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Skipper Dhoni blames loss on middle-order collapse MS Dhoni gets clean bowled during the first T20 match against Pakistan. — File photo
Fanning the fires of hero worship
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T20 skirmish:
Ishant, Akmal penalised
Ranji Trophy: Sachin to miss Gujarat tie
IPL6 auction may be in RS, NOT usd
Aussies on top despite Sanga’s feat
Joins 10K Test runs club
T20’s frenzy and the fickle format
Proteas too good for Black caps
Bopanna to pair with Ram at Chennai Open
Want to be in top 10 next year, says Parupalli Kashyap
NBA Finals
X-mas: Warne ditches Big Bash for Liz
Korobov stays in lead
Man U sink Newcastle, City lose
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Skipper Dhoni blames loss on middle-order collapse
Bangalore, December 26 Dhoni said India loss of wickets at regular intervals, after being in a strong position at 75 without loss in 10 overs, hurt the team badly. "The batsmen got out trying to play big shots. We could have easily scored 200 if we had applied ourselves," Dhoni complained. On the umpire not giving a decision in India's favour when Ishant Sharma had got Shoaib Malik (57 not out) caught off a ball which climbed a tad above shoulder level, Dhoni said, "It was a fair decision but I am not sure if you are allowed to refer it (to the third umpire) or not." Asked about R Ashwin's omission from the playing eleven, Dhoni said, "Since we had three seamers we wanted to give Jadeja a go. At the same time we had other resources as well." Pakistan skipper Mohammed Hafeez said the team played according to a plan and targeted India's part-time spinners —Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja — who are not world-class bowlers. "I know they are in good form, but they are not world-class spinners. And hence we planned to dominate them after seeing off pacers early on," Hafeez said. Hafeez said after Pakistan lost three early wickets and were struggling at 12 for three in three overs, he and Shoaib Malik decided to play off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and other Indian pacers. "Malik showed great character and we built a partnership," he said. Hafeez had words of praise for debutant Bhuvneshwar, who had figures of three for nine in four overs. "He bowled very well. He was swinging the ball nicely," he said. Hafeez said his players showed a lot of character on the field, especially bowlers who restricted India beyond his expectations. "Mohammad Irfan was our surprise package. I think he started off like one. Along with him, Sohail Tanvir also bowled well in right areas. Umar Gul also came off good in middle overs," he said. — PTI Akram praises Irfan
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Fanning the fires of hero worship
Bangalore, December 26 On Christmas day, barely hours before the match begins at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a ritual of hero-spotting and hero-worship is on at the team hotel. The security is tight and the fans are not present in massive numbers, but they make up with their ardour. Virat Kohli, the emerging superstar, is spotted in casual splendour – T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. There’s a scramble to get around him, shake his hand, look into his eyes, breathe the air he breathes. There is hectic recording of this momentous, possibly life-changing, brief encounter — fans get his autograph, get photographed with him. Then the fleeting image is gone. Kohli must go to his room, get his gear together and prepare for the match that is to begin in just over two hours. He leaves behind excited fans examining their spoils, their autographs and photos, chattering excitedly. The lady with the two children doesn’t join the scrum. She prefers to sit it out in her wait for Yuvraj Singh. She says it’s just chance that brought her to this hotel for a Christmas lunch with her daughter and her family. “I love cricket, and I love cricketers,” she declares. “You know, the kids are asking me if I brought them to lunch at this hotel because the players are here!” She says that as she ate with her family, Ishant Sharma —yes, the Ishant Sharma — was having lunch in the same restaurant, as also a few Pakistani players. Regrettably, she didn’t spot Ishant then. She says she’s always followed the sport and the players. “I’m really very fond of Sachin Tendulkar, it’s so sad that he’s retired (from ODIs),” she says. And, say, what of Imran Khan? At the name of the man who was the god of cricket and glamour in the 1970s-80s, she nearly forgets to breathe for a minute. In another corner, there are three young lads, 15-19 years, cousins waiting for a photograph with Kohli. Kohli has told them that he’s around and would be back soon, and the three wait in expectation. They eye with interest anyone tall and athletic -- it could be an undiscovered, unknown hero. “Do you know Kohli? Do you know Dhoni? Can you ask them to get photographed with us?” they ask. It’s an expensive hotel, but the three have got a room in it, and their mothers are occupying it right now. “My uncle books a room for us when there’s a match here,” Sanjay, the older lad, a cricketer who has trained at Brijesh Patel’s cricket academy, says. “We had a room here during the India-New Zealand Test match too (in August-September).” Isn’t this a rather costly deal? “But it’s worth it, we get to see the players from a foot away!” he says. “There was hardly any security during the New Zealand match... it’s tougher now, because it’s Pakistan. But the Indian players are staying in the rooms, the Pakistanis have been moving around quite freely.” How does the grandmom explain the fact that her ardour for cricket and cricketer hasn’t cooled? “I grew up in Dar es Salaam in East Africa, and my father used to be a regular cricketer, and a lot of my time was spent on cricket grounds,” she says. She came to India when her family moved here 50 years ago, giving up their British passports. “The love for the sport continued...” “The grandmother with the children,” she murmurs with a smile. Mohammad Bashir, who had become stuff for great TV during last year’s India-Pakistan World Cup match in Mohali, is also in Bangalore. This time around too, he came down from Chicago without a ticket — and was gifted one by an unknown man. He tries to take Pakistan and India flags into the ground but wasn’t allowed to because no one was allowed to bring in flags of both countries. In a stadium that veers between silence and roars depending on India’s fortunes, he represents the crazy Pakistanis fan -- flying down from Chicago for a three-hour game, without a ticket!
