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Amla, de Villiers send Oz to brink
Ponting rates 2003 World Cup win among greatest achievements
England crush Danes after India match cancelled
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Malaysian men’s team upset over not being allowed to participate
India on top with win over NZ
Bangla thrash WI by 160 runs
Tweak-n-twist for England
Kevin Pietersen tries out new tricks to tackle spin in Kolkata
We hope to come out with a positive result: Bairstow
5 star Pankaj spices up contest
Tripura on top against HP
Unmukt shines but Delhi struggle
Green signal to Pak’s Eden trip
India eves sans captain and deputy
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Amla, de Villiers send Oz to brink
Perth, December 2 Australia were left needing to better the record for a successful fourth-innings chase by 213 runs to record an improbable win or bat for two more days to force a draw and save the series. The hosts had eaten into their target to the tune of 40 runs without loss by the close of play with openers David Warner (29) and Ed Cowan (nine) having survived a sometimes nervous last hour. After the first two tests in Brisbane and Adelaide ended in draws, South Africa only needed a third in Ricky Ponting’s last Test to ensure they remained the world’s number one side. They will now be expected to do considerably better than that and become the first team since the West Indies in the 1980s and early 1990s to win consecutive series in Australia. De Villiers said the Proteas were taking nothing for granted, however. “We know we have a lot of hard work to do tomorrow, it’s a good wicket. If the Test match goes the full length, they will come close,” he told reporters. “We are not arrogant in any way whatsoever. It won’t be easy. We know the Australian batsmen are dangerous players and won’t be giving it away.” Amla’s brilliant innings was one for the purists, while de Villiers started slowly before accelerating after he reached his fifty to bludgeon the Australian bowlers with every shot in the book. Picking up where he left off on Saturday when he helped the tourists plunder 206 runs in the extended third session, Amla got the single he needed to reach his 18th Test century from the third delivery of the day. Peppering his innings with some sublime cover drives for a good few of his 21 boundaries, Amla’s comfort at the crease had echoes of his unbeaten 311 against England at the Oval in July. Australia’s pace unit, acclaimed after ending South Africa’s first innings for 225, toiled in the sunshine looking for a breakthrough but their best efforts only slowed the flow of runs. It took a brilliant catch from Mitchell Johnson off his own bowling to dislodge Amla shortly before tea as the 29-year-old was approaching a double century after 350 minutes and 221 balls. Johnson (4-110) found a little bit of extra pep with the new kookaburra and when the South African drove the ball back at him, he snatched it out of the air for a second superb caught and bowled of the innings. Dean Elgar was despatched lbw by Johnson four balls later for a pair of ducks on his debut but the day already belonged to South Africa’s batsmen. De Villiers had moved reasonably cautiously to his 50, with the exception of one huge six off spinner Nathan Lyon that hit the second deck of the stand at long on. He upped the pace with a string of quickfire boundaries to reach 89, then graduated to his 14th Test century in stunning style with three successive reverse sweeps for four, again off Lyon. Faf du Plessis (27) and Robbie Peterson, who failed to score, came and went before Johnson’s fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc (6-154) finally removed de Villiers caught behind. The 28-year-old was clearly furious with himself for having fallen short of the double century after his innings of 169 off 184 balls with 21 fours and a trio of sixes. Ponting had earlier bowled one last Test match over at the cost of three runs to huge applause from the 13,000 crowd at the WACA, but the chance of finishing his career with a victory was surely gone. The 418 scored by West Indies against Australia in 2003 was the highest successful fourth innings run chase in Test cricket, while South Africa scored 414 to win the corresponding Test at the WACA four years ago. “It’s just batting session by session. We’ve got to believe we can do it,” said Australia coach Mickey Arthur, who was in charge of South Africa in that 2008 Test. “We’ve got to believe we can bat for two days. It’s a new ball wicket. If we get through the new ball, you never know what might happen.” — Reuters
Ponting rates 2003 World Cup win among greatest achievements
Perth, December 2 “Yeah I was certainly confronted with a few challenges there,” Ponting said today. “That was on the eve of that World Cup where we lost Warnie and we also lost Jason Gillespie one game in and they were two of the three or four players I nominated as being our match-winning players.” “We had backed Andrew Symonds to be on the tour to start with knowing that he was a match-winning player, the sort of player who could win a World Cup for us and we had guys like Andy Bichel who were probably going to be substitute players on that trip but came in and did outstandingly well.” “Looking back that was a very proud moment in my career as a captain and as a player to be able to stand up on the big stage and I guess as a player that’s been around a long time, they are the games you want to stand up in,” he said. “To me as my career’s gone on, especially in the last couple of weeks, I haven’t been able to capitalise on those things and that’s when it starts to be time, I think.”
