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Total domination
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Fast Track
Kiwis face gritty Zimbabwe
Canadian captain Ashish Bagai (R) celebrates dismissing Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq in Colombo on Thursday. — AFP
Shaheed-e-azam
Bhagat Singh
Empty syringes lying scattered at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan
Eight Patiala boxers storm into finals
Gurdaspur athletes shine
Walkouts hit hockey games
Ministry to focus on 16 disciplines
Mohali girl in the lead
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Total domination
Mohali, March 3 The Dutch captain erred at the outset. The cloud cover in the morning convinced Peter Borren that bowling first was a good idea. In fact, it turned out to be a bloomer. The South African batting proved way too strong for the inexperienced Dutch bowlers. AB de Villiers resumed from where he had left in the last match and slammed another belligerent century. Hashim Amla got his ton as well and the South Africans raced to 351 for five in their 50 overs. That massive total entirely demoralised the Dutch and their batting collapsed in the face of some steady and accurate SA bowling. Earlier, the Netherlands bowlers tasted some early success with the wickets of Graeme Smith and Jaques Kallis but after that it was a steady flow of boundaries and sixers from the bats of Amla and De Villiers. For De Villiers it was his second century in this World Cup in as many matches and he looked completely in control. His fluent and at times innovative strokeplay completely flummoxed the Dutch bowlers. In one over from BP Loots, AB hoisted three consecutive sixers and in the very next over from Doeschate he slammed three straight boundaries. In his attacking knock of 134 (98 balls) De Villiers had four sixes and nine boundaries. It was an innings of total dominance over the Dutch bowlers. Amla at the other end was elegant and unhurried. He could not match De Villiers for the sheer extravagance of his shots but he went about accumulating the runs in his own self-assured way. The technically-correct Amla finally fell after scoring 113 off 130 balls with nine boundaries. Amla and De Villiers shared a 221-run stand for the third wicket and they were followed by JP Duminy who went entirely berserk in his short stay at the wicket. Off 15 balls, Duminy savaged four sixes and two boundaries and fell after scoring 40. In the process, South Africa finished with the highest ODI total at this ground (the previous best was 339 for four by Sri Lanka against Pakistan in 1997). When it was the turn of the Netherlands batsmen, the South African bowlers were right on target. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir had figures of three for 19 from his 6.5 overs and Dutch were bundled out for 120 in 34.5 overs. With this win, South Africa have surged to the top of Group B with two wins in two matches. Scoreboard S Africa 351/5 (50 overs) Netherlands 120 (34.5 overs) South Africa Amla c Cooper b Doeschate 113 Smith b Loots 20 Kallis c Barresi b Doeschate 2 De Villiers run out 134 Plessis not out 18 Duminy c Borren b Doeschate 40 Wyk not out 0 Extras: (b-2 lb-5 w-16 nb-1) 24 Bowling: Bukhari 10-0-44-0, Westdijk 9-0-76-0, Doeschate 10-0-72-3, Loots 9-0-60-1, Seelaar 10-0-74-0, Cooper 2-0-18-0 Netherlands Kervezee c & b Kallis 10 Barresi st Wyk b Duminy 44 Cooper c Steyn b Kallis 9 Zuiderent lbw b Peterson 15 Doeschate lbw b Steyn 11 Grooth run out 12 Borren lbw b Peterson 3 Bukhari b Tahir 0 Seelaar not out 2 Loots lbw b Tahir 6 Westdijk lbw b Tahir 0 Extras: (w-8) 8 Bowling: Steyn 6-1-26-1, Morkel 5-0-18-0, Kallis 6-0-19-2, Tahir 6.5-0-19-3, Peterson 5-0-22-2, Duminy 6-0-16-1.
