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Feisty Pakistan go one up Goodwill ambassador Bari recalls charm of yore
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Disappointing to miss Indo-Pak series: Irfan
Hard luck for Pak fan from Chicago ahead of T20
Teary-eyed Sachin thanks fans for support
India to test juniors against Malaysia
Punjab batsmen fall prey to Dhruv’s guile on last day
Hosts Karnataka manage a point against Haryana
Wrestling league coming soon
Rathore wins gold in shooting nationals
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Feisty Pakistan go one up
Bengaluru, December 25 After a match, it’s customary to declare that the team that wanted it more, the team that was more desperate to win, won. So, were the Pakistanis more hungry for victory? And thus, conversely, were the Indians less hungry? And were the Pakistanis able to handle the pressure better than the Indians? Well, in Twenty20 cricket —which often is a game of chance with wild gambles coming off or failing — it’s impossible to reduce a match to a zero-sum game. All bets are off when a skilled batsman, not worried about losing his wicket, swings his bat at everything. The games are brief and turn around in the blink of an eye. This happened twice today. When India batted, they reached 77 without loss in the 11th over before losing nine wickets for 47 runs in 7 overs and three balls. Then India reduced Pakistan to 12 for three in three overs. Then Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik added 106 runs in 14.1 overs. When Hafeez was out, Pakistan needed 16 runs off 13 balls, an easy chase in T20s. There was a minor hiccup for Pakistan, as they lost Kamran Akmal too, and thus the match reached the fourth ball of the last over, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja. At this point, the crowd was shouting itself hoarse, nearly certain victory was India’s. But Malik swung his bat hard and smashed the ball up and straight down the ground. A six, a crowd-silencing six that energised the Pakistan dugout, stilled the noise that the Indians were making. In this drama of wildly swinging bats and wildly swinging fortunes, two bowling performances stood out from a cricketing point of view.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan, over seven feet tall in most accounts, literally stood out. He bowled his four overs for 25 runs, was not easy to get off the square, was hit for just two fours. The bounce he got off the wicket was, unsurprisingly, steep. Often the batsmen drove or cut at the ball, only to discover that the ball had passed six inches or a foot above the bat. Irfan is 30 and has played only two ODIs before — a late bloomer, perhaps, and certainly a man to keep an eye on. The second outstanding performance came from India debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took the first three wickets in the Pakistan innings. Impressively, his wickets didn’t come off top-edges, wild swings or any other form of hara kiri. He swung the ball both ways, moved the ball appreciably off the pitch. Kumar, 22, has played 46 first-class matches for UP and was a surprise pick for this series. MS Dhoni later said that it’s too early to say anything about the future of Kumar — the evidence of one match is too paltry. Dhoni says the same about the T20 format — that it’s impossible to judge a team on the basis of one performance.
