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The choke is on india
New Zealand seek to seal quarterfinal berth
Media slams England for poor outing against Bangladesh
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Swann fined for breaching Code of Conduct
South Africa’s love affair with Tahir grows
Australia eye easy win over Kenya
RCF, Sonepat eves triumph
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The choke is on india
Nagpur, March 12 Sachin Tendulkar's blistering 111 went in vain as India suffered an inexplicable batting collapse by losing nine wickets for a mere 29 runs to fold up for 296 in 48.4 overs after electing to bat.
The South Africans overcame some anxious moments before rattling up the target with two balls to spare at the VCA Stadium at Jamtha. The Proteas needed 13 runs off paceman Ashish Nehra's last over but tailender Robin Peterson swung the game in their favour by hitting a four and a six in the first two balls to take his team home in a pulsating game which saw fortunes fluctuating from one team to the other till the last over. Peterson took two from the third ball of the last over before hitting the winning runs -- a boundary -- to take South Africa to 300 for seven in 49.4 overs as the packed stadium was stunned to pin drop silence. For India, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took three for 53 from his nine overs while paceman Munaf Patel got two wickets for 65 from his 10 overs. With the win today, South Africa have brightened their chances of making to the quarterfinals with six points from four matches and the two remaining matches coming up against Bangladesh and Associate nation Ireland. Despite the loss, India, who are virtually in the quarterfinals before today's match, still top Group B with seven points from five matches. They play West Indies in Chennai on March 20 in their last league match. The bulk of blame for India's loss should be taken by the batsmen as they undid all the hardwork done by Tendulkar (111 from 101 balls) as they were comfortably placed at 267 for one in the 40th over. Starting the run chase, South African openers Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla began on a cautious note as they added 41 runs before Zaheer Khan dismissed his 'bunny'. It was not a good delivery as it was pitched wide but the South African captain went for a drive and was holed out to Tendulkar at mid-off. In-form Amla, in company of Jacques Kallis (69 off 88 balls), then carried on in a business-like manner. They ran the singles well pushing it into the gaps and punished the occasional loose balls. Kallis was the dominant of the two in their 85-run second wicket stand. Amla, who looked solid during his innings of 72-ball 61, was dismissed when Harbhajan got one to bounce and turn enough to kiss the edge and Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the catch gleefully. — PTI Scoreboard South Africa: 300/7 (49.4 ovrs)
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New Zealand seek to seal quarterfinal berth
The Kiwis, who will go into the match without injured captain Daniel Vettori, have had a decent tournament so far with comprehensive victories over lightweights Kenya and Zimbabwe, and the unpredictable Pakistan, juxtaposed with the heavy loss to three-time defending champions Australia. With back-to-back wins over Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad and Pakistan in Sri Lanka, New Zealand go into the contest against the motley mix of Canadians with their confidence sky high. Vettori picked up a right knee injury during the 110-run victory over Pakistan at the Pallekelle Stadium in Kandy and is now targeting the last league game against Sri Lanka at this venue on March 18 to ease his way back. A victory over Canada, who have little chance of progressing further, would also help New Zealand leapfrog current group leaders Sri Lanka (7 points from 5 matches) to the top with eight points to their credit. Luckily for the Kiwis, the injury to their skipper has come at a time when their qualifying hopes are bright. In Vettori's absence Ross Taylor, who roared back into form in the previous clash against Pakistan, would lead the side. Guptill said the win over Pakistan, who were top of the group then, was not only sweet revenge for the defeat in the home ODI series but also a major confidence-booster. "That's a good one for us. It's kind of payback for the defeat back home. That's a good one and under different conditions than we are used to. We are looking forward to the next couple of games," he said ahead of the tie against Canada. The resounding victory, in which vice-captain Taylor's blazing 131 not out stood out, was the Kiwis' second win on the trot following an embarrassing seven-wicket defeat against holders Australia at Ahmedabad. The batting debacle against the pace attack of Australia and its spectacular redemption against Pakistan was pointed out by Guptill as the major difference between the two games. "The difference between the two games is that the batsmen really stood up. We knew what we had to do and as a batting unit we put up a defendable total. That's what really mattered," he said. — PTI
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Media slams England for poor outing against Bangladesh
London, March 12 England's hopes to lift the elusive World Cup title received a jolt yesterday after the team lost to Bangladesh in a closely-fought encounter in Chittagong, which saw fortunes swing from one team to the other before a rearguard action from Mahmudullah (21 not out) and Shafiul Islam (24 not out) saw the hosts home by two wickets. Chasing a modest total of 226 to win, Bangladesh were going strong at 155 for three before Imrul Kayes' run out ignited a middle-order collapse which saw the hosts lose four wickets for just 11 runs before a watchful innings from Mahmudullah along with Shafiul helped them to stay alive in the quadrennial event. "Today they seemed to put both parts of the game together and were bad with both. They are clearly feeling the effects of a pretty long winter and a fairly hefty training schedule," former England captain Michael Atherton told Sky Sports. Emphasising upon the fact that the team now needs to win its last league encounter against the West Indies, Daily Mail reported, "England today suffered a shock two-wicket defeat against Bangladesh and will almost certainly need to beat the West Indies in their final Group B match to avoid another early World Cup exit." — PTI
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Swann fined for breaching Code of Conduct
Chittagong, March 12 Swann was charged with a Level 1 offence under article 2.1.4, which relates to, ‘Using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an international match.’ Swann pleaded guilty to the charge and as such, under the provisions of the code, the matter was determined by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and so there was no requirement for a full hearing.