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Win should open doors for Ireland
by Michael Holding There have been many reactions to Ireland's win over England, some calling it an accident waiting to happen, others calling it one of sport's greatest upsets. I would say it was indeed an upset, and one from which Ireland can take a lot of positives because this was against a Test-playing nation. I know their victory over Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup was an upset, but that had a lot to do with the pitch. That match was played in favourable conditions for the bowlers. It helped Ireland's seamers, but I think you will find people also saying Ireland got a bit of luck back then. Not in Bangalore. They played very good cricket. Sure, England helped them with some sloppiness in the field - I counted five dropped catches - but Kevin O'Brien, Alex Cusack and John Mooney batted very well on a flat wicket. Ireland showed that teams need penetrative bowling to win matches in the sub-continent, and I think a lot of teams will now need to reassess their approach. What was most impressive about O'Brien, apart from his self-belief, was that he didn't slog. He played proper cricket shots. Andrew Strauss' drop was a big reprieve, as at that time Ireland needed 82 to win, but otherwise there wasn't any luck in O'Brien's innings. That six off Tim Bresnan over extra-cover was an amazing shot, and the balls he swung over square-leg and mid-wicket were also monster hits. That was clean hitting. His approach was refreshing. O'Brien said after the match that when he walked out with Ireland at 111 for five, he told himself he was just going to enjoy himself. He didn't clog his mind with too many negative thoughts and played his natural game. Few would have thought Ireland could win, but it's evident that they have come a fair way as a cricket team. O'Brien epitomises that spirit. The O'Brien brothers, Ed Joyce, young George Dockrell and Alex Cusack are good players. Can you imagine what Ireland would have been had Eoin Morgan not defected to England? As for England, this was just another bad game in what continues to be a topsy-turvy one-day journey. England teams have often struggled with the one-day format and this is nothing new. I recall some years ago that the selectors dropped Alec Stewart saying that he wasn't good for 50-over cricket, but then two years before a World Cup he was recalled. England really need to sort out their approach to one-dayers. England now face a tough road. They should make the quarter-finals but South Africa are a tough team to beat and England cannot afford to slip against Bangladesh, in Bangladesh. England have to reorganise their approach, and maybe the team. They struggled against Netherlands, threw it away against India, and have now been humbled by Ireland. They will have to watch out for West Indies too, who will fancy their chances. — PMG
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Kiwis face gritty Zimbabwe
Both the teams are aware that a victory would go a long way in enhancing their chances of making the quarterfinal from a group which has holders Australia, co-hosts Sri Lanka and the unpredictable Pakistan. The Kiwis, who lost to Australia just three days after a devastating earthquake struck the city of Christchurch to leave a trail of destruction, appear to hold a slight edge over the Africans. New Zealand have not been beaten in five meetings between the two teams in the tournament in the past, with four wins to their credit. One meeting ended in a no result and their overall record too against Zimbabwe, 19 wins from 28 head-to-head contests with one tie and one no result, is better. The return to fitness of strike bowler Kyle Mills has also bolstered the Kiwis who had opened their campaign with a thumping 10-wicket victory over minnows Kenya on February 20 before being over-run by seven wickets by the Aussies on February 25. It was the Australian pace attack that unsettled the Kiwi batsmen and but against Zimbabwe it would be not be pace but a four-pronged spin attack that would confront the Kiwis who, at the best of times, are vulnerable against the slow bowlers in this part of the world. Skipper Vettori is aware of the challenge his batsmen face in the match. "Yes, it's an important game for us. This is a must-win game for us on where we go in the tournament. Zimbabwe have played pretty well. It's going to be a difficult game and a strong challenge for us. We have seen a different set of tactics. — PTI |