SCOREBOARD
India Gambhir run out (Tanvir/Akmal) 43 Rahane c Akmal b Afridi 42 Kohli c Akmal b Irfan 9 Yuvraj c Umar Akmal b Gul 10 Dhoni b Ajmal 1 Raina b Ajmal 10 Rohit run out (Shoaib) 2 Jadeja c Akmal b Gul 2 Bhuvneswar not out 6 Ishant b Gul 0 Dinda not out 3 Extras: 5 Total: (9 wkts in 20 ov) 133 Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-90, 3-103, 4-108, 5-115, 6-122, 7-123, 8-124, 9-124 Bowling: Irfan 4-0-25-1, Tanvir 4-0-22-0, Gul 3-0-21-3, Ajmal 4-0-25-2, Afridi 3-0-26-1, Hafeez 2-0-12-0 Pakistan Jamshed b Kumar 2 Shehzad c Dhoni b Kumar 5 Hafeez c Kumar b Sharma 61 Akmal b Kumar 0 Malik not out 57 Kamran c Sharma b Dinda 1 Afridi not out 3 Extras: 5 Total: (5 wkts in 19.4 ov) 134 Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-11, 3-12, 4-118, 5-123 Bowling: Kumar 4-0-9-3, Dinda 4-0-26-1, Sharma 4-0-23-1, Kohli 2-0-21-0, Yuvraj 3-0-25-0, Jadeja 2.4-0-29-0
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Goodwill ambassador Bari recalls charm of yore Bengaluru, December 25 Bari is exuding good cheer now too — he's long retired and is now in India with the Pakistan team as a goodwill ambassador. He has nice words about India, his visits, and especially MS Dhoni. He remembers his own time as the era of great wicketkeepers — with men like Alan Knott, Jeff Dujon, Syed Kirmani, to name just a few. That time has passed, he says. Now the focus is on batsmen-wicketkeepers, rather than wicketkeeper-batsmen. That, he says, is due to the changing times, which have brought great changes into the game. Then, on his own, he starts talking about Dhoni. “Generally, it can be said that wicketkeepers don’t make good captains,” he tells the Tribune. “They have so much to do already. It’s a very important and difficult job. Besides keeping wickets, a wicketkeeper must motivate the team, advise the bowlers because he’s in the best position to judge their line and length... And if he’s also one of your main batsmen and captain, I think it can become a lot of burden on one person.” But he adds hastily that Dhoni is a seriously exceptional man, not to be judged by the standard he’s put forth. “He’s a very special individual — he's not an ordinary wicketkeeper-batsman,” Bari, the former Pakistan selector, says. “And you have to acknowledge that he’s been a very good and successful captain for India. However, it’s true that in the recent months, he has been having a tough time as captain, batsman and wicketkeeper.” Bari says that, as a general rule, the responsibilities of captaincy and batting can weigh wicketkeepers down. “That’s always a burden... and perhaps that’s the reason we’ve not seen too many wicketkeeper who became captains,” says Bari. Bari speaks from experience. He himself captained Pakistan in merely six Test matches, out of the 81 he played. He didn’t particularly shine as a batsman in them, scoring 45 runs in eight innings at an average of below seven. His overall average wasn’t quite impressive either, at just above 16. The focus was emphatically on keeping wickets then. It was an era of specialists — many exceptional bowlers who could barely put bat to ball, or several keepers who rarely allowed a bye but couldn’t bat at all. Dhoni, whose technique as both a wicketkeeper and batsman is not the best, is a man of the modern era of cricket — capable of scoring runs, capable of keeping wicket. But isn’t he playing too much cricket — too many formats? Bari says T20 is a reality and a necessity. “You need it to cross-subsidise the other formats, who could be in danger otherwise,” he says. SPECTAOR DIES
A 47-year-old spectator suffered a heart attack and died before being brought to a hospital during India’s defeat tonight. “The man, Kamal Jain, felt uneasy and complained of breathing problems during the 18th over of the Pakistan innings,” said a police spokesperson. “He was taken to the Mallya Hospital nearby, where he was declared brought dead.” At that stage, the match was at a thrilling stage -- off the first ball, bowled by Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Hafeez lost his wicket, ending a fourth wicket partnership of 112. Off the fourth, Shoaib Malik was caught off a delivery that was declared a no ball due to the high bounce. And then Ishant and Kamran Akmal got into a heated, angry fight of words. — TNS |
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Disappointing to miss Indo-Pak series: Irfan
