|
|
|
|
|
Gambhir’s absence is good for Australia: Hayden
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
McCullum steers Kiwis to victory
Indians go for grind for second day in row
Australia Eves emerge champs for sixth time
Clinical South Africa seal series win
Police find bloodied cricket bat at Oscar’s home: Report
La Liga: Messi scores 300th goal for Barca
Peaks of Adventure
|
|||||||||
|
warm-up game
Chennai, February 17 In reply, the visitors, riding on Shane Watson's 84, reached 131 for four at stumps on a day when play started more than two hours from the scheduled time due to wet outfield. Matthew Wade (3) and Moises Henriques (0) were at the crease at the end of day's play. Tiwary struck 129 off 187 balls, finding the fence 18 times and cleared it thrice. Tiwary is not in the 15-man squad selected for the first two Tests but this performance will remind the selectors that he is in form, having fully recovered from the injury he suffered in the middle of the Ranji season last December. India A would have liked to score a few more runs considering that they were 338 for four at stumps on the opening day, and with Tiwary in good nick, that was definitely a possibility. However, after going wicket-less on the opening day, off-break bowler Nathan Lyon and promising 19-year-old left-arm spinner Ashton Agar grabbed five wickets between them to stop the India A team around the 450-mark at the Guru Nanak College Ground. Barring Tiwary and, to an extent, Jalaj Saxena, the others could not make substantial contributions, though Rakesh Dhurv made a breezy 21 off 18 balls with the help of three sixes. Saxena, during his unbeaten knock of 30 off 106 balls, hit three fours, while Muralidharen Gautam, who was overnight unbeaten on 34, could add just four runs to his name. The Tamil Nadu's batsman's 38 came off 68 balls and included six boundaries. Before his dismissal, Tiwary added 74 for the fifth wicket with Gautam, and another 76 for the sixth wicket with Saxena. It must be mentioned that Tiwary had scored 93 when India A had played England in a warm-up match last year. Starting at a healthy total, India A lost Gautam early, caught behind off Peter Siddle for the pacer's first wicket of the match. One half-century partnership was followed by another, between Tiwary and Saxena, before the centurion was sent back by Lyon, dealing a blow to the hosts' chance of crossing the 500 mark. After a few lusty blows, Dhruv fell to Agar after being caught by Usman Khwaja. The tail enders did not last long as India A were all out in 128.4 overs. Agar picked up three for 107 while there were two wickets for Lyon. Left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty also finished with three wickets, but all of them came yesterday. When their turn to bat came, Watson and Ed Cowan (40) looked at ease against India A bowlers, scoring runs freely and, at a healthy rate. None of the host bowlers could trouble the Australian openers, who reduced the deficit to under 350 before Dhurv had Cowan trapped in front of the wicket. Cowan's dismissal triggered a collapse that saw the visitors losing three more wickets, including the important one of Watson, who scored 84 off 87 balls with 13 fours and a six. Phillip Hughes (1) and Usman Khwaja (1) both flopped. Earlier, Gautam Gambhir replied in the best possible manner by hitting a sparkling century as he guided India A to a comfortable 338/4 against Australia on the opening day of their second and final warm-up game.