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We will have to be at our best: Shakib
The two-time winners, who last toured the country way back in 2002, suffered a 0-3 whitewash against the same team at home in 2009, when the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) fielded a second-string team following a financial spat with leading players. But according to Shakib, that's history. "The West Indies did not have their main players in that series, but they are back now which makes them a very good side," he said. "We will have to be at our best to beat them. I am confident we can win, but for that to happen we must play good cricket." Bangladesh fought back after losing the tournament opener to India by 87 runs to beat Ireland by 27 runs despite being bowled out for a modest 205. The West Indies too bounced back in style thrashing the Netherlands by a massive 215 runs in New Delhi on Monday, after the seven-wicket defeat to South Africa in their first game. Shakib said Ireland's sensational win over England in Bangalore last night had thrown open the race for the quarterfinal berths. "It definitely makes it wide open," Shakib said. "No team can afford to lose from here." Unheralded Ireland stunned England by three wickets after Kevin O'Brien smashed the quickest century in World Cup history off 50 balls to help his team race past a daunting target of 328. "I am not sure how much tougher the Irish win will make our chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals," said Shakib. — PTI
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Afridi fiver helps Pakistan down Canada
Colombo, March 3 Defending a modest score of 184, Pakistan kept chipping away the wickets to ultimately bag the two points. Afridi picked up 5 for 23. Hansra top-scored for Canada with 43. Earlier, Canada produced a spirited bowling display to restrict former champions Pakistan to 184. Pakistan found the disciplined Canada attack to hot to handle as, after opting to bat, they lost wickets at regular intervals to be finally bundled out inside the 200-run mark in 43 overs. If not for the 73-run fifth wicket stand between Misbah-ul-Haq (37) and Umar Akmal (48), Pakistan could have folded up for a lesser total as they lost their last six wickets for just 44 runs. India-born medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan was the pick of the Canada bowlers with figures of three for 35 runs while Jimmy Hansra (2/23), Rizwan Cheema (2/33) and Balaji Rao (2/50) snared two wickets apiece to spell Pakistan's doom. Even though there were no demons in the pitch, Pakistan were off to a shaky start as the 1992 champions lost their first four batsmen for just 67 runs after electing to bat. Opener Mohammad Hafeez started positively as he picked up Henry Osinde for special treatement in his first and innings second over, spanking the right-arm pacer for back-to-back boundaries. But Osinde took his revenge in the first delivery of his next over, trapping Hafeez lbw but not before the batsman went for the review which went against him. — PTI Scoreboard Pakistan 184 (43 overs) Canada 138 (42.5 ovrs) Pakistan Hafeez lbw b Osinde 11 S’zad c Gordon b Baidwan 12 Akmal c Kumar b Rizwan 16 Younus lbw b Baidwan 6 Misbah c Bagai b Balaji 37 Akmal lbw b Balaji 48 Afridi c Kumar b Rizwan 20 Razzaq lbw b Hansra 8 Gul not out 2 Riaz c Balaji b Hansra 0 Ajmal b Baidwan 0 Extras: (b-4 lb-3 w-16 nb-1) 24 Bowling: Kurram 3.3-0-10-0, Osinde 7-1-25-1, Gordon 0.3-0-1-0, Baidwan 8-1-35-3, Rizwan 8-0-33-2, Rao 10-0-50-2, Hansra 6-1-23-2. Canada Gunasekera lbw b Gul 8 Kumar b Razzaq 2 Surkari lbw b Ajmal 27 Bagai lbw b Afridi 16 Hansra b Afridi 43 Cheema b Afridi 4 Gordon c Riaz b Afridi 9 Baidwan b Afridi 0 Khurram not out 5 Rao run out 1 Osinde b Riaz 0 Extras: (lb 4, w 19) 23 Bowling: Razzaq 7-2-16-1, Gul 7-1-20-1, Afridi 10-0-23-5, Riaz 5.5-0-23-1, Ajmal 8-0-31-1, Hafeez 5-0-21-0.
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‘Minnows deserve to be in World Cup’
Bangalore: After scripting the first big upset of this World Cup, Ireland captain William Porterfield said minnows deserve to be in the mega-event, which will have just 10 teams from the next edition. Riding on Kevin O'Brien's hundred, the fastest of the World Cup, Ireland sensationally upstaged England by three wickets last night despite chasing a mammoth 328. Porterfield said he disagrees with the ICC's decision to cut the number of teams from the 2015 edition.
