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We take on India with no fear: Clarke
Arthur looks to past for inspiration
Buchanan not optimistic about Oz spinners
Seth, Mukesh take Route 67 to top
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Pistorius charged with murder, he says it was an accident
Ashbeer impresses with a 70
Indian eves record second win
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We take on India with no fear: Clarke
Chennai, February 19
Addressing a press-conference after the team's training session, Clarke said he has got a side which can achieve success in India. "We will not certainly be intimated by the player whom we are playing against. We need to have success from every single delivery that we face. We have got a good squad, we have got plenty of good choices in spin, batting and fielding," Clarke said. "I do not think that we can look too much into how India is going to play and what conditions will suit them best. In Indian conditions the ball spins as the pitch deteriorates and also has variations and bounces as well. I think the reverse swing is also very important. But, as I said we have the capability to do well in India," he said. He refused the take the bait on Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's remarks that the home side would win the series 4-0 nor dwell on the recent poor results of MS Dhoni and his men. "India is a fantastic cricket team, even better around their back yards. So, the focus of the Australian team is not on Indian team but completely on us to make sure that we are well prepared as we can be. Make sure that we do the right things to play the brand of cricket that we want to play," said Clarke when asked if India would be under pressure after their recent loss at home against England. "We take a lot of confidence out of the Australian summer and we competed really well against South Africa, the number one Test team in world. We beat Sri Lanka in a most recent Test series. The guys are full of confidence and looking forward to the challenges," he said. On Harbhajan's remarks, Clarke simply said, "It is nice to see him back in the squad. He is a wonderful player and a very competitive cricketer and loves challenge of playing against any opposition, especially Australia. I think he is a very good bowler and we have to play well to make sure he does not have too much effect on the series.” Asked about his players' failure against spin in the practice games, Clarke said the slow bowlers got more wickets as they bowled more. "At the end of day you have to get out to somebody. The more overs that somebody bowls, he will take more wickets. The spinners' bowled a lot of overs and they got lot of wickets. Moreover, the conditions would be different in the Test match compared to what was there in the practice game," he said. He disagreed with the view that his side would struggle in the absence of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in tough Indian conditions and said he would look forward to leading from the front. "No doubt, it's a challenge but I don't think it's any bigger as Ricky and Hussey are not here. It's an opportunity for a couple of senior members of the team to stand up. Our boys have been training hard. My main focus is to make sure for us to be well prepared as we can be.” — PTI
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Arthur looks to past for inspiration
Chennai, February 19 “I was here for South Africa as its coach for the tour before and the result was one-all. We played in Chennai and actually drew the game here. I would like to draw the experience of it and share with the Australian team,” said Arthur here today. “But, we got our own brand and hopefully we will ensure our success during the next six weeks,” he added. Arthur said it was a positive sign that his players had batted well while following on against the India-A team during their last practice game. “It is a very positive sign ahead of the first Test as Michael (Clarke) said that batters have worked extremely hard against spin. We have come here pretty early. I am very comfortable with the way they played the spinners yesterday and in the later session.” Asked how well was he has been combining with captain Clarke, Arthur said, “Combining with Michael has never been difficult at all. We keep bouncing a lot of each other. The coach-captain relationship is almost like a marriage. You are really on the same page and the players support you what exactly you want to do. Michael and myself have excellent relationship.” — PTI
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Buchanan not optimistic about Oz spinners