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T20 skirmish: Ishant, Akmal penalised
Bangalore, December 26
Akmal was fined five per cent of his matchh fee by match referee Roshan Mahanama after pleadeding guilty to a ‘conduct contrary to the spirit of the game’. Ishant also pleaded guilty but appealed against the penalty. After a hearing, and reviewing the video footage, Mahanama stuck to the view that it was Ishant who had initiated the incident. Ishant was fined 15 per cent of his match fee. “The game was played in the true spirit till this incident was initiated by Ishant, who is an experienced cricketer, which led to the umpires and his team mates having to intervene,” Mahanama said. Teams arrive in Ahmedabad The cricket teams of India and Pakistan arrived here for the second and final Twenty20 international, to be played here on Friday. India would hope that their batsmen fire in unison this time around after they floundered a solid opening partnership to reach a below par score of 133-9 in Bangalore. India pegged Pakistan back with three quick wickets but captain Mohammad Hafeez and middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik stitched a match-winning stand of 106 runs. Meanwhile, sources said that Rs 300 tickets were being sold for as high as Rs 2,500 for the match by the touts. Pakistan is touring India for the first time after cricketing ties between both the countries were suspended following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. They will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) after the T20 series. — PTI
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Ranji Trophy: Sachin to miss Gujarat tie
Mumbai, Deccember 26 Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Nitin Dalal said Tendulkar will not be able to play in the match which begins on Saturday at Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as he is now holidaying in Northern India with his family. "I asked him (Tendulkar) if he was available but he said since he is on a break, he won't be able to play (the Gujarat game). But he has made himself available for the knockouts," Dalal said. Mumbai are placed third in the Group A points table, tied on 20 points with Madhya Pradesh. They will ideally be looking for a win against Gujarat or will have to at least secure a first-innings lead in order to be among the top three teams that will progress to the last eight from the group. Punjab are at the top of the group with 32 points, but five teams are in contention for the remaining two slots. IPL6 auction may be in rupees, not USD
New Delhi: Fluctuating exchange rates may force BCCI to conduct the upcoming Indian Premier League auction in rupees instead of US dollars. A BCCI source said the IPL Governing Council is considering the switch as it will help the franchises to manage their expenses in a better way. The inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 had a standard rate of Rs 40 a dollar, which is still the case for Indian players. But the pay cheque for the expats is calculated at the current rate of exchange. According to the daily, the new system may come into force from 2014. — PTI |
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Aussies on top despite Sanga’s feat
Melbourne, Deccember 26 Openers Ed Cowan and David Warner charged to 95 without loss but Sri Lanka checked the hosts with three quick wickets following the drinks break in the final session at a sunbathed Melbourne Cricket Ground. The mini-revival stalled, however, with two demoralising dropped catches late in the day that allowed Australia captain Michael Clarke (20 not out) and Shane Watson (13 not out) to survive a watchful final hour to stumps. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in glorious sunshine, but barring Sangakkara's elegant 58, which saw him notch his 10,000th Test run, the tourists suffered a calamitous bout of stage-fright in front of a huge Boxing Day crowd of 67,000. Only quick wickets in the morning session of day two may save Sri Lanka, with the MCG's drop-in pitch expected to flatten out in the sun and offer less for bowlers. "We're definitely in a strong position. I think the two openers started exceptionally well," seamer Mitchell Johnson, who took his 200th Test wicket and led the team's bowling with 4-63, said. "We're three down, we're 150 and we've got a great wicket, but we've just got to move on from that and we have a big day ahead of us to put on some runs." — Reuters SCOREBOARD Karunaratne c Wade b Bird 5 Dilshan b Johnson 11 Sanga c Wade b Johnson 58 Jaya c Wade b Siddle 3 Samaraweera c Warner b Bird 10 Mathews c Hussey b Siddle15 PJaya c Hughes b Johnson 24 Prasad c Wade b Johnson 0 Herath c Cowan b Lyon 14 Eranga not out 4 Welegedara c Hussey b Lyon 0 Extras: 12 Australia 1st innings
Cowan c PJaya b Prasad 36 Warner c Prasad b Mathews 62 Hughes run out (Dilshan/Sanga) 10 SR Watson not out 13 MJ Clarke not out 20 Extras: 9 |