New Delhi, December 25 "It's a big series and I am looking forward towards India doing well. It's unfortunate that I am not part of the Indian squad due to knee injury. The rivalry between India and Pakistan is bigger than Ashes. I hope and pray that India win this series," Irfan said during a promotional event of UNICEF's tie-up with Delhi Daredevils. Asked about whether it will be a battle between India's batsmen and Pakistan's bowlers, the left-arm seamer agreed. "I agree with this point. I believe that all the matches would be like that. It would be an interesting contest," he added. Pathan has not played since sustaining a knee injury after the first Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka in early November. Pathan said he would put his money on all-rounder Yuvraj Singh to be the "impact player" of the series and exuded confidence about India emerging triumphant. "We are playing a lot of matches these days, so we are in an advantageous position. Pakistan have not played that many matches, so we have that advantage. Another positive aspect is that we are playing at home. I pray for the Indian team's victory. It's always an entertaining battle," Pathan stated. Talking about his return to the international cricket, Pathan said, "Hopefully, I will be back in three-four weeks time. I am hoping to get fully fit within a month's time. I will go back to the NCA, prove my fitness and return to the international fold." Pathan also paid rich tributes to Sachin Tendulkar, who drew the curtains on his long and illustrious ODI career. "Sachin is a great player. A legend. We should celebrate his achievements on the field rather than thinking negatively on this aspect. We will definitely miss him and his absence will be felt in the dressing room. "Paaji, as I and many others fondly call him (Tendulkar), has been a legend of the game. We are lucky that such a legend played for India and guided the generation of upcoming cricketers," he said. — PTI
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Hard luck for Pak fan from Chicago ahead of T20
Bangalore, December 25 Mohammad Bashir came all the way from Chicago to witness the first-ever bilateral series between the two countries since 2007. "I am very sorry to say that the police has not allowed me to carry India-Pakistan flag and jersey inside the stadium. I did not like it," Bashir said. "Why did they do it to me? There will be many Pakistani government officials who would watch the match. Wouldn't they not be carrying our national flag and wearing jersey. Will they stop these officials from carrying the Pakistan flag and jersey inside the stadium?" he asked. Bashir, who claimed he had also watched the Indo-Pak 2011 World semifinal in Mohali, said a feeling of love and bonhomie should exist between the two nations. Bashir said he arrived here from Chicago last evening after with his wife. He got a shock, though, on arrival as he found out that tickets had been sold out. But Bashir did not lose hope and visited the stadium in the morning and, fortunately, a gentleman handed him a ticket without taking a penny. "The gentleman approached me with the ticket after he watched me on a news channel airing my disappointment of not getting a ticket to watch India-Pakistan match which the world enjoys. People in India are so good that I really would cherish this very moment for years to come," he said. Asked for his reaction about a 500-odd Pakistani fans not getting tickets due to some delay, Bashir said this experience was no different from the World Cup semifinal. "I faced the same problem, but somehow I got into the stadium. Pakistani fans should come to India and enjoy matches with Indian fans,” he said. — PTI
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Teary-eyed Sachin thanks fans for support
Mumbai, December 25 "Words are not enough to express my thanks to each of you for all the love & support I have received over the years....." Sachin Tendulkar tweeted on Tuesday morning. The "Little Master" said the overwhelming response to his decision to end his limited over career has made him emotional bringing "a tear to his eye." "...& especially now in the last couple of days. Your expressions have brought joy to my heart...& at times a tear to my eye!..." he posted on the micro blogging site. Tendulkar signed off saying he will remember the "magical moments" of his epic ODI journey for the rest of his life. "Those magical moments of our ODI journey will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much :-)" he said. — PTI
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Tendulkar is best batsman I have seen: Hanif Mohammad
