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Trott says England want it 1-1 after Mumbai
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Bangla No. 10 hits debut ton
Patiala boxer Amrit in Indian youth team
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Monty Panacea?
Mumbai, November 21 “With hindsight, yes, it was a mistake not to play Monty in Ahmedabad. Blame me,” said Flower after reaching Mumbai for the second Test. “I didn’t expect that pitch to turn as early as it did. In fact, once we saw it turning early in the game I thought it might deteriorate more and I was surprised on day four and five how well it played. I certainly misjudged that pitch,” the England coach added. “There might be a little more bounce in Mumbai which will help our seamers. Of course we have to bring in a batsman, but on any other changes I’d like to see the pitch first. Then I’ll try to make a better judgment than the last one. If it looks as though it will turn a lot, we will contemplate two spinners. “I don’t think our seamers bowled as well as they could have and the skill with reverse swing and finding the right length to hit the pads is a particular skill. I think India did that better than we did. Their seamers out-bowled our seamers, but I also think we gave them a couple of soft dismissals.” England’s attempts to win the second Test to square the series have been hurt due to the the fact that Steven Finn will not be fit to play in the second Test. Finn would undergo a scan on Tuesday that may determine if he would be able to take any further part on the tour. “Finn unfortunately hurt that same area of his thigh and he’s having a scan,” Flower said. “We don’t think there’s any structural damage, we need to check. If there is not he will go and join our performance programme. He’ll rehab with them and they’ve got a three-day game starting on the 27th which is the last day of this Test. Hopefully we can get him in that and test him out and if he comes through well he’ll be available for the third Test.” “We have to overturn what seems predictable the moment,” he said. “There are some very basic things that we haven’t done well enough and I hope I’m not making personal excuses here. I don’t think it’s anything to do with the environment, or team dynamics, or the way we train. I think that we have failed in a number of first innings and if you do that in the subcontinent you pay the price. That’s the area where we have failed and I don’t think we should over-complicate it. I hope there is no real reason why it should keep happening in the first innings. “If we’d batted in the first innings like we batted in the second it might have been a different story. Those three wickets hurt us at the end of day two, obviously, and the ball turned quite sharply and quite quickly in that first innings. And there were a few soft dismissals which cost us.” Flower defended Kevin Pietersen who, coming back into the team after a very messy controversy with his teammates and England management, made 19 runs in two innings and was twice dismissed by left-arm spinner of Pragyan Ojha. “Look, Kevin's a very fine cricketer and he has 21 Test centuries,” Flower said. “This will not go down as one of his memorable Tests, of course, but he's got three more Tests to contribute to winning games for England.” “We'll be judged at the end of it, and that is the time to make those final judgements. Let's judge our batsmen at the end of this tour.”
— Agencies |
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Trott says England want it 1-1 after Mumbai
Mumbai, November 21 “I think it will be good to strike early and go to Kolkata 1-1. It is very important that we have that mindset. I think the conditions are bit different here but it will work in both the team’s favour with regards to bounce and turn. Touring India is fine but playing good cricket is more important,” he told reporters in Mumbai. “We need to produce on the field. We are looking forward to Friday. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to get 1-1,” the South Africa-born English cricketer added. Asked about the picth on offer at the Wankhede Stadium for the second Test, Trott said, “I did have a look at the pitch. It looks a bit similar to the net wicket. It was turning a bit. When you come here, the red soil tends to spin a bit more and you generally get more spin in Mumbai. “The ball is coming on fine. There is a little more bounce. Ahmedabad was low and slow but here you will find bounce a bit more. Hopefully, our seamers can exploit that.” Trott praised young India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his unbeaten 206 in the first innings in Ahmedabad and said such knocks help a side to win matches. “We saw Pujara get a good double hundred and that is what wins you Test matches. If we had managed to get an extra 100 runs in the first innings and Alastair (Cook) playing in the same way (he did in the second innings), it would have been a different game. There are a lot of ifs but crux of the matter is that we are 0—1 down and we need to play a lot better on Friday,” he said. After the second Test in Mumbai there will be a gap of eight days before the next match in Kolkata. Asked Trott about the week-long gap between the Mumbai match and the Kolkata game, Trott said, “You don’t want to mull over these things. You want to get back to the game and get back to the middle and crack on. Hopefully travelling to Kolkata 1-1 will be great. It will be a huge challenge but this team has got used to such challenges in the last couple of years.” On England batsmen’s inability to play against quality spin attack on sub-continent pitches, Trott said, “I still think we are improving. I think it gets highlighted because generally here you face spinners and they are going to take a lot more wickets. It’s an emphasis of trusting your game and producing results.” “We saw Cookie (captain Alastair Cook) the way he set up his game against spinners, it is effective. You don’t have to play a certain way. You just have to get the basics right and as long as you do it well and succeed, no one really worries how you do it.”