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Joins 10K Test runs club
Melbourne, December 26 The 35-year-old became only the 11th cricketer to surpass 10,000 runs in his fighting 58 against Australia on Wednesday but had little time to celebrate with his batting partners, who surrendered meekly on the opening day of the second Test. The ICC cricketer of the year unleashed a sublime array of shots, blasting imperious cover drives to the fence and straight past the bowler before skying a catch to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade off the bowling of Mitchell Johnson. That snuffed out the tourists' hopes of a face-saving tally. "I think everybody watching thoroughly enjoyed the elegance of the player," Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said. — Reuters |
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T20’s frenzy and the fickle format
Bangalore, December 26 That a game of cricket was being played was incidental: The fact that India were playing against a fiercely opposed tribe was enough. Thus, in the ground there were spectators who didn’t know that Sehwag wasn’t playing in this match, and many who didn’t know whether Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a city or India’s newest international cricketer. They did know that it was India against Pakistan, and that was the only knowledge they needed. They were there to flaunt their blue shirts, create Mexican waves, make a din to bring down the roof. The players also reacted in the belligerent manner typical of hostile tribes — a lot of this is play-acting too. The towering Pakistan bowler Mohammad Irfan came close to the batsmen and gave them lingering glares several times; Shahid Afridi made batsman Yuvraj Singh scamper quickly out of the way as the Pakistan allrounder threatened to throw down the stumps, and the two were grinning a second later; and finally, the heated exchange that resulted in angry shouts between Ishant Sharma and Kamran Akmal in the 18th over of the Pakistan innings. The umpires — both of them Indians, incidentally, for neutral umpires are not mandatory in T20 Internationals yet — had to step in to douse the fire. Later, it emerged that a spectator aged 47 years, Kamal Jain, died following a heart attack after complaining of breathing problems in the 18th over. The police said they’re treating it as a natural death, but it seems probable that the drama of the 18th over proved too much for him. The over began with Pakistan requiring 16 off 18 balls. Captain Mohammad Hafeez fell off the first ball, and Shoaib Malik was beaten off the next two. Off the fourth, Malik was caught brilliantly by Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja ran towards the boundary from point, looking up and back above his head, and caught it when he and the ball arrived simultaneously at one spot. Malik didn’t have to go off, for it was rightly declared a no ball. The next moment, Ishant and Akmal had got into an ugly tangle -- standing close to each other they screamed sweet nothings, with some strong, impressive finger-wagging. The umpires came in, Ishant backed off, and then approached Akmal again with words that were clearly not dripping with honey. What was the whole trouble about? "Oh, it was nothing serious,” Dhoni said later. “It happened because of some misunderstanding between the two. The bowler had said something, and the batsman understood it to mean something else. I am pleased that Ishant had not abused him.” Captain Hafeez said the issue was over on the ground itself. “We have come here to play competitive cricket and such incidents do happen. It is a part of the game. However, Ishant and Akmal ended the issue on the ground by exchanging smiles at each other," he said. The crowd didn’t go out smiling or displaying any other form of good cheer. Some of them had queued up for a night to buy ticket; they had then parked their cars some 2KM away and walked to the stadium. There, due to the huge security apparatus, they had been forced to drag their feet in slow moving queues, reaching their seats in two hours. After this sort of investment, they thought the least the Indian team could do for them was to beat Pakistan. They expected India to win, as if it were their right, as if the fans’ being there was reason enough. They didn’t possess the calm resignation of the players, who believe that the shortest form of the game is the most fickle. There’s nothing much between defeat or victory, especially in the last over. But a sporting tribe is not amenable to reason: thus its members demanded the certainty of Indian excellence and victory in the most fickle of cricket’s formats, and thus they went out with distraught faces after the close defeat. |
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Proteas too good for Black caps
Port Elizabeth, Dec 26