— PTI Scoreboard India A 1st innings Gambhir c Watson b Henriques 112 Jiwanjot c Watson b Doherty 24 Rohit c Wade b Doherty 77 Tiwary c Doherty b Lyon 129 Abhishek c Cowan b Doherty 4 Gautam c Wade b Siddle 38 Jalaj not out 30 Dhurv c Khawaja b Agar 21 Vinay c Cowan b Agar 0 Gony c Hughes b Agar 2 Kulkarni c Cowan b Lyon 1 Extras: 13 Total: (all out in 128.4 ov) 451 Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-195, 3-266, 4-272, 5-346, 6-422, 7-446, 8-446, 9-450, 10-451 Bowling Starc 20-6-44-0 Siddle 18-5-40-1 Henriques 16-4-30-1 Lyon 30.4-5-113-2 Doherty 24-2-108-3 Agar 20-2-107-3 Australians 1st innings Watson c Gautam b Dhurv 84 Cowan lbw b Dhurv 40 Hughes st Gautam b Jalaj 1 Khawaja b Jalaj S Saxena 1 Wade not out 3 Henriques not out 0 Extras: 2 Total: (4 wkts in 36 ov) 131 Fall of wickets: 1-116, 2-117, 3-127, 4-127 Bowling Vinay 4-1-8-0 Dhawal 5-0-26-0 Gony 4-0-37-0 Nayar 6-0-27-0 Dhruv 9-2-19-2 Jalaj 8-4-14-2
|
|
Gambhir’s absence is good for Australia: Hayden
Melbourne, February 17 "The fact that India has dropped Gautam Gambhir is a positive step for Australia," Hayden said about the diminutive left-hander, who struck a century for India A against Australia in a warm-up game yesterday. "He always rallied when playing Australia and that combination of Virender Sehwag and Gambhir was a very potent one. Gambhir relishes niggle and returning fire. It was a big surprise they left him out," he was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph. Hayden, who turned out to be a nightmare for the Indian spinners during the 2001 series, came up with a list of dos and don'ts for the touring Australian contingent in order to achieve success on Indian soil. He gave advice to the Australian batsmen on how to tackle the turning ball on Indian pitches. "Going to India, there is always a big mention of their spinners. I don't think we should buy into that too much. It's a spinning ball, it's not like it is coming down on you at 165km/h," said Hayden, who made an incredible 549 runs at an average of 110 during the 2001 tour of India. "There is way too much made of various strategies; you can't be thinking you have to go there and change your game. You have to have invested the time to come up with a few scoring options. You just can't sit there and wait for a spinner to dominate you," Hayden said. “The successful method is not the same for everyone. My strategy was to come forward - more of a height thing. Being so tall, my obvious advantage was my reach. It allowed me to smoother spin. I could play straight down the ground and the sweep shot as well," he added. Hayden feels India's choice of venue for the first Test of the four-match series was strategic. "Australia will be playing on pitches with two different soil types. They will start on the red soil in Chennai then black soil in the other three Tests. Red soil pitches provide real spinning conditions, so the choice of venue for the first Test is probably strategic. "India will try to get off to a flyer, and then they will go to more benign conditions where they will try to drown us in some ways," he said. Appreciating the diverse culture of India, the burly opener also asked his countrymen to explore the nation during the tour. "Some of the great experiences I have had on tours were with friends outside the Australian touring party. You have to embrace the Indian experience," Hayden said. Warner doubtful for first Test due to thumb injury
Australian opener David Warner seems to be in doubt for the first cricket Test against India after national selector John Inverarity revealed that there is "some concern" regarding the batsman's recovery from a thumb fracture ahead of the match. “David's thumb has improved in the last couple of days, he wasn't fit enough to play in this game, he had some throw-downs yesterday with a cricket ball, and we're hoping his fitness improves a great deal in the next couple of days so he comes into contention," Inverarity told 'ABC Radio' on Sunday. Warner sat out of the ongoing three-day practice match against India A along with skipper Michael Clarke, who is nursing a strained hamstring. “We won't make a decision on that until a few days out from the Test," Inverarity said. In case Warner is ruled out, all-rounder Shane Watson could be elevated to the opening slot with Ed Cowan.
— PTI |
|
McCullum steers Kiwis to victory
Hamilton, February 17
With two players injured, they needed 41 runs off the last 25 balls with effectively one wicket in hand. But Guptill, who had earlier retired with a hamstring strain when he had three runs to his name, hobbled out of the tunnel to provide a vital boost. With limited mobility, he stood his ground and clouted four fours and a six while McCullum continued to blaze away at the other end to get New Zealand home with seven balls to spare. Guptill finished on 27 with 24 of his runs coming from the 10 deliveries he faced on his return to the crease. McCullum, who pulled New Zealand into contention after they slipped well behind the required run rate in the early stages of their innings, was unbeaten on 69 from 61 deliveries. The win was New Zealand's fifth consecutive ODI victory over England and put them 1-0 up in the three-match series. England, sent into bat first, produced a carefully crafted start to their innings and were poised for a final onslaught when they reached 220 for four in the 44th over. But when the big hitting was required, England lost their last six wickets for 38 runs in the space of 37 deliveries. Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and Joe Root, who all missed the recently concluded Twenty20 series won by England 2-1, were the chief architects of the solid start to the innings. After Alastair Cook, Bell and Trott put on 84 run partnership.