Score boardSouth Africa 1st innings 225 Australia 1st innings 163 South Africa 2nd innings (overnight 230/2) Petersen c & b Johnson 23 Smith c Lyon b Starc 84 Amla c & b Johnson 196 Kallis c Johnson b Starc 37 de Villiers c Wade b Starc 169 Elgar lbw Johnson 0 du Plessis c Clarke b Johnson 27 Peterson c Johnson b Starc 0 Philander not out 14 Steyn c Wade b Starc 8 Morkel b Starc 0 Extras: (b-4, lb-4, w-3) 11 Total (all out, 111.5 overs) 569 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-206, 3-287, 4-436, 5-436, 6-538, 7-539, 8-557, 9-569 Bowling: Starc 28.5-3-154-6, Watson 9-3-24-0, Johnson 25-1-110-4, Hastings 19-1-102-0, Lyon 22-2-128-0, Hussey 4-0-26-0, Warner 3-0-14-0, Ponting 1-0-3-0 Australia 2nd innings Cowan batting 9 Warner batting 29 Extras: (lb-2) 2 Total (without loss, 13 overs) 40 Bowling: Steyn 5-2-14-0, Philander 5-0-15-0, Morkel 3-0-9-0
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England crush Danes after India match cancelled
Gagan K. Teja/TNS
Patiala, December 2 The lack of enthusiasm was clearly visible as the viewers started leaving the stadium as soon as the news spread that the Indian team would not be in action today. By the time the first match, between England and Denmark, was over, half the audience had already left. In the inaugural match, the experienced England players outclassed their opponents with a huge margin of 58-25. For the initial few minutes, the England players controlled the game completely and did not give any opportunity to their opponents to score but the Denmark players started gaining momentum and managed to cut the lead to 14-25 by half time. But it was too late to catch up with England, whose raiders and catchers seemed in great form. Denmark could score only 11 points in the second half as compared to England’s 33. The second half of the match between Denmark and England was halted for about 15 minutes due to a power failure. The cops and organisers had to arrange emergency lights. The match was started after power was restored. In the second match, of the day, Norway defeated New Zealand with a total of 52 against 35 points. World Cup silver medalist archer Gagandeep Kaur, gymnast Meenakshi, boxer Kanwarpreet Beniwal and boxing coach Harpreet Singh were also honoured.
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Malaysian men’s team upset over not being allowed to participate
Patiala, December 2 It’s ironic, thus, that the Punjab Kabaddi Association rejected the request from the Malaysian male kabaddi team to participate in the tournament, while their female counterparts have been included. Association President Sikander Singh Maluka, Punjab Education Minister, has cited resources constraint as the reason behind rejecting this request. Documents available with The Tribune show that the players from Baba Deep Singh Kabaddi Cup, Malaysia, had sent a letter to the Punjab Sports Department on July 26, 2012, requesting them to enter their team in the tournament but received no reply. Speaking to The Tribune from Malaysia, the players said that despite repeated emails and phone calls to the Sports Department, they were not given any suitable reply following which they directly communicated with Maluka. “He said we were not being allowed in since we were not very good in the game,” said a player, Harvail Singh. “We’re much better than most of the nations that are competing” he added. “It is supposed to be a world level event, and anyone who is willing to participate must be allowed to,” said Gurmeet Singh. “The organisers are picking up teams as per their own whims. They did not even inform us why we were not selected.” Maluka said they have not been allowed de to resources constraints. “Many nations have started playing kabaddi but we cannot entertain all as we have to consider our constraints. Therefore, we decided to select those nations that are known for kabaddi and are good,” he added. |
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India on top with win over NZ