Karachi, December 25 "I am one of those fortune people who have seen Bradman and Tendulkar bat in my lifetime and in my opinion Tendulkar is the best batsman I have seen in my life," Hanif said today. Hanif, who had earned the sobriquet of "little master" like Tendulkar for his batting feats in the 50s and 60s, said he had not seen a better player than Tendulkar. "I am very sad to hear that Tendulkar has decided to retire from One-day cricket. I hope he continues to play Test matches. Because to my mind he could have played on even in ODIs for another two years," Hanif said. "He remains to my mind still the best player in the world. I have never seen a more complete player than Tendulkar and I have always been a great admirer of his batting," Hanif said. The former Pakistan captain is due to leave for India as a goodwill ambassador for the Pakistan cricket Board during the current one-day series. "If possible I will definitely like to meet Tendulkar and have a chat with him in India. It has been a great experience watching him bat all these years," he added. Overall the Pakistan cricket community has paid rich tributes to Tendulkar but also expressed surprise at the timing of his retirement from ODIs. "It is a bit surprising considering he was always such a fierce competitor against us and wanted to do well against us. His last two innings against us have been half centuries. I would have thought he would chosen this series as his farewell ODI series," former captain, Wasim Bari said. There will never be another like
Sachin: Saqlain Mushtaq
Terming Sachin Tendulkar's retirement a huge loss for world cricket, former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq says bowling to the Indian has always been an "absolute pleasure". "The world of one day cricket has suffered a huge loss with Sachin Tendulkar's retirement from one day internationals. There will never be another cricketer like Tendulkar," Saqlain said. "He's been at the top of the game for twenty three years which is simply amazing and the way he has conducted himself throughout his career has been exemplary and a lesson to all young cricketers.” — PTI |
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Oz hobble into Boxing Day Test
Melbourne, December 25 Captain Michael Clarke, in white-hot form with the bat, remains a doubt to play the Boxing Day test after suffering a hamstring strain at Hobart, while front-line seamer Ben Hilfenhaus has been ruled out with a side strain. Top young talents Pat Cummins and James Pattinson have already been lost for the series, and have been joined in the casualty ward by fellow quicks John Hastings and Josh Hazlewood. Six months out from the Ashes, Australia's hopes of using its home summer to hone a battle-hardened attack lie in tatters. Australia's selectors have compounded the angst, however, with a controversial rotation policy that has seen injury-free bowlers rested for fear they might break down, drawing howls of criticism from former players and pundits. The in-form Mitchell Starc is the latest casualty of that policy, and despite taking a five-wicket haul to help Australia seal the Hobart win, will cool his heels in the Melbourne Cricket Ground dressing room when the test starts Wednesday. "We've got to be very mindful of the fact that we've got such a lot of important cricket coming up," Australia head coach and selector Mickey Arthur told reporters on Monday. "And Mitch will be integral to that. It's tough on Mitch but hopefully he misses one test to make sure we don't have another injury." Paceman Starc's enforced break and Hilfenhaus's absence mean Australia will bring an overhauled pace attack for a third consecutive test. The mercurial Mitchell Johnson earns a recall after being dumped following the third and final test against South Africa in Perth. Although the Proteas' batsmen bullied Australia in the series-sealing victory at the WACA, the 31-year-old Johnson was the pick of the hosts' bowlers and will hope for a big haul to remain in favour ahead of tours to India and England. Johnson, however, may have to wait his turn behind debutant Jackson Bird, who will open the bowling against Sri Lanka's formidable batting lineup in front of a bumper crowd at the MCG. The 26-year-old Bird has played only 17 first-class matches, but is the leading wicket-taker in the domestic Sheffield Shield, and has enjoyed good form for his adopted Tasmania state in his two matches at the MCG. He is likely to share the new ball with fiery paceman Peter Siddle, who took nine wickets in a man-of-the-match performance at Hobart and is the only pace bowler retained from the first test. Sri Lanka have their own pace bowling problems, with their raw attack struggling in Hobart, but they will again pin their hopes of a breakthrough first test win in Australia on their batsmen and spinner Rangana Herath. With the team having lost the coin toss and the benefit of batting first, Sri Lanka's batsmen frustrated the Australian bowlers for nearly four sessions on a deteriorating wicket at Hobart, only to collapse after tea and surrender the test within the last hour. They will hope to have better luck with the toss at