— PTI 5 Questions from gulu
1. Which was the venue for the opening match of the 1987 World Cup? 2. What was Australia’s margin of victory against India at Madras in 1987? 3. Who bowled the final over in West Indies’ defeat at the hands of both England at Gujranwala and Pakistan at Lahore in 1987? 4. Who took the wicket of England captain Mike Gatting in the final against Australia in 1987? 5. Who scored a century for England in the 1987 semifinal against India? Yesterday’s Answers: 1. Winston Davis of the West Indies with 7-51 against Australia at Headingley in 1983; 2. Graeme Hick; 3. Kepler Wessels (Australia/South Africa); Anderson Cummins (West Indies/Canada); Ed Joyce (England/Ireland); 4. Kapil Dev (India), Imran Khan (Pakistan) and Bob Willis (England); 5. They added 71 runs for the 10th
wicket. — GE Feature |
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Shaheed-e-azam
Bhagat Singh
While the coaches and sports lovers were miffed at the Sports Department's move of the giving a free run to the players, the athletes and kabaddi players heaved a sigh of relief at the department's move. According to the Director of Sports, Pargat Singh, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) would conduct nearly 100 dopes tests during the course of event, but contrary to his claims, no dope tests have been taken so far. A department source said the dope testing kits are gathering dust at the Guru Nanak Stadium since the beginning of the Games. While a majority of the athletic events are over, the department's move of not conducting tests has drawn flak from sports lovers. Talking to The Tribune, Pargat Singh said, "I am not in a position to tell you the current status as I have not spoken to any NADA officials yet. We have to carry the dope tests anyhow, in order to keep the Games clean." District Sports Officer, Satpal Singh, however said, "We have not received any complaints against any player. Even the sports associations have not lodged any protests. If any complaint would arise, I would definitely conduct a dope test." Meanwhile, noted athletes OP Jaisa who has over 40 national international medals under her belt, asked for the dope test of a Hoshiarpur athlete who stood second in the 800-metre race last night. However, her complaint was not entertained by the Sports Department officials. |
Eight Patiala boxers storm into finals
Patiala, March 3 To add icing to the cake, Baljinder Singh, who went down fighting to Commonwealth gold medalist Amandeep Singh of Sangrur in the fly weight category in a semi-final bout which went to the wire, and Dheeraj Kumar who lost to Jatinder Singh of Amritsar in the light fly weight class, ended up winning bronze medals much to the delight of their coach Harpreet Singh. Commenting on the astounding success of his pupils, Harpreet said, “Everything that you do starts with the mind. Before you blame your poor hand speed on genetics, undeveloped muscles, or unknown punching secrets, you need to analyse your own mindset. After every bout I sit down with my students and examine what went wrong and where.” The most enthralling bout was witnessed in the super heavy weight class where the hosts boxer Manjit Singh beat Baljinder Singh of Ropar on points. Considered to be a close range fighter, a rare breed which is slowly fading into oblivion from the rings in the country, Manjit notched up a series of points while a charged up Baljinder fought his way back into the reckoning in the fourth round. The Patiala boxer was a bit averse to throwing hard punches but owing to his intensity in advancing on his opponent and backed by his agility, which made him difficult to evade, he launched a furious counter attack and finally closed the contest with a power packed straight punch, a blow so powerful that it nearly felled his opponent. In the heavy weight category, Patiala’s Kanwarpreet Singh impressed by pulling off an upset of sorts when he beat his much fancied rival Harpreet Singh of Amritsar on points. He has now set up a clash with Guangzhou Asian games silver medalist Manpreet Singh of Tarn Taran. Kanwalpreet is a quality counter puncher, played a defensive game and relied more on his rival’s mistakes to gain the advantage.
