-1-20-1, Harris 1-0-6-0. South Africa 1st innings Smith c Dhoni b Harbhajan 62 Petersen c Gambhir b Harbhajan 77 Amla batting 116 Kallis not out 102 Extras (b 2, lb 2, w 2, nb 3) 9 Total (2 wickets; 87 overs) 366 Bowling: Sreesanth 19-1-71-0, Ishant 18-2-68-0, Unadkat 16-2-60-0, Harbhajan 25-2-107-2, Raina 3-0-27-0, Tendulkar 6-1-29-0.
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Johnson leads Australia’s fightback
Perth, December 17 Derided in Brisbane and then dropped for Adelaide, Johnson (6-38) evoked memories of local fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee as he sliced through the England top order, with the tourists dismissed for 187. England were in the box seat at the start of play at the WACA -- the home side had made just 268 on the opening day and England were cruising at 78-0 with openers Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss in command. Johnson ran in for the first ball of his seventh over today with series figures of 0-187. Twenty-seven balls later, the top run-scorer in the Australian first innings had the prized scalps of Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in an unexpected four-wicket blitz that revived the home team's hopes. Facing a first innings deficit of 81, England fought back late in the day as the dismal form of Australian captain Ricky Ponting (1) and Michael Clarke (20) continued. Disciplined batting from Shane Watson (61 not out) and Mike Hussey (24 not out) steadied the ship and the home side were 119-3 at stumps, an overall lead of 200 in a match where a result is highly likely. If England win, they retain the Ashes, while an Australian win levels the series with two Tests to play, so the stakes are huge for the remainder of the match. Cook (32) was the first to go, caught at gully by a diving Mike Hussey as he attempted to drive at the first ball of Johnson's seventh over. The Australian took the catch low to the ground and Cook simply asked the fielder if he had caught it cleanly, accepting Hussey's word before heading off rather than challenging the decision. Johnson was getting late swing and trapped Trott lbw for just four in his next over, before sending dangerman Kevin Pietersen, coming off a double-century in Adelaide, back to the pavilion, lbw for a duck to claim his third wicket in 12 balls. Pietersen challenged the decision without success. Ryan Harris (3-59) then joined the party to remove Strauss, who should have been caught behind from the same bowler on 16, for 52. When Collingwood (five) was given out lbw to the resurgent Johnson on a challenge by the Australians, England had lost five wickets for 20 runs to slip to 98-5. England recovered slightly, but then lost their last four wickets for just six runs, with Johnson picking up Chris Tremlett and James Anderson to complete a stunning form reversal for both team and player. — AFP Scoreboard Australia 1st Innings 268 England 1st Innings (Overnight 29-0) Strauss c Haddin b Harris 52 Cook c Hussey b Johnson 32 Trott lbw b Johnson 4 Pietersen lbw b Johnson 0 Collingwood lbw b Johnson 5 Bell c Ponting b Harris 53 Prior b Siddle 12 Swann c Haddin b Harris 11 Tremlett b Johnson 2 Anderson c Watson b Johnson 0 Finn not out 1 Extras (b-8, lb-4, w-1, nb-2) 15 Total (all out, 62.3 overs) 187 Bowling: Hilfenhaus 21-6-53-0, Harris 15-4-59-3, Siddle 9-2-25-1, Johnson 17.3-5-38-6. Australia 2nd innings: Watson not out 61 Hughes c Collingwood b Finn 12 Ponting c Prior b Finn 1 Clarke b Tremlett 20 Hussey not out 24 Extras (nb-1) 1 Total (3 wickets, 33 overs) 119 Bowling: Anderson 11-5-25-0, Tremlett 9-2-20-1, Finn 9-1-48-2, Swann 4-0-26-0.