Melbourne, December 2 The victory gave India six points from two matches, making them the only unbeaten team in the pool following England’s surprise 4-1 win over Olympic champions Germany earlier in the day. New Zealand took the initial lead in the third minute when India conceded a self-goal, which has been introduced into world level hockey after the Olympic Games. Rupinderpal Singh failed to cleanly stop Sardar Singh’s back-pass in front of the goal and the ball trickled over the goal-line to concede India’s first self-goal in international hockey. New Zealand defence also wilted under pressure to give India the equaliser through a self-goal. Akashdeep Singh dived for a deflection on Sardar long through ball, which went into the goal off a defender to give India the equaliser in the 10th minute. A fine field goal by Gurwinder Singh Chandi (14th) and a penalty corner conversion by V R Raghunath (25th) gave India a 3-1 lead at the interval before New Zealand came back through a flash strike by Nicholas Wilson two minutes into the second half. Mounting pressure through repeated raids, India put the game out of New Zealand’s reach when Danish Mujtaba capitalised on a rebound from the goalkeeper on a pressing move in the 65th minute. This was India’s second win in successive days, following the 3-1 win over England. India coach Michael Nobbs was delighted at the way the new-look team had produced two victories. — PTI |
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Bangla thrash WI by 160 runs
Khulna, December 2 Playing only his second one dayer, right-handed batsman Anamul smashed 120 off 145 balls to help Bangladesh post 292-6 before the hosts skittled out West Indies for 132 for a comprehensive win that put them 2-0 up in the five-match series. The victory bettered Bangladesh’s 146-run win against Scotland in Dhaka in 2006. Anamul shared 174 runs with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (79), a record for Bangladesh for the third wicket. — Reuters |
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Blame me for the London low: Shotgun coach
Patiala, December 2 Dradi is hopeful of more shooting medals for India in the future and says that the next two years are crucial. Before the Olympics, Dradi had said several times that he “would not be satisfied” if the shotgun shooters finished poorly in London. He indeed is extremely dissatisfied. “I take the blame for the failure of our shooters in London, especially Ronjan Sodhi as he was a consistent performer,” Dradi said. “He later coimplained that due to the noise made by the crowd at the range, he failed to concentrate. It is my folly. I should have trained them accordingly, now we know that cheering has become an inseparable part of range shooting.” “I lead from the front and when the shooters do well, it is their hard work but their failure is mine,” he said. “The last three years of Indian shooting have been tremendous, simply because not one or two, but many individual shooters bagged medals at various international events,” Dradi said at the sidelines of the 2nd Asian Shotgun Championship. “However, at Olympics, things got a little too much and many factors contributed to India getting no medals.” Dradi said that the shooting scenario has changed and there is too much media glare on the shooters. “I have told the core group of Indian shooters to relax and concentrate harder after the new rules come into play, from next year,” he said. “The shooters have to relax — the word relax here means relaxing in terms of medals and take a medal break. For example, Ronjan Sodhi won so many medals in the past three years and was considered a big hope. When a big hope is dashed, there is talk. We all need time to settle down, shooters are no different,” Dradi told The Tribune. India have not done too well in the ongoing championship, with the lone medal being bagged by RVS Rathore yesterday. “We did not hold any camps since November 2011 and therefore there is a dip in the performance,” the coach said. “Nevertheless, it was part of the plan and everyone at the National Rifle Association of India and the team management knew about it.”