the MCG, where the drop-in pitch traditionally rewards batting sides who survive a torrid first session on day one, before offering something for the spinners on days four and five. The Sri Lankans have additional motivation in their first Boxing Day test in 17 years, with master batsman Kumar Sangakkara needing only 40 runs to reach the magical 10,000-run milestone in tests.The 35-year-old would become only the 11th cricketer to reach the landmark and second Sri Lankan after captain Mahela Jayawardene. "I think Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela have played a huge part with the youngsters," middle order batsman and captain-in-waiting Angelo Mathews told reporters. "We would like to get (Sangakkara) 100 this time. It's a very special game for us." Australia skipper Clarke had a short session batting in the nets on Monday and would be given until the last minute to prove his fitness, the team's coach Arthur said. Should he fail to recover, vice captain Shane Watson will take the reins, with six-test top order batsman Usman Khawaja replacing Clarke in the order. Bring it on! Jayawardene says of hostile MCG
Mahela Jayawardene has no illusions about the hostile reception awaiting his team at Melbourne Cricket Ground but insists it will only spur the tourists in the second test against Australia starting on Wednesday. Sri Lanka do not have particularly fond memories of the MCG, where their spin great Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled seven times when the islanders last played a test here in 1995. The visitors have riled the Victorian fans this time by unofficially accusing local favourite Peter Siddle of ball-tampering in the first test in Hobart. "We have been through a lot of hostile things in the past. 1995 was one and even after that," Jayawardene told a Christmas Day news conference on Tuesday. "I don't think that fazes our team. It might give us something extra," added the visiting captain, who was expecting a decent Sri Lankan turnout in the match. "You have to remember there will be a good partisan Sri Lankan crowd as well so that will be good. It might go against him (Siddle). "We can't control what happens out there. All we can control is what happens in the middle." Sri Lanka are looking to register their first Test win. "If we do that, it won't be for me personally but for the entire team and for the entire country it would be something good, and it would be for the next generation to look at." — Reuters Upping the ante
The off-spinner cannot even take wickets when pitch conditions favour him. Australia doesn't have the person to take wickets on a turning wicket — Muttiah Muralitharan, Former Sri Lanka spinner |
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India to test juniors against Malaysia
Doha, December 25 While India have already sealed their place in the final of the tournament after winning all their four matches, Malaysia have just seven points from four outings and need to win against India tomorrow, and then count on other results. India's chief coach Michael Nobbs plans to rest Sardar Singh and provide exposure to all junior players tomorrow. "Sardar is already over-worked, he needs some rest, and tomorrow is the right time for this," Nobbs said. Nobbs refused to give much importance to the team's last round robin contest. "From the final's point of view, tomorrow's game is irrelevant and that gives an opportunity for us to rest our senior players. Juniors will have a significant role to play tomorrow,” he said. — PTI
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Punjab batsmen fall prey to Dhruv’s guile on last day
Valsad, December 25 Chasing 231 to win on the final day, Punjab folded for 193 in 57.5 overs. With this win, Gujarat took their points tally to 21 after two and five draws in the seven matches they have played so far. Punjab are, however, through to the quarterfinals as table-toppers after accumulating 32 points in the league engagements that ended today. Punjab's chase did not get off to the best of starts as their openers departed with just 11 on the board before number four batsman Mandeep Singh brought the innings back on track with a 64-ball 42 which included four fours and a six. Gurkeerat Singh (30) and Amitoze Singh (20) made some decent contribution to take the team past 100 after the middle-order failure. At 130 for nine, Punjab didn't seem to have much of chance before a last-wicket stand of 65 between Sarabjit Ladda (29) and Sandeep Sharma (31) gave Gujarat the jitters. But Dhurv completed his five-for by dismissing Sarabjit to seal the win for Gujarat. Brief Scores: Gujarat: 266 and 232 (Sarabjit Singh 4-112); Punjab: 268 and 193 in 57.5 overs (Mandeep 42, Sandeep 31, Dhurv 5-76).