— PTI |
|
Indians go for grind for second day in row
Tailenders Ishant Sharma and Ashok Dinda also batted with remarkable seriousness at the nets at National Cricket Academy here facing out-of-system young bowlers. The duo batted for 45 minutes in turns apparently reflecting Indian team's earnestness to help the tailenders improve their batting. Harbhajan, who could play in his 100th Test in the series against his favourite opposition side, spent considerable time bowling at the top order batsmen at the Chinnaswany Stadium ground. Later, he worked on his bowling at the NCA along with Team India bowling coach Joe Dawes for nearly an hour. He had long chats with Joe, who was a fast bowler in his heydays. Harbhajan, who has 408 wickets in his bag in 99 Tests, is looking to join the select club of 100-Test players if he is picked in any match of the series. After spending nearly three hours on fielding drill in the morning session, the Indian team concentrated on batting and bowling in the afternoon session lasting two hours. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men will end their three-day training camp tomorrow. Yesterday, they had two separate practice sessions which lasted five-and-a-half hours in to Today, the Indian players arrived at the ground around 2 pm clad in their blue practice outfits. Dhoni, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Chesteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and R Ashwin had batting practice in the afternoon session which lasted for two hours. Seamers Ishant, Dinda and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled short spells, but spinners Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha rolled their arms for most part of the session. In the morning session which lasted for three hours, Indian players went through a high-intensity training session with the main focus on fielding drills. With a pleasant weather prevailing in the city, the Indian players went through a rigours fielding session at the Stadium. As soon as the players arrived at the ground, they went through the customary loosening exercises which set the stage for an arduous fielding session for the next three hours.The players, young and experienced, showed zeal and energy during the fielding session. They had close-in and boundary catching practice in three separate batches under the charge of coach Duncan Fletcher, fielding coach Trevor Penny and bowling coach Joe Dawes. The players also had run-out drills.
— PTI |
|
Australia Eves emerge champs for sixth time Mumbai, February 17 Needing 260 to win, the Caribbeans were bundled out for 145 runs in 43.1 overs, miserably failing to recover from Elysse Perry's early three-wicket burst. Batting first, Australia rode on Jessica Cameron's quick-fire 75 and a half-century by Rachael Haynes to post a challenging 259 for seven. Cameron's almost run-a-ball knock, which was studded with eight fours and two sixes, coupled with some lacklustre fielding by the Windies, allowed the five-time champions to record the highest ever total in a final. The previous best was 215 for four by the same side in 2005 against India. The pacer struggled to get her run up right twice for her first delivery but drew first blood when she trapped Kycia Knight leg before in the last ball of her first over. She then struck in her second and third over to get rid off Stafanie Taylor and opener Natasha Mclean.