Sydney, February 19 “You don’t take spinners just for the sake of taking a spinner. Indians are so used to playing spin bowling there is no guarantee that they are going to make an impact in the series,” Buchanan said. The 59-year-old former cricketer feels Australia has a good bowling unit but they need to adjust to the conditions in the subcontinent. “I do think it’s a good pace attack; it depends how it adapts to the conditions it’s about to face,” he said. Buchanan, who is currently New Zealand director of cricket, said: “They’re going to India now in February/March. That makes a difference as well because some of the wickets still provide a little bit of bounce and pace at the start of the summer, whereas potentially by this time of their season wickets have been subjected to plenty of heat and plenty of wear and possibly the ability for pace bowlers to extract good pace and bounce are limited.” “It really means that the pace bowlers have really got to look at their strategies with an old ball and what they can do with that,” Buchanan added. Yuvi lauds Bhajji
Mumbai: Ignored by the selectors for the first two Tests against Australia, middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh today said the upcoming four-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on Friday will be a “good” contest. He welcomed the inclusion of his Punjab team-mate Harbhajan Singh in the Test squad and said it would be a great feat if the senior off-spinner plays his 100th Test. “I think it’s a great achievement. Bhajji has been a great bowler for India. He is someone who is also contributing with the bat, so I am really happy for Harbhajan and I hope he does well in this series,” said the 31-year-old left handed batsman and occasional spin bowler. Asked to compare the captaincy styles of the two rival skippers MS Dhoni and Michael Clarke, Yuvraj said, “I never played under Clarke’s captaincy. But he is a good player and is leading Australia. So, I am sure he has good captaincy experience.” On his own fitness Yuvraj, who has recovered from a rare germ cell cancer, said there are no issues now. “Post my return (to cricket) it has been great. I have been training hard for the last six-eight months. Its been a year since my treatment. I am much fitter. I have lost 12-13 kgs and I am really peaking well in fitness and hopefully, in the next couple of months, work a little hard and get super fit.” — PTI |
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Seth, Mukesh take Route 67 to top
Chandigarh, February 19 Seth had a tally of seven birdies and two bogeys in his round. He had begun well, birdying the second, fifth, sixth and seventh holes. He sank a 25-footer on the fifth and landed his third shot within five feet on the seventh. Later, he found the trees on the 10th hole but hit a brilliant second shot to grab another birdie. With other conversions from 10 feet, he picked up strokes on the 13th and 16th holes. Mukesh, 47, posted a bogey-free 67 to join Seth at the top. Mukesh sank a 20-footer for birdie on the fourth and then on the second, ninth and 16th holes. Mukesh ended the day on a high with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th. Ashbeer Saini, Ranjit Singh, Shamim Khan, Feroz Ali Mollah, M Dharma and Abhinav Lohan had a six-way tie for third place at two-under-70. Defending champion Harendra Gupta and Rajinder returned scores of 71, tied ninth along with Noida’s Arjun Singh Chaudhri, Sri Lankan K Prabagaran, Deepinder Singh Kullar of Gurgaon, Khalin Joshi of Bangalore and Siddharth Semwal from Delhi. Jeev Milkha Singh, taking a break here, visited the venue and shared his experiences with the rookies. “It’s great to see that the game is witnessing such a good response from youngsters. I just advised them to work hard, stay focused,” he said.
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Pistorius charged with murder, he says it was an accident
Pretoria, February 19 Reeva Steenkamp, a 30-year-old law graduate and model, died after being hit by three rounds from a 9-mm pistol, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said. Pistorius, 26, wept uncontrollably in court as Nel outlined details of a shooting that has stunned South Africa and the millions around the world who saw the double amputee’s track glory as the ultimate tale of triumph over adversity. Later, in an affidavit read out by defence lawyer Barry Roux, Pistorius said he had been “deeply in love” with Steenkamp, whom he had been dating since November, and had no intention of killing her. Having had previous death threats, Pistorius said he slept with a 9-mm pistol under his bed in his plush Pretoria home in the heart of a well-secured gated community. He and Steenkamp went to sleep on Wednesday night - the eve of Valentine’s Day - shortly after 10 p.m., he said. However, in the middle of the night, he awoke in pitch darkness and thought an intruder had climbed through the window of his bathroom, Pistorius said. He climbed out of bed without putting on his prosthetic legs and went towards the closed bathroom door, not realising Steenkamp was behind it, he said. He fired several shots into the door, before shouting to Steenkamp to call the police. Realising she was not in bed, he grabbed a cricket bat to beat down the bathroom door and found her slumped on the floor. “I am absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva,” he said in the affidavit. As Roux read the statement, Pistorius was crying uncontrollably, and magistrate Desmond Nair had to halt proceedings for several minutes. “You need to concentrate on what’s going on,” he told him. Nearly 