— PTI |
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Back trouble for Yadav, Dinda called as reserve
Mumbai, November 21 Bengal paceman Ashok Dinda has been called as a cover for Yadav. Incidentally, Dinda was called up as cover for Ishant Sharma as well. Sharma was eventually ruled out of the first Test due to viral fever and Dinda returned back for Ranji duty after being released by the team management on the first day of the Ahmedabad Test. Yadav, incidentally, was the most successful fast bowler in the first Test. He had come for special praise from captain MS Dhoni, who had said that pacemen like Yadav and Zaheer Khan were very important on the wickets that were not out-and-out turners. The England pacers, on the other hand, had failed to impress on the same Ahmedabad surface. Dinda is expected to join the squad ahead of Thursday morning's session. The 28-year-old Dinda last played for India during the World Twenty20 in September against England.
— Agencies |
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Pepsi new IPL title sponsor for 5 years
Mumbai, November 21 Realty firm DLF ended its five-year-long association with the IPL as the title sponsor in August and the BCCI floated the tenders last month. DLF paid Rs 200 crore for the five year period of 2008-12. “So far our records of selling various properties of IPL has been very good. We have doubled, tripled or quadrupled the amount while selling some of the properties,” IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla told reporters after the meeting of the IPL Governing Council. Deepika Warrier of Pepsi said she was very happy that the company has reaffirmed its commitment to cricket. The title sponsor rights include a number of branding and other marketing benefits to be received by the title sponsor at every IPL match during the season as specifically outlined in the Invitation to Tender. The BCCI had made it clear in its tender notice that the companies which intend to sell off the rights after winning the bid are ineligible to apply in the first place. Meanwhile, sources have said that the IPL 6 player auction would take place either on January 12 in Chennai or eight days later in Kolkata. This was decided by the the governing council of the IPL. The participation of Pakistani players in the auction will be decided by the IPL governing council at its next meeting. Pakistani cricketers, who played in the inaugural season in 2007, were kept out of the IPL players auction since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
— Agencies |
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Bangla No. 10 hits debut ton
Khulna, November 21 After fast bowler Fidel Edwards had taken five wickets to help reduce Bangladesh to 193 for eight, Abul and Mahmudullah (72 not out) added 172 runs in an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership. At the close, Bangladesh were 365 for eight. Abul, 20, became the second debutant only in Test history to record a century on debut batting at number 10, and the first in 110 years. “My first aim was to give support to Riyad Bhai (Mahmudullah). It all happened after I got my fifty,” Abul said. — Agencies Brief scores Bangladesh (1st innings) Iqbal 32, Rahim 38, Hossain 52, Mahmudullah batting 72, Hasan batting 100; Edwards 5/81, Sammy 2/61, Permaul 1/79 Total: (8 wkts) 365 |
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IOA elections to be held on December 5
New Delhi, November 21 The elections had to be postponed as Justice (Retd) Anil Dev Singh took over as chairman of the three-member panel only yesterday after he was appointed to the post by IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra three days ago following the resignation of Dr S Y Quraishi. Quraishi quit as he was opposed to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) insistence that the Sports Code of the Government of India should not be applied in the IOA elections, as it would be in violation of the IOC Charter. “Now, the election process will move smoothly as the scrutiny and withdrawal dates have also been finalized,” a top source told The Tribune. Meanwhile, secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports P.K.Deb has written to IOC president Jacques Rogge, clarifying IOC’s “misinterpretation or lack of information about the provisions of the Sports Code in India”. Deb wrote: “The Government of India has no intention whatsoever to interfere in the functioning of the IOA. All that the Sports Code seeks to achieve is to ensure that elections of the IOA and other sports bodies are fair, transparent and in consonance with the Olympic Charter. The code, in fact, enshrines the principles contained in the Olympic Charter and that is why even the courts of law in India have endorsed the Code”. Deb said the issue was less about the Sports Code and more about the failure of the IOA to “adhere to principles of good governance and its failure to amend its constitution to bring it in line with the Olympic Charter.” Deb said the IOA had not fulfilled its commitment to amend the constitution in accordance with even the draft vetted by the IOC. “It is the failure of the IOA to bring any provisions which ensures transparency and good governance that has led to the conflict with the courts of India”, he pointed out. Deb has asked the IOC chief to convene a meeting in India with the representatives of the Sports Ministry and the IOA to sort out the issues involved in the Sports Code, which will clear the IOC doubts, for the smooth holding of the upcoming IOA elections. “If you agree to such a meeting, could we request that the elections to the IOA be held only after an attempt is made to sort out the issues mutually?” Deb suggested. Meanwhile, secretary-general of the Netball Federation of India (NFI) Hari Om Kaushik, in a letter to Malhotra, has reiterated his demand to publish the list of nominations received for the IOA elections. |