— ANI |
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South Africa’s love affair with Tahir grows
After following her to South Africa, he became a citizen there and soon came to the notice of the selectors. Now he could become their World Cup saviour, guiding the team to the title for the first time. On Saturday, Tahir was forced to watch from behind the boundary ropes when South Africa took on India in Group B at Nagpur but he expects to return to play a full role in their hoped-for progress towards the April 2 final in Mumbai. He has suffered a broken finger to his non-bowling left hand which doctors have advised him to rest. Already he has made waves in the sub-continental tournament, snatching 11 wickets with his leg spin in three games against the West Indies, Netherlands and England. Tahir's marriage to Sumayya, who he lives with in her home city of Durban, has enabled him to sample big-time cricket after he qualified to represent his adopted country in January. The Proteas, meantime, have added a new line of attack in a bowling attack that was always seen as one-dimensional in favour of pace. "It was frustrating at times in Pakistan but I always believed that I was going to play international cricket, especially after I married my wife," Tahir, who will be 32 this month, told Reuters in an interview. "It has been a long road to get where I am today and I think each challenge has played a part in shaping the kind of person and cricketer that I am. "It's difficult to say whether I would have played at this level for Pakistan -- I can't predict where I would have been if I had stayed," he added. — Reuters
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Australia eye easy win over Kenya
Unbeaten for the past two World Cups, Australia's last match, against Sri Lanka, was a washout and they would be looking to secure a quarterfinal berth by registering a win tomorrow against winless Kenyans. The Aussies have been bolstered by the return of middle-order mainstay Michael Hussey in the line-up which was looking a bit suspect without his wealth of experience and finishing ability. But it remains to be seen how quickly the left-hander warms up to the sub-continental pitches. He has the backing of the team with vice-captain Michael Clarke saying that Hussey would have an important role to play. The four-time winners, who did not lose a single match on their way to titles in 2003 and 2007, scripting a 31-match unbeaten streak in World Cup, were expected to run into tough challenge from Sri Lanka in the much-awaited match of equals but rain denied Australia the chance to assess their real strengths ahead of the knockout stage. Having played just three matches, the Australian team is in the fourth place in the points table, but tomorrow's tie against Kenya and the next one against another associate nation Canada (March 16) should put them on top. The Aussies have not yet been tested against tough teams and the match against Kenya gives them a chance to experiment a bit with the line-up and assess how it works before the big clash against Pakistan on March 19. But even clashes against minnows have been enough to expose the Australian spin department's shortcomings due to the injury-forced absence of Nathan Hauritz. This could prove to be a vital factor for success on sub-continental pitches Off-spinner Jason Krejza and Steve Smith, who bowls leg-spin, will be keen to make their mark in tomorrow's match. The Aussies, however, continue to rely heavily on their pace battery. Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson have so far done well, being the main wicket-takers. On the other hand, Kenya, playing in their fifth World Cup since 1996, been struggling massively in the event. Thrashed by New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and even Canada, Kenyans' performance was abysmal with neither batting nor the bowling making an impression. A win seems far-fetched but the Kenyans can at least come up with a spirited performance to regain some lost pride and they can start by at least batting out 50 overs. Kenya would be banking on the experience of 39-year-old all-rounder Steve Tikolo and medium pacer Thomas Odoyo, both playing their fifth World Cup. Among their batsmen, Collins Obuya (144 runs), David Obuya (53), Tanmay Mishra (57) and Thomas Odoyo (53) have been the main scorers. In bowling, the team has come well prepared for the sub-continent conditions packing it with four spinners. Besides Tikolo, newly-appointed captain James Kamande and Shem Ngoche would be the main strike bowlers. — PTI
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RCF, Sonepat eves triumph
Ludhiana, March 12 Two matches were played in the women's section for the Nirpjit Kaur Gill Memorial Trophy, in which Sonepat XI and Rail Coach Factory (RCF, Kapurthala) scripted victories to begin their campaign on a sound note. Sonepat XI outplayed Gwalior XI 3-1 while RCF eves blanked Ludhiana XI 5-0. Neha Goel opened the account for Sonepat XI in the 17th minute and Kavita of Gwalior XI restrored parity in the 33rd minute through a penalty corner conversion. After changing ends, Sonepat XI pumped in two goals, from Kiran Dahiya (51st) and Neha Goel (57th), that saw them to come out triumphant. The second match played between RCF, Kapurthala and Ludhiana XI turned out to be a one-sided affair as the former faced a little resistence and came out victors 5-0. All the goals were scored in the first session. Anuradha Devi chipped in with two goals while Vartika Singh, Amandeep Kaur and Deepika Thakur scored one goal each to anchor their side to an easy win. Meanwhile, chief organiser of the tournament, Dr Kulwant Singh Sohal clarified that the name of Yongesters' XI from Chandigarh was reported as 'Chandigarh XI' errornously. "The Chandigarh Hockey Association has not fielded any team in this tornament and the one participating here is comprised of school and college girls from Chandigarh," added Sohal.
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