— PTI Scoreboard Australia Meghann c Kyshona b Taylor 31 Rachael c Kyshona b Qunityne 52 Jessica c Kyshona b Daley 75 Alexandra c Aguilleira b Smartt 3 Lisa c Campbelle b Qunityne 12 Sarah c Daley b Qunityne 7 Jodie not out 36 Erin c Qunityne b Mohammed 7 Elysse not out 25 Extras: 11 Total: (7 wkts in 50 ov) 259 Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-116, 3-126, 4-181, 5-187, 6-190, 7-209 Bowling Shanel 10-0-43-1 Tremayne 5-0-43-1 Stafanie 9-1-44-1 Shaquana 10-1-27-3 Anisa 10-0-61-1 Kyshona 3-0-23-0 Shemaine 3-0-15-0 West Indies Kycia lbw Perry 17 Natasha lbw Perry 13 Stafanie c & b Perry 5 Kyshona not out 21 Merissa b Sthalekar 23 Deandra b Sthalekar 22 Shemaine c Lanning b Schutt 11 Shanel c & b Schutt 2 Shaquana c Blackwell b Osborne 2 Anisa c Schutt b Osborne 14 Tremayne c Sthalekar b Hunter 0 Extras: 15 Total: (all out in 43.1 ov) 145 Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-38, 3-41, 4-88, 5-109, 6-109, 7-114, 8-114, 9-141 Bowling Megan 10-2-38-2 Julie 4.1-0-18-1 Lisa 10-3-20-2 Elysse 10-3-19-3 Erin 7-2-26-2 Sarah 2-0-15-0
|
|
Clinical South Africa seal series win
Cape town, February 17 Excellent bowling in the morning session was backed up with steady batting under the hot sun as they chased down a victory target of 182. South Africa now lead the three-match series 2-0 with one match remaining in Centurion starting on Feb. 22. Hashim Amla anchored their chase with an enterprising 58 from 96 balls that drained the belief from the Pakistan bowlers. The tourists picked up some late wickets to allow spinner Saeed Ajmal to record match figures of 10 for 147, but by then the game was lost. Having bowled Pakistan out for 169 in their second innings, the home side lost the early wicket of Alviro Petersen lbw to Umar Gul for one.
— Reuters Scoreboard (second test) Pak 1st inngs 338 SA 1st inngs 326 Pak 2nd inngs (100-3 overnight) Hafeez lbw b Steyn 0 Jamshed lbw b Philander 0 Ali c de Villiers b Philander 65 Younus b Steyn 14 Misbah c Smith b Peterson 44 Asad b Philander 19 Sarfraz b Peterson 5 Tanvir not out 10 Umar c Petersen b Philander 0 Ajmal b Peterson 4 Irfan c Petersen b Steyn 2 Extras: 6 Total: (all out, 75.3 ov) 169 Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-7 3-45 4-114 5-147 6-152 7-152 8-152 9-158 10-169 Bowling Steyn 18.3-5-38-3 Philander 19-6-40-4 Morkel 3.1-0-8-0 Peterson 29-8-73-3 Kallis 5.5-2-8-0 South Africa 2nd inngs Petersen lbw b Gul 1 Smith lbw b Ajmal 29 Amla b Ajmal 58 Kallis lbw b Ajmal 21 AB c Sarfraz b Ahmed 36 du Plessis lbw b Ajmal 15 Elgar not out 11 Peterson not out 1 Extras: 10 Total: (6 wkts, 43.1 ovs) 182 Fall of wickets: 1-10 2-63 3-88 4-150 5-168 6-180 Bowling Irfan 10-1-35-0 Gul 8-0-46-1, Ajmal 18.1-2-51-4 Hafeez 2-1-11-0 Tanvir 5-0-34-1
|
|
Police find bloodied cricket bat at Oscar’s home: Report
The star Olympian and Paralympian athlete was charged on Friday with the murder of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead at his luxury Pretoria home in a case that has gripped the world. Police sources close to the investigation told the independent City Press newspaper that Steenkamp's skull had been "crushed". "There was lots of blood on the bat," one source told the paper. Police are investigating whether the bat was used to assault Steenkamp, who was shot four times in the early hours of Thursday, or if she used it to defend herself. Police have dismissed initial suggestions that Pistorius, 26, could have mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder, and City Press said she was wearing a nightie at the time of the killing. "The suspicion is that the first shot, in the bedroom, hit her in the hip. She then ran and hid herself in the toilet... He fire three more shots," a police source told City Press. Pistorius -- a national icon who inspired people around the world when he became the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the Olympic Games last year -- is spending the weekend in a police cell after being charged with murder. He is due to apply for bail at a new court hearing on Tuesday, the same day a memorial service will be held for his slain girlfriend. Pistorius, who had been going out with Steenkamp since late last year, faces a life sentence if convicted of premeditated murder, as alleged by state prosecutors. His family have indicated that the star athlete, who broke down sobbing during his initial court appearance on Friday, would plead not guilty. "We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all," his uncle Arnold Pistorius said in a statement on Saturday.