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Tweak-n-twist for England
Kolkata, December 2 Two local club spinners—one left-arm orthodox and another leg-spinner—along with Monty Panesar bowled at the nets in tandem. Monty, particularly, bowled his heart out as the English cricketers tried to master orthodox spin. arlier, the English cricketers arrived in two batches with Kevin Pietersen arriving in the afternoon. Skipper Alastair Cook was seen deeply involved in a discussion with bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed. The in-form Cook, who has two centuries from two Tests, was seen negotiating the throw-ins from the former Pakistani leg-spinner and later the duo engaged themselves in discussion, while the remaining English players practised in the two practice nets.Batsman Jonny Bairstow later acknowledged that the team still has challenges left to deal with despite dominating the Indian spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin in the Wankhede Test. "It's still going to be tough. There will always be challenges left in the spin department. With the weather conditions and with the reverse swing, it would be a massive challenge for us. But we will be looking forward to dealing with that in the next Test," Bairstow conceded. As they practised in tandem, a few yards away, the wicket lay covered. "Honestly, we did not have a look at it. That's not something we do normally before the match. I'm sure the Indians have had a detailed look and take the right decision," he said. When Sachin encountered 'Osama'
While visiting a hospital in Pakistan, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar encountered a child whose name made the master tremble with fear. The kid's name was Osama - the same as that of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. One would come across many such anecdotes about Tendulkar's life in The Peak - a book by sports photo-journalist Suman Chattopadhyay which was launched by cricketer Yuvraj Singh at a glittering ceremony in Kolkata on Sunday. The book captures some rare and memorable moments of Tendulkar's life through Chattopadhyay's lens and the stories behind them in the master's own words. "I was spending some time with my children in a swimming pool when I saw some movement behind the curtains upstairs and heard camera clicks. I did not have to guess as he could be none other than Suman," said Tendulkar talking about a snap that finds a proud place in the book. "Suman is among those few persons who have seen me from close quarters since my early days. I happen to carry a photograph taken by him, wherever I travel," added Tendulkar. The photograph is of a young Tendulkar lying on the lap of his parents and adorns the cover of the book. The peak has been scripted by journalist Sunandan Lele and has a foreword by former cricketer Anil Kumble recapitulating his long association with Tendulkar. It also has special quotes by cricket legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev as also iconic singer Asha Bhosle. Sachin my hero: Yuvi
"As a kid I always looked up to Sachin and still continue to do so. He is my hero... he is the nation's hero," said Yuvraj at the launch of a book on Tendulkar Sunday. Titled "The Peak", the book — a unique snapshot story on Tendulkar by photo-journalist Suman Chattopadhyay — was launched by Yuvraj who handed the first copy of it to Tendulkar. "Sharing the dressing room with Sachin has been a dream come true for me and it has been a wonderful journey with him," added Yuvraj. Yuvraj played a gritty knock in the first Test of the ongoing series against England, but failed with the bat in the second match in the Mumbai match. — PTI |
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We hope to come out with a positive result: Bairstow
Kolkata, December 2 "The confidence and morale of the side is obviously very high at the moment. Definitely it's an exciting time for us as a batting unit. Also the bowlers are doing so well, it's very pleasant for us and gives us the right confidence ahead of the third Test. We have had a nice week off after the Mumbai Test and have recharged our batteries. Now looking forward to the third Test. Hopefully we can push forward," said Bairstow after the visiting team's first training session at the Eden Garden. The 23-year-old said they would approach the remaining two Tests (at Kolkata and Nagpur, respectively) in a positive frame of mind and there would not be any massive changes. “We will obviously go the same way as in the first two Tests. We will be preparing the same way as we did in the first two Tests," said Bairstow. "Obviously, we have got some confidence from the Test at Wankhede and will be looking to take that into the remaining two Tests. Hopefully, we will come out with a positive result," he added. Talking about the splendid form of Kevin Pietersen and skipper Alastair Cook, Bairstow said that their performances would inspire others also to do well. "They played outstandingly well and Cook has played brilliantly in both the Tests. Kevin played the way he does in Mumbai. It was pleasure to watch those two innings. I'm sure the guys would take the snippets out of their games and improve themselves. Our batting unit has improved from the past," said the batsman. Bairstow had scored fine 95 and 54 in both the innings at Lords's against South Africa but only to be dropped thereafter. "Obviously, it was disappointing. But the decision was taken for keeping the balance of the side. But I kept working hard at the nets and got a call for the second Test at the Wankhede. "It's something which is not in my hands. I can't have any say on these decisions. Obviously, I'll be delighted to be selected. I'm just working hard at the training," he said. "You got to be adaptable to any situation that is in front of you. You deal to learn the things as you go along." On the ongoing controversy regarding the preparation of the Eden pitch, Bairstow said, "I've not looked at the pitch, to be honest. I don't look at things like that. But I'm sure the Indians had a detailed look at it and would take the right decision before the match." — PTI
