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Charge of the red
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Dhoni happy with India’s fielding
Individual contests in battle of familiar foes
India’s young gun Virat Kohli has a great record against Sri Lanka.
— File photo
Saina, Sai in round 2 of Singapore series
Indian men knocked out
Heat rally from brink to set up Game 7 decider
LeBron James led his team to a close win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the Finals on Tuesday. — AFP
Cycling coach’s peer remembers her for her dedication to the sport
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Charge of the red
brigade
London, June 19 South Africa were favourites heading into the tournament but limped through the group stage and have now bowed out in eight major international last-four clashes and won only one. England, not among the favourites going into cricket's second 50-over competition after losing a home one-day series to New Zealand, scored 179 for three to knock off the required runs in 37.3 overs and win by seven wickets with Jonathan Trott notching 82 not out. “It's what you want in a semi-final, it was a good toss to win but you've still got to execute those plans and it was an outstanding performance again,” England captain Alastair Cook said at the presentation ceremony. David Miller top-scored for South Africa with 56 not out as the Proteas lasted only 38.4 overs, Miller's ninth-wicket stand of 95 with Rory Kleinveldt (43) the only highlight. Making the most
“It hasn't swung conventionally but when it does Jimmy Anderson is the best in the world and that was an outstanding opening spell,” Cook said. Robin Peterson, again promoted up the order, tried to steady the ship with 30 but was trapped lbw by Anderson before captain De Villiers (nought) and JP Duminy (three) followed in quick succession. Spinner James Tredwell, continuing in the absence of the injured Graeme Swann, took his second wicket when Faf du Plessis (26) edged behind a cut shot with the ball barely spinning.
Proteas’ tail wags
Slip Trott expertly ran out Ryan McLaren for one after the batsman had advanced down the track to man of the match Tredwell, who took three for
19. South Africa, without injured fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, snared Cook for six and Ian Bell for 20 as they rotated bowlers almost every over early on. However, South Africa-born Trott settled well in his inimitably slow style, sparking a Mexican wave in the crowd. His cautious batting was criticised in the group-stage loss to Sri Lanka as an anathema in the modern explosive one-day game but his steadying presence was key to England's pursuit after a rocky start. Joe Root (48) was equally watchful as the sun threatened to break through and rumoured rain failed to materialise. South African fans were few and far between at the almost full Oval with many diehards aware of their terrible record in semi-finals having previously lost three in World Cups, three in Champions Trophies and one in a World Twenty20. They famously threw away a 1999 World Cup semi against Australia when a last-ball run out caused a tie and the mental scars appear to be deep with the 1998 Champions Trophy their only major success.
— Reuters Men who mattered Man of the match James Treadwell was given the award for his three-wicket haul. The off-spinner pinned the Proteas to the mat by demolishing their middle order. Matching the record England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler eqaulled the world record for most dismissals in an ODI innings by dismissing six South African batsmen. MS Dhoni, too, figures on the list.
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Dhoni happy with India’s fielding
Cardiff, June 19 Dhoni has focussed on youth and quicker legs right from the time he took over the One-day captaincy. He had told this writer immediately after taking over as captain of the Indian ODI team, when he was being accused of not wishing to retain Sourav Ganguly in the team: “You can be sure that the older players would give away some runs, though you can’t be equally certain that they would score runs. With the younger players we’d be equally uncertain about them scoring runs, but they definitely would save many.” Early last year, there was a controversy in Australia when Dhoni said that the trio of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir could not be accommodated in the playing XI because that would harm India’s fielding. “It might happen that they could play together, but it would affect our fielding in a big way,” he had said. “It's not only these three, there are quite a few other players who are also slow on the field. If you really add it up, you would have only two or three good fielders. These fielders are not bad but on these big fields, they are slightly on the slower side. They would be exploited once the ball goes to them.” Today, Dhoni was asked if he feels vindicated, though there had been controversy and criticism 18 months ago in Australia. Dhoni said, as he always does, that he really doesn’t wish to react to criticism in the media; that he’s focussed on playing the game and forming his team, and that he would do the things he things he must. Honesty is the key
“You have to be honest to yourself as to what needs to be done when it comes to looking into the future and making a good team because fielding I feel is very important, especially nowadays,” Dhoni said. “If the opposition is scoring 250-odd runs, and if you have saved 15 or 20 runs, it can have a big impact on the game,” he said today. “This was one aspect which was missing when it came to Indian cricket.” “We still had good fielders, but the problem is when you don't have too many good fielders, you can't use them at too many places, and also you have to keep switching them, especially in the last few overs,” he added. “So it has helped us that those two or three individuals don't need to go from deep mid-wicket to deep mid-wicket or long-off to long-off. It helps the over rate too, we have been able to maintain the over rate. It helps overall in every aspect.” |
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Champions
trophy Rohit Mahajan in England
Cardiff, June 19 Good news from the middle has interred those controversies; the team is the bookmaker’s favourite to win this tournament. Experts feel that India simply need to turn up and the opponent would probably just roll over. That’s a mistake MS Dhoni is not likely to commit. The Lankan batsmen, elegant and unorthodox, violent and serene, hold the key to their team’s fortunes. Two men are steering its course — Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Angelo Matthews goes to the toss, of course, but these are the two real captains of the team’s fortunes. Two other men are seen as critical to team’s chances.