— Reuters |
|
La Liga: Messi scores 300th goal for Barca
Madrid, February 17 And soon after the Argentine had his 301st goal for the Catalans as he curled home a sumptuous free-kick to extend Barca's lead at the top to 15 points over Atletico Madrid. Barca assistant manager Jordi Roura had taken the opportunity to rest Andres Iniesta ahead their Champions League tie with AC Milan in midweek, whilst Xavi was again missing through injury. But despite being without either of their two midfield metronomes Barca started brightly. Messi was unsurprisingly to the fore and he slipped in Alexis Sanchez after just five minutes but the Chilean's heavy touch allowed Tono in the Granada goal to collect. Thiago then headed over and Messi nearly connected with Cesc Fabregas' knockdown at the end of a wonderful move as Barce continued to dominate, but they were rocked when Granada took the lead on 26 minutes. Carlos Aranda's excellent cross to the back post was knocked back across goal by Guilherme Siqueira and Ighalo couldn't miss when presented with an open goal five yards out. Adriano fired just wide and Messi had a free-kick well held by Tono as the visitors instantly went in search of an equaliser. — Reuters |
|
Peaks of Adventure
Such is the craze of witnessing snowfall that tourists from as far as the country's southern-most tip get easily befooled by the more-than-shrewd shopkeeper at Palchan, 8 km from Manali. All that the wily trader needs is to blabber rote warnings about the exigencies during a snowfall. If a smart Alec refuses to buy an argument, the shopkeepers sound warning bells about weather's fickle nature, and the matter is resolved. No more questions asked, no more explanations sought. They simply make hay while the snow falls. It is this lure of adventure and the accompanying risks that businessmen in and around Manali harness during the winter season and all round the year. However, with four snowfalls this season, fortunately they haven't felt the need to slip fast ones. And why not, for where in India will you find natural beauty embellished with adventure tourism. Skiing, Zorbing, river-rafting, rappelling, rock climbing, paragliding, mountaineering and trekking. You name it and they have it. Winter Games Federation of India secretary general Roshan Lal Thakur said, “ With no government job opportunities here, localites have taken to adventure sports and it is doing quite well here. Though it is seasonal, there are lots of other activities that go on around the year. Paragliding, zorbing, river-rafting are a big draw with tourists here. Interestingly, the tourist in Himachal Pradesh are low budget tourists and Manali provides them all the fun-filled activities at very rates. Palchan, a village on the Manali-Rohtang-Leh national highway, has uncountable makeshift shops that give snow suits, skiies, snow boots and other skiing-related equipment on rent. Varsha Thakur,an international level skier who has represented India many times said, “ Winters is a season we await whole year as it gives us the opportunity to train in slopes in the nearby region. There are very few opportunities to learn skiing in India and Manali is one such place where one can learn the sport at very reasonable prices.” ZORBING
Zorbing (globe-riding, sphereing, orbing) is a recreation sport in which spotrs lovers roll downhill inside an orb, made of transparent plastic. Zorbing is generally done on a gentle slope, and Manali and Solang valley provide perfect setting to this unique sport. Organizers change somewhere around Rs 500 for a trip as short as 100-150m. The sport was introduced in the region in 2002 after following it's huge success in New Zealand. There are two types of orbs, harnessed and non-harnessed. Non-harness orbs carry up to three riders, while the harness orbs are constructed for one to two riders. Double-harness spheres have different slope requirements, and must only be operated in specific locations. |
|||||
Messi scores 300th goal for Barcelona Juventus suffer 1-0 shock loss at AS Roma World Hockey League Rd 2 Anand jumps to joint lead in Grenke Classic
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Bangalore, February 17
Australian pace spearhead Perry, who was back in the side after suffering an ankle injury, ripped through the West Indies top-order and had them reeling at 41 for three.
Johannesburg, February 17
The sun overhead could be scorching and it might be getting stifling in your pullover, the bonnet of your SUV may be burning hot, and chances of snowfall may be bleak, but you will still get to see enthusiastic tourists wearing snowsuits and snow boots while on their way to Rohtang Pass.