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Monty turns himself into a force to reckon with
Kolkata, December 2 He had just bowled too short to Sachin Tendulkar, but it went on with the arm a bit and he escaped punishment. Two balls earlier in the over it had not turned out so well. A leg-stump full toss had been nonchalantly dismissed through midwicket for four. Things needed to change quickly, and Monty knew it. "All of these things were on a checklist in my mind, I was ticking them off. It was like I was doing a service on me, like an MOT. Then I get that right and the timing obviously clicked." What happened after this bizarre unseen ritual on the first morning of the Second Test in Mumbai was the perfect left-arm spinner's delivery. It fizzed through the air and bent towards leg stump. Tendulkar, groping forward, was powerless as the ball pitched, turned acutely and smashed unceremoniously into his off stump. Tendulkar is 39 now and in the death throes of a marvellous career but that ball would have bowled him when he was 29, 19 and nine. It left India in serious trouble at 61 for 3, and though they partially recovered, they lost the match by 10 wickets. The victory was greeted rightly as one of England's most precious and it is 1-1 in the series going into the third match of four on Wednesday. There were 10 more wickets for Panesar in Mumbai, including that of Tendulkar a second time and for the fourth in all Tests. His figures of 11 for 210 were a career best, but it is that solitary ball that will endure as an image in the mind. "It was probably one of my best balls, it even caught me by surprise," said Panesar, reflecting on it a few days after the victory. "The conditions helped because it was a used wicket, and when you're bowling at that pace there's a slight chance for it to grip. But if it was a flatter deck it probably would have skidded on." But it said something, too, about the bowler, maybe the man that Panesar has become. That swift analysis of what he must and must not do as he went back to his mark for the fifth ball of the 19th over was the upshot of another kind of analysis. For three years Panesar was England's first-choice spin bowler but he was overtaken by Graeme Swann, with whom he formed such an effective partnership last week. Being dropped hit him hard and he sought guidance and advice from Neil Burns, the former Leicestershire wicketkeeper, and Dr Ken Jennings, a psychologist, at London County Cricket Club, which was first established by WG Grace and was reformed eight years ago as a so-called mentoring organisation, among other things, helping cricketers to make the best of themselves. "It's helped build emotional resilience and mental focus," Panesar said. — The Independent
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5 star Pankaj spices up contest
Punjab under pressure as Rajasthan seize first innings lead Gaurav Kanthwal/TNS
Mohali, December 2
It was a see-saw battle throughout the day between defending champions Rajasthan and resurgent hosts, which finally ended in favour of visiting side after comeback man Ravi Inder Singh (85) and Gurkeerat Mann (40) prolonged stay at the crease kept tilting the scales in middle overs. At the end of the day, Rajasthan bundled out Punjab for 215 and then put up 56/1 on board to offer a hosts of possiblities for next two days. For Punjab, the only solace came in from Baltej Singh’s who dismissed Dishant Yagnink (32) at the fag end. Vineet Saxena (16) and Deepak Chahar (7) not only ensured that there was no further loss, they ensured Rajasthan has much to play for in next two days. While the hosts have rested some of the key players, a depleted Rajasthan has been battling with injuries to key players. SCOREBOARD Punjab (215-1st innings) Jiwanjot lbw b Pankaj 1 Karan c Saxena b Choudhary 19 Ravi I Singh b Singh 85 Mandeep b Pankaj 25 Uday c Parida b Choudhary 5 Gurkeerat c Yagnik b Choudhary 40 Rahul b Singh 14 Amitoze c Yagnik b Pankaj 0 Siddharth c Parida b Pankaj 1 Sandeep c Puneet b Pankaj 8 Baltej not out 0 Extras: 17 Menaria 2-0-12-0 Rajasthan (IInd innings) Yagnik lbw b Baltej 32 VA Saxena not out 16 Chahar not out 7 Extras: 1
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Tripura on top against HP
Nadaun, December 2 Brief Scores: Tripura 1st inngs: 441 in 129 overs (Ratra 56, Abhijit 45; Rishi 4/114); HP: 111 for 5 in 37 overs (Varun 24; Rana 2/25, Manisankar 2/36). — PTI |
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Unmukt shines but Delhi struggle