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Hosts Karnataka manage a point against Haryana
Hubli, December 25 After being enforced follow on by the visitors, Karnataka scored 332 for two in their second innings as the match was called off in the third mandatory over after Kapoor reached his second century of the match. Kapoor had yesterday scored his maiden first-class century and on the very next day scored his second to finish off a memorable match. The normally inconsistent Uthappa also scored his first century of the season and his 13th in first-class cricket as he was out scoring 137 off 172 balls with 22 boundaries. Kapoor remained unbeaten on 100 having faced 215 balls and hit 15 fours. Wicketkeeper CM Gautham also threw his bat around and helped himself with a half century as the Haryana bowlers got only two wickets on final day. Having started the day at 61 for no loss, Karnataka lost Lokesh Rahul at score of 90 when he was cleaned up by Mohit Sharma. Lokesh scored 37. After that Uthappa and Kapoor were involved in a 152 runs partnership for the second wicket which virtually ended Haryana's hopes of getting atleast seven points from the match. Brief Scores: Haryana 587/9 decl. Brief Scores: Karnataka 272 & 332/2 (f/0) (Robin Uthappa 132, Kunal Kapoor 100 no, CM Gautham 50 no). Match drawn; Points: Haryana 3; Karnataka 1. — PTI
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New Delhi, December 24 Commenting on this, G S Mander, chairman IWL, said: "Since our proposed reschedule dates in April/May were overlapping with IPL coverage by our official broadcaster and since a number of important FILA tournaments including continental Championship and World Championship will be held between April and October 2013, we have chosen this slot in which there is no important international competition and the leading wrestlers of the world will be available for IWL." "The names of the franchise owners and financial partner shall be announced shortly," he added. The WFI, in association with Leisure Sports Management, had mooted the idea about organising the league. Sushil, Yogeshwar cynosure of all eyes
Four years of blood, sweat and tears culminated into a historic Olympic performance as Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt did the country proud with lion-hearted performances in a truly memorable 2012 for Indian wrestling. Sushil scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win back-to-back individual medals, a silver in London after is Beijing bronze, while his long-term friend Yogeshwar claimed a memorable bronze as Indian wrestlers proved their mettle at the greatest sporting extravaganza on earth. Sushil's success at the London Games was a testimony to the fact that his bronze medal-winning performance in Beijing four years ago was not a flash in the pan. Growing up in a non-descript village called Baprola on the outskirts of the national capital, the modest Sushil fought bravely after vomiting and suffering dehydration following his semi-final victory over Kazakhstan's Akzhurek Tanatarov, but ended up a 1-3 loser against a strong Japanese rival Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in the gold medal bout. Nevertheless, even the silver was enough for the 29-year-old to record his name in the annals of Indian sports. If the bronze in the Chinese capital awakened the country to Sushil's potential, the white metal reaffirmed his status as one of the best in the business. Sushil's qualification to the London Games was no less a story in itself as this he sealed his berth in his third attempt. — PTI |
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Rathore wins gold in shooting nationals
New Delhi, December 25 In the men's double trap event, Army's Rathore shot 144+46 to bag the yellow metal. The silver was won by Mohammad Asab from UP after he totalled 141+46 while Sodhi won the bronze with a score of 138 + 48. In the double trap junior men's event, Shayan Masood of Delhi, who finished fourth in the senior section, won the gold with the score of 136. The silver medal was won by Ankur Mittal of Haryana for scoring 134 while Asher Noria of Andhra won the bronze with a score of 131. In the centre fire pistol men's event, Omkar Singh of Army was leading on the first day of this event along with Amit Kumar Pilaniya of BSF who scored 289 followed by Samaresh Jung (288). In the junior category, Akshay Jain of Punjab was leading with a score of 287 followed by Ajitesh Kaushal (283) of ONGC and Samarjit Singh (281) of Uttrakhand. In the rifle prone women's event, Deepali Deshpande of Maharashtra was leading with a score of 590 followed by Rajkumari Rathore. — PTI
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After restricting India to 133, twice Pakistan gave the hugely partisan crowd hope, and twice snatched it away cruelly. Thus, in this typical twisting Twenty20 manner, in their typical dramatic fashion, Pakistan won the first Twenty20 International of the two-match series. This was Pakistan’s first win over India in T20Is, after two defeats and one tie.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced the commencement of the Indian Wrestling League from November 6, 2013 with six franchisee-owned teams on home-away basis leading to 30 league games followed by the semifinals and final.