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Gurdaspur athletes shine
Ludhiana, March 3 Gurdaspur won top honours in the men’s 800m and women’s long jump. Satnam Singh clocked 1:58.21 sec, which fetched him gold. Kuldeep Singh (Nawanshahr) finished in 1:58.80sec for second, followed by Tarlochan Singh (Sangrur) got the bronze, timing 1:59.37sec. Gurdaspur bagged the second gold Kulwinder Kaur jumped to 5.57m while the silver and bronze medals went to Navjot Kaur of Patiala (5.49m ) and Bhumika Thakur of Gurdaspur (5.38m). Satinder Singh added a gold for Ludhiana in the 110m hurdles, clocking 14.63sec. He was followed by Amandeep Singh of Hoshiarpur (14.81m) and Rupinder Singh of Jalandhar (14.91m). Shamsheer Singh of Jalandhar, with a leap of 7.84m, won the long jump Amritpal Singh of Ludhiana secured silver medal with a jump of 7.64m. Maha Singh of Sangrur's attempt of 7.58m got him bronze medal. |
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Walkouts hit hockey games
Jalandhar, March 3 While the Gurdaspur men’s team alleged that the Ludhiana side had inducted players from Haryana in its ranks, the Amritsar boys claimed that Mohali had players from Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Mumbai, in its ranks. The last match of the day in the women’s category also saw, the Muktsar girls lodging a protest against Kapurthala for allowing girls from Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, in its team. RCF, Kapurthala has a separate team. Director Sports, Pargat Singh, is seized of the matter and he was trying to resolve the issue till the filing of this report. The Technical Committee tried to resolve the matter but failed. In the morning, Gurdaspur stated that certain Ludhiana players were regulars of Namdhari-XI, Sirsa and also played in the recently-concluded SAIL-Nehru Champions College Hockey Tournament here from February 19 to 26. Following this, the match between Gurdaspur and Ludhiana teams was called off while the match between Amritsar and Mohali also got delayed. Talking to The Tribune, Manager of Gurdaspur team Sandeep Singh said that the same Ludhiana team had won the Nehru Champions College Hockey Tournament. “During the Nehru Hockey, these players represented Sri Guru Hari Singh College, Sirsa. How can they make fools of us? If they have any identity proofs, they should bring it to the organisers’ notice,” Sandeep said. The Ludhiana coach, Didar Singh, refused to comment on the issue but its players asserted that they were from Bhaini Sahib Hockey Academy, Ludhiana. “We have all the documents to prove our identity,” they added. Amritsar complained about IOC, Mumbai, players, a majority of who work in Chandigarh, were playing for Mohali. “The State Sports Department should take a serious view of such violations on the parts of teams,” they stressed. Sources said that the accusations were justified as players from Haryana were playing in the Punjab Games. “The Games have been conducted to promote sports at the grassroots level in the State but if States like Haryana can play then the very meaning of sportsmanship comes to an end. Moreover, it also involves huge cash awards of Rs 9 lakh for the winners. Why hold Games if the money has to go out of the State?” the sources asked.
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Ministry to focus on 16 disciplines
New Delhi, March 3 He said Operation Excellence for the Olympics will encompass training, coaching under Indian and foreign coaches, competition exposure abroad and equipment support, which will be managed by the Sports Authority of India. The Minister said though there would be 26 disciplines in the London Olympics, India would concentrate only on athletics, archery, swimming, badminton, boxing, gymnastics (artistic--men), hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. Maken said it was proposed to have training-cum-foreign exposure/competition for trainees in these disciplines for about 220-250 days in the run-up to the Olympics. The athletes would be trained at the SAI centres in Delhi, Patiala, Kolkata, Bangalore, Gandhi Nagar, Guwahati, Bhopal, Sonepat and Lucknow.
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Mohali girl in the lead
Chandigarh, March 3 Chetanpreet took the lead the event by 571 points out of 600, Navdeep Dhillon from Ludhiana bagged silver medal by scoring 570 out of 600 pints where as Veerpal Kaur from Bathinda won the bronze medal after scoring 561points. In Women’s Air Rifle 10m event Kiranjit Kaur from Mukatsar won top honors after scoring 394 out of 400. |
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