1,000 km away, on South Africa’s southern coast, scores of mourners gathered in the city of Port Elizabeth for Steenkamp’s funeral. Amid the grief, there was little sympathy for Pistorius. “She was an angel. She was so soft, so innocent. Such a lovely person. It’s just sad that this could happen to somebody so good,” said Gavin Venter, an ex-jockey who worked for Steenkamp’s father. “I’m disgusted with what he did. He must be dealt with harshly,” he added, shortly before Steenkamp’s cremation in the windswept Victoria Park Crematorium. “Without a doubt he’s a danger to the public. He’ll be a danger to witnesses. He must stay in jail.” Before Pistorius’ dramatic testimony, Nel, the lead prosecutor at the hearing, painted a picture of premeditated killing — a crime that carries a life sentence in South Africa. “If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated,” he said. “The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven metres and I kill. The motive is ‘I want to kill’. That’s it,” he added. “This deceased was in a 1.4 by 1.14 metre little room. She could go nowhere. It must have been horrific.” The arrest of Pistorius stunned the millions who had watched in awe last year as the sprinter reached the semifinal of the 400 metres in the London Olympics. — Reuters
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Ashbeer impresses with a 70
Chandigarh, February 19 Saini earned his playing rights for the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) through the Tour’s Qualifying School which was held in Kolkota last December. Ranked as the country’s top golfer as a junior, Ashbeer is no alien to success in sport. His uncle, Baljeet Singh Saini, is a former hockey Olympian while his father has also represented India internationally in hockey. “ It’s a long story but I started out as a hockey player and that was what I wanted to do. However, my father played golf with Gaganjeet Bhullar’s father and one day I just joined them to try my hand at the game,” says Ashbeer. “Gaganjeet’s father told my father to change my line of sport and forget about hockey. he told him instead to make me play golf. So it’s thanks to him that I started playing golf.” “My father did everything to encourage me and I have also been helped along the way by my coach Jesse Grewal, who has taught me all about the game,” he adds. One of 19 professionals to receive his tour badge yesterday, Ashbeer has won just one amateur tournament, the East India Open Amateur Golf Championship, “following which I decided to turn pro,” he says. Playing his first tournament as a professional Ashbeer also impressed his playing partner Gaurav Ghei. “Ashbeer is definitely a player to watch out for in the future,” predicts Gaurav. Ashbeer hails from Kapurthala, also the home course of Gaganjeet Bhullar who has already gained recognition on the PGTI and Asian Tours. “Ashbeer has a very mature head on his young shoulders. He not only hits the ball long but also has a very good short-game, which is an added advantage,” Ghei says. “One gets to see glimpses of Gaganjeet Bhullar in Saini’s playing style since the latter has modeled his game on the former,” adds Ghei, who has a vast experience as a professional golfer and has won numerous titles in his career. Ashbeer is not worried about comparisons with Bhullar. “We play together everyday when Gaganjeet is in town and I like to watch him and learn whatever I can,” says Ashbeer. “I too hope that I can win tournaments on the PGTI Tour and eventually play on the Asian Tour and on the PGA Tour,” says the youngster. “Like any other professional I would like to play the sport at the highest level,” he adds.
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Indian eves record second win
New Delhi, February 19 Though the Malaysian girls ran the hosts close, their inability to translate chances into goals enabled India to race to victory. After Malaysia muffed a penalty corner in the second minute when Norbini Hashmi’s hard strike went wide, India pressed hard, and earned their first penalty corner in the ninth minute which was cleanly swept by the tall Joydeep Kaur before Vandana Kataria deflected it in. After the goal, India were lucky to survive the Malaysian assaults twice when Nor Azlin Sumantri drove out with goalkeeper Yogita Bali out of position. A minute later, Nurul Nabihan Mansor worked her way into the dee, only to slam wide. Joydeep’s sweep off the second penalty corner in the 27th minute was blocked by rival custodian Farah Ayuni Yahya as the hosts broke for the interval with a slender one-goal lead.
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Australian captain Michael Clarke sought to dismiss talks of his side's vulnerability against spin bowling, saying they would not be intimidated by the home team's slow bowlers in the high-profile Test series starting here on Friday.
“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius put on his artificial legs and walked across his bedroom before firing four shots through a locked bathroom door, killing his cowering girlfriend in cold blood, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