Proteas recovered from the early loss of captain Faf du Plessis to total 179/6 in the series-deciding Twenty20 international against New Zealand at St. George's Park on Wednesday. Du Plessis fell for 1 in the second over and Quinton de Kock was dismissed for 2 in the fifth to leave the Proteas on 26/2 with impressive newcomer Mitchell McClenaghan having struck twice. Opener Henry Davids (68) then combined in a partnership of 89 with Justin Ontong, who marked his recall with a counterattacking 48 from 30 balls with three sixes to revive the Proteas after the home team won the toss and opted to bat. McClenaghan returned 2-24 and Doug Bracewell 2-35, but South Africa's recovery set the visitors a challenging total to win the three-game series. Earlier, McCullum said the Kiwis have everything to play for in the final T20 and they would try to play aggressive and positive cricket throughout the match. The Black Caps recklessly threw away wickets in the first match of the series in Durban, which they lost by eight wickets but bounced back to win the second match in an emphatic fashion. — Agencies SCOREBOARD Davids c Anderson b McClenaghan 68 F du Plessis b Hira 1 Q de Kock c Anderson b McClenaghan 2 JL Ontong c Anderson b Franklin 48 DA Miller c Anderson b Bracewell 28 F Behardien c McClenaghan b Bracewell 22 Kleinveldt not out 0 Extras: 10
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Bopanna to pair with Ram at Chennai Open
Chennai, December 26 Bopanna and Ram had earlier appeared as a team at the Australian Open in 2008, where they proceeded to the pre-quarters defeating higher ranked teams along the way. The organisers had earlier announced that the country’s top doubles specialist, Mahesh Bhupathi would be teaming up with World No. 5 doubles player, Daniel Nestor of Canada. The Indian combo of Bhupathi and Bopanna, who had won two titles at Dubai and Paris and a runner-up finish at the just-concluded season-ending London Masters, had recently announced their decision to play with different partners in 2013. “Rohan and Rajeev have the potential to be one of the top doubles teams in the world. We expect them to be a formidable threat at this year’s event,” tournament director, Tom Annear, said. — PTI |
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Want to be in top 10 next year, says Parupalli Kashyap
Lucknow, December 26
From being the first male player from India to make the quarterfinal of the London Olympics to his triumph at the Syed Modi, Kashyap, the World No.20, had no regrets in 2012. Kashyap revealed that he has now set his sights on the All England Open and the World Championships. Excerpts: Q. It has been a great year for you. You were the first male Indian player to reach the London Olympics quarterfinalist and now the Syed Modi title. How do you rate your season? It has been my best season as I have never played so consistently. I made a couple of semi-finals and quarterfinals of the Super Series events, beat three-four top 10 players, so it has been good. Next, I want myself to be in the top 10 so let's see how quickly I get there. I am also able to beat top 20 players regularly. Q. Do you have any specific targets for next year? I am playing in all the Super Series' next year. To be specific I want to win the All England and grab a medal at the World Championships. I would like to win a Super Series. Q. How have you matured as a player this season? I have learnt how to manage my injuries. Champions like Taufik Hidayat, whatever their condition is, will make finals and win tournaments. That's something which I want to do on a consistent basis. Because injuries won't go, the key is to manage them. Q. You finally won your maiden Grand Prix event, that too in India? I am glad to have won this tournament and that too in India. It gives me a lot of confidence going into the next season. I managed my injuries well and I would like to thank my physio and coach (Pullela) Gopichand. It would not have been possible without them. It was like a dream come true for me. Q. How is bad the abdominal injury that you picked up in Hong Kong in November? I just tried to play smartly in a relaxed manner. I did not try hitting unnecessary shots. But the abdominal injury is bothering me more, especially during the final. I have also sprained my back during the quarterfinal. Q. Did you get enough time for rehabilitation before Syed Modi? I withdrew mid-way in Hong Kong and also skipped the Macau tournament. I rested for 10 days and took a week to prepare for Syed Modi. I was still doubtful for the tournament. But while preparing for the tournament, I did not feel any pain. — Agencies
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James leads Heat past Thunder in rematch
Miami, December 26