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Johnson’s spell fantastic: Marsh
New Delhi, December 17 "Mitch is a fantastic bowler and his spell today was outstanding. His spell is right up there with the ones that the likes of Dennis Lillee, Terry Alderman, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have bowled over the years," Marsh said. "The best part is that he is a vital cog in this Australian team and they need him. He had an injury and he came back. 0-1 down with the Ashes staring at them, this is the kind of performance you need. Ashes is all about great cricketing moments and a bit of inspiration," Marsh, who has won the Ashes both as a coach and a player, said on the sidelines of the Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Delhi being played at the Roshanara ground. Marsh also felt that just like McGrath had Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie as potent new-ball partners, Ryan Harris and Ben Hilfenhaus have the ability to complement Johnson. "Harris can swing the ball and he has the ability to take wickets too," he said. Marsh, who will be coaching Sahara Pune Warriors in the IPL, said that Johnson has the ability to be as good as legendary left-arm pacer Wasim Akram but the comparison can wait. — PTI |
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Brasa was an asset to the team: Sardara
Ludhiana, December 17 Sardara, who was visiting the Jarkhar stadium on the opening day of the Games said Jose Brasa had been a catalyst for the Indian Hockey team. It was due to the Spaniard that the team could taste whatever success it did in the recently-concluded tournaments. “The problem is not with the coaching. It is within us. We lose the crucial games. We did well through out the tournament during the Commonwealth and Asian Games in China, but we put up a poor show during the final stages when it mattered the most," said Sardara. He said it was Brasa who taught the skills of European hockey to Indian players that paid dividends. He said, “It is unfortunate that Brasa is being blamed for the debacle. He would have been an asset if he would have continued to serve the Indian hockey team." It has also come to light that both players, in a cautious attempt, tried to fend off the situation of encountering each other. According to the ogranisers of the Games, Rajpal Singh and Sardara Singh were scheduled to take the Game torch to the Jarkhar stadium. But Rajpal pulled out his name at the last moment and did not turn up at the stadium.
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Arsenal draw Barca, inter play bayern
Nyon, December 17 The other stand-out tie paired this season's favourites Barcelona with Arsenal -- the team they beat 6-3 on aggregate in last season's quarter-finals. Barcelona, who also beat Arsenal in the 2006 final, drew 2-2 in London last season before Lionel Messi demolished the Premier Leaguer side, scoring all four goals in Barca's 4-1 second leg win at the Nou Camp. Real Madrid, the nine-times winners, face Olympique Lyon again after losing to the French side at the same stage last season. Tottenham Hotspur will return to the San Siro to face AC Milan, after finishing ahead of Inter in the group phase. In the other ties, AS Roma will play Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, Valencia will play Schalke 04, Olympique Marseille face Manchester United and FC Copenhagen meet Chelsea. First legs will be played on Feb. 15 and 16 and Feb. 22 and 23 with the return legs on March 8 and 9 and March 15 and 16. The final will be at Wembley Stadium on May 28. Real Madrid are now coached by Jose Mourinho, the man who led Inter to the title last season, and they will relish a chance to atone for their mistakes of last term. Last season Lyon won 1-0 in France before going through with a 1-1 draw in Madrid. "We still have last year's elimination fresh in the memory," Real sporting director Miguel Pardeza told Gol Televison. "It's curious to have them two years in succession. It should help us to learn and to make sure we don't make the same mistakes this time." Tottenham, joint highest scorers in the group stage along with Arsenal with 18 goals, came from 4-0 down with a Gareth Bale hat-trick before losing 4-3 at the San Siro in October. Darren Eales, Tottenham's director of football administration, said the club would take heart from that comeback when they meet the seven-times winners AC Milan. "That second half and going into the home game gave the players the belief that they could compete with teams like Inter Milan and they showed it at White Hart Lane (where Spurs won 3-1)" Eales told Sky Sports News. "As we've gone on in the competition we've grown in confidence and I think that's what the lads will take into the AC Milan game." — Reuters
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JCT lose to East Bengal
Ludhiana, December 17 Overall, it was a good showing by JCT with the forwards and defenders giving out their best. Balwant Singh and foreign recruit, Lacchhvanmawia exhibited more control at midfield while Saran Singh fed them well but the former duo could not breach the defense. In a solo effort, Saran managed to make a foray into the rival citadel in the 11th minute but his powerful attempt went over the cross bar, much to the relief of Kolkata outfit. Just nine minutes before the breather, in a counter move, the visitors sprang a surprise when off a corner kick, Uga Okpara sent a sizzling header into the net (1-0). The millmen pressed hard for te equaliser but East Bengal managed to hang on to this slender lead till the long whistle and earn full three points. After, four matches, East Bengal have accumulated the maximum 12 points and lead the points table while JCT are yet to taste their maiden victory in the current edition of the league.
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Ranji: Baroda thrash HP
Vadodara, December 17 Pathan's fine bowling performance was the highlight of the match which ended with more than a day's play to spare. Pathan conceded just 74 runs in his brilliant spell and his performance also helped Baroda get a bonus point. With this win, Baroda's points tally went up to 20 points standing second in the league table. Resuming at an overnight 108 for four, the visitors failed to prolong the innings.
— PTI |
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Centurion, December 17
Perth, December 17
Ludhiana, December 17
Ludhiana, December 17
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