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A Messi affair again as Barca reach last 16
Barcelona, November 21 Joining Barca and Bayern into the knockout stages were Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk while Celtic still have work to do to book their ticket after defeat at Benfica. Frustratingly for Chelsea their fallow spell in the Premier League spilled over to Turin where Roberto di Matteo's men were swept aside 3-0 by Juventus. With Shakhtar seeing off Danish minnows Nordsjaelland in Copenhagen the Londoners slipped to third in Group E, with their fate now out of their hands going into the final roll of the group stage dice next month. “Last season the Champions League was like a dream, now this is like, not a nightmare, just very disappointing,” said Chelsea keeper Petr Cech. He added: “We said before the game that we have our destiny in our hands, not any more. Now we need to do our bit, we need to win our last game and hope our fate is kind. “Being realistic Juventus played very well and they need a point and Shakhtar are already through. It is a very sad moment.” Barcelona kept the wheels firmly on their pursuit of a fourth European crown, bouncing back from defeat at Celtic in their last run out to see off Spartak Moscow 3-0 in the Russian capital. Lionel Messi was the hero of the night, scoring twice and setting up Dani Alves for the opener to maintain Barca's control of Group G with 12 points. Messi, who moved level with Ruud van Nistelrooy on 56 Champions League goals but behind Raul, the competition's all time scorer with 71, was as unassuming as ever after the game. “My aim was just to get the ball, create chances and that we win the game, that is what is important,” said the Argentine icon. “We knew we couldn't afford to make mistakes after what happened against Celtic and that we had to go out strongly even though it is difficult to play away in this competition.” Barca had lost their previous away match at Celtic 2-1, despite dominating possession but were unable to make the most of their chances. Barca qualify as Group G winners on 12 points, with Celtic and Benfica fighting it out for the all-important runners-up spot with both teams on seven points after the Portuguese side's 2-1 win in Lisbon.
— Reuters |
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Patiala boxer Amrit in Indian youth team
Having been selected for his international debut, Amritpreet is the sole pugilist from Punjab who managed to make a room for him in the Indian contingent and since this competition will be a testing time for the young boxer, he is committed to making the most of this opportunity. Trained by the renowned international boxing coach Harpreet Singh Hundal, who has produced dozens of international players at the Multipurpose Boxing Centre, Patiala, which is considered amongst the best training centres in the country, Amritpreet has been honing his boxing skills for the past five years with the aim of making a name at the international arena. He was declared the best boxer of the country during this year's junior national boxing championship and had won a silver medal in the last year’s edition of the junior national boxing championship. Speaking to The Tribune, his father Ranjit Singh, who is serving as Assistant Sub inspector in Punjab Police, informed that Amritpreet is currently studying in MM Modi College, Patiala. “He was always inclined towards games and has been pretty good in every sport but it was five years back that he finally decided to take up boxing,” he said. Taking inspiration from Harpreet Singh, he started training at Multipurpose centre. Though he always very committed towards his game, the performance of Indian pugilists at the Beijing Olympics further acted as a catalyst for him, according to his father. “He grew more serious and now his only aim is to make a podium finish at Olympics,” Ranjit Singh added. Delighted over his selection, his coach Harpreet Singh said Amritpreet is an exceptional boxer and his selection in the Indian contingent is a proof enough. “Though there is no denying the fact that the Haryana boxers have been dominating the show for past few years but this certainly doesn’t mean we are finished,” said coach Harpreet Singh. “Recently, Kanwarpreet Beniwal from Punjab won a bronze medal in the prestigious President’s Cup during his debut international tournament and Amritpreet is equally capable of turning the tables on any player on his day. I am just hoping for his success,” added the proud coach.
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Patiala, November
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