Rohtak, December 2 Delhi still need 143 runs to get the first innings lead and has very little support with Sumit Narwal being dismissed off the last ball of the second day bowled by Haryana skipper Amit Mishra. Mishra has taken two wickets while medium pacer Harshal Patel has also taken a couple of wickets. Unmukt hit eight fours and two sixes but didn't get much support with senior pros Rajat Bhatia (21) and Mithun Manhas (20) even after spending considerable time. Brief Scores: Haryana 307 (Rahul 71, Dalal 48, Awana 5/71); Delhi 165/6 (Unmukt 76*, Harshal 2/42, Amit 2/48). — PTI
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Green signal to Pak’s Eden trip
Kolkata, December 2 Happy with the facilities, PCB media manager Nadeem Sarwar said: "We are very happy with the arrangements. We spoke the the commissioner of police (R K Pachnanda) in the morning and he has assured me of a smooth conduct. "It's a peaceful place. I don't think there will be any trouble. Sarwar led a four-member team, consisting of Ehsan Sadiq, Sohail Khan, Usman Wahla to the inspect the venue. Ten former Pakistani greats will arrive in India to witness the two Twenty20 Internationals and three-ODI series beginning on December 25 (Bangalore T20I) against India. Sarwar said two former Pakistan cricketers will go to each venue but they were yet to prepare the list. The inspection team had first went to the police headquarters at the Lal Bazar before inspecting the Eden Gardens that will host the second ODI. No private parties for Pak players during Ind tour: Sarwar
The Pakistan Cricket Board has laid some strict guidelines for its players for the upcoming tour of India which includes restrictions on attending private dinner parties and not entertaining any friends at the team hotel. "There are certain security protocols that we have taken. The players won't entertain any requests from friends or fans to attend private dinner parties. They have also been intimated that they can't entertain any guests in their hotel rooms," PCB spokesperson and GM (Media affairs) Nadeem Sarwar said. Imran declines PCB invite for India tour
Legendary Pakistan captain Imran Khan has declined an invite from PCB to be a part of the team of former Pakistan cricketers, who will be the special invitees during the upcoming tour of India starting, December 25. Imran, who is the supremo of political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has cited busy political commitments as a reason for not being able to accept Board's invite. His cousin brother Majid Khan will also skip the series as both had their names in the original list. "Imran Khan was contacted but he is so busy with his political commitments that he said it won't be possible for him to watch the Indo-Pak series. Majid Khan is also not coming due to health issues. But the likes of Hanif Mohammed and Zaheer Abbas are certain to attend the matches," PCB spokesperson Nadeem Sarwar said. — PTI |
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India eves sans captain and deputy Ludhiana, December 2 No wonder the aspirants for the coveted post are keenly awaiting the announcement. The travails of women’s team are unending. They had to undergo harrowing time as they were accommodated at the last minute during the conditioning camp. The trials for the final squad have been rescheduled time and again. When asked about the delay in the selection of captain, the Indian coach Palwinder Kaur said, "National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) had conducted dope test of women players a few days ago. We are waiting for the result of dope test, which are expected to declare on Monday. After the outcome of dope results we will announce the captain on the basis of merit". "The decision to declare the captain was put on hold to avoid the controversy. If the captain of team is declared positive in dope test it will affect the morale the team" she added. It is pertinent to mention here that eight women players in the Indian contingent are trainees from a coaching academy located at Nawanshahr. The captain and vice captain are expected to be one of these trainees. In the last edition, Priyanka and Jatinder Kaur from the same academy led the Indian team to victory. Meanwhile, players form the England women’s team enjoyed the day by shopping traditional attires in the city markets.
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The cancellation of the match between the Indian men and Afganistan on the inaugural day of the 3rd World Kabaddi Cup led to much disappointment amongst the fans.
They dealt with spin quite well in the series-levelling win in the second Test but the visiting England cricket team's batsmen continued to practice against tweakers ahead of the third Test against India starting here on December 5.
Two local club spinners—one left-arm orthodox and another leg-spinner—along with Monty Panesar bowled at the nets in tandem.
High on confidence having levelled the four-Test series 1-1 against India, England middle order batsman Jonny Bairstow said that his team would like to carry on the momentum and produce positive result in the third Test, starting here on December 5.
"The confidence and morale of the side is obviously very high at the moment. Definitely it's an exciting time for us as a batting unit. Also the bowlers are doing so well, it's very pleasant for us and gives us the right confidence ahead of the third Test.