The Thunder, the NBA’s top team and the Heat, the Eastern Conference leaders clashed in a physical contest that was thick with playoff intensity. “We’re two teams that have the same aspirations and that's to try and win a championship,” James said. “Both teams are not going to short cut anything and just try to get better each and every day. It was good fight by both teams.” James added nine assists and eight rebounds to go along with his 29 points while Dwyane Wade had 21 and Mario Chalmers contributed a season-high 20 as the Heat stretched their winning streak to five games. The Thunder received a 33-point effort from Kevin Durant while Russell Westbrook had 21 but both missed potential game-tying three pointers in the dying seconds. Led by a 34-point performance from the NBA's leading scorer Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers also extended their winning run to a season-high five games getting their record back to .500 (14-14) with a 100-94 win over the Knicks.Playing in his record 15th Christmas Day game, Bryant passed Oscar Robertson as the NBA's all-time Christmas Day scorer with 383 points. Steve Nash, playing his second game after missing nearly two months with a broken leg, was quickly back in stride hitting for 16 points while making 11 assists and grabbing six rebounds. “I don’t know if (Nash) is all of it, but he's maybe the last piece that makes it work,” said Lakers coach Mike D’Antonio, explaining the Lakers turnaround. “There are a lot of pieces that you have to have.” Metta World Peace chipped in with 20 points off the bench while Dwight Howard had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Pau Gasol 13 points, including a thundering dunk with 12 seconds to play that sealed the win. Carmelo Anthony, who is second in league scoring behind Bryant, also had 34 points while JR Smith added 25 and Raymond Felton with 10 were the only other Knicks to hit double figures for the Atlantic division leaders. The Boston Celtics had earlier kicked off the Christmas festivities with a feisty 93-76 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Centre. Rajon Rondo, who was ejected from an ill-tempered contest the last time the two teams clashed on November 28, scored a game high 19 points while adding six rebounds and five assists. Rookie Jared Sullinger chipped in with 16 points off the bench while Kevin Garnett added eight points and was a force on the boards pulling down 10 rebounds. “I think we are getting better, I think we're very, very close to becoming a good team but we're not there yet,”said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. — Reuters
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X-mas: Warne ditches Big Bash for Liz
Melbourne, December 26
The Stars captain and world's greatest leg-spinner was to be the star attraction for the sold-out crowd when the second-placed Strikers take on the third-placed Melbourne team from 7 pm. But instead of earning his 500,000 dollars-a-season Big Bash League salary, Warne will be spending holiday time with Liz in England. A press release sent by the Stars on Christmas Eve cited the reason of his no-show as "pre-existing commitments in the United Kingdom”. Warne also hinted that he wouldn’t be playing the game when he tweeted to wish Merry Christmas to everyone in Australia and New Zealand. But the SA Cricket Association declined to comment on the no-show. Meanwhile it is said that Cameron White will serve as acting skipper, before Warne's scheduled return for the Stars following match on January 3 against the Brisbane Heat.— Agencies
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Korobov stays in lead
New Delhi, December 26 On a day when Parimarjan Negi played out a draw with Radoslav Wojtaszek of Poland, Krishnan Sasikiran scored his first victory at the expense of out-of-sort Abhijeet Gupta. With just four rounds remaining in the tournament, Korobov remains in front with four points. —PTI |
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Man U sink Newcastle, City lose London, December 26 United went behind after four minutes to a James Perch goal and trailed three times but goals from Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra and Robin van Persie hauled them level before Hernandez raced on to Michael's Carrick's pass to clinch a thrilling victory. Former Manchester City winger Adam Johnson grabbed Sunderland's winner in the second half to leave City only four points above Chelsea who won 1-0 at Norwich City. In the race for the fourth place Everton registered 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park. West Bromwich Albion continued to impress with a 2-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers. QPR sunk to the bottom with 10 points after Reading’s draw to Swansea City. — Reuters
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Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels the failure of middle-order batsmen to capitalise on the good start provided by openers led to the five-wicket loss against Pakistan in the first Twenty20 encounter here.
Dhoni said India loss of wickets at regular intervals, after being in a strong position at 75 without loss in 10
overs, hurt the team badly.