Malinga probably has been afforded one final opportunity to redeem himself against India. His career average is 26.12 and economy rate 5.06; against India, though, these figures balloon to 40.88 and 6, respectively. Most of these matches (19 out of 28) were played in India and Sri Lanka, where conditions are difficult for the bowlers; but in neutral venues, mainly in Australia, he is not much better — the average is better (38.83) but the economy rate is worse (6.24). Malinga is a difficult customer -- slingy action, with the ball delivered with the arm close to parallel to the ground, make it difficult to pick his bounce. Yet, India have mastered him. MS Dhoni suggested today that familiarity with him —having played him in the IPL and ODIs so often in the recent past — has helped India. “I think it has to do with the fact that we play amongst each other a lot, so we see a lot of Malinga,” Dhoni said. “We understand him better, we play him in the subcontinental conditions where he gets a lot of reverse swing... I think it's all these small things that have really made that kind of an impact. But still he's one of the most difficult bowlers to score off freely, especially in the shorter format.”
The other man who’s been very important in India-Sri Lanka games in the recent past is Virat Kohli. Kohli has played 29 innings against Sri Lanka -- he averages 55.44, with that stunning 133* at Hobart last year, when India chased down Sri Lanka’s 320 in just 36.4 overs. In their warm-up match on June 1, Kohli made 144 off 120 balls as India overhauled Sri Lanka’s 333 in 49 overs. It’s a battle of familiar foes, and India hold the advantage in recent times — seven wins in 10 matches after the 2011 World Cup final, with only two defeats. As Dhoni said today, it would not be sensible to focus on individuals — but when individuals such as Malinga and Kohli, or Jayawardene or Sangakkara, are in involved, they hold great sway on the teams’ fortunes. For them to give full expression to their abilities and intent, the rain must stay away. Alas, it promises to be a constant companion at the cricket tomorrow, but the fans are hopeful that it would relent and allow even a partial match.
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Saina, Sai in round 2 of Singapore series
Singapore, June 19 Saina avenged her quarterfinal loss at the Thailand Open by Juan Gu with a comfortable straight-game win over the Singaporean. Quick work
The World No 2 Indian took 40 minutes to pack off world No 21 Juan with a scoreline of 21-14 23-21 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to record her fifth victory over the local player. The 23-year-old from Hyderabad will next take on Japanese Eriko Hirose, who holds a 3-2 record against the Indian. The world No 12 had spoilt Saina's All England campaign when she beat her in straight games in the quarterfinals in the 2011 edition. Saina surged ahead to a 5-1 lead initially but Juan clawed back with four straight points. However, the Indian didn't allow Juan much chance after that and successfully kept her at bay to earn the bragging rights. In the second game, Juan was impressive as she held a 10-5 lead early on but Saina bounced back to level par at 12-12. After a brief fight, Saina was successful in grabbing the lead at 19-16 but Juan didn't want to go down without a fight. The Singaporean produced a four-point burst to lead 20-19 but it was Saina who had the last laugh in the end. Sai Praneeth, world number 61, brushed aside the second seeded Yun 21-9 21-10 in a match that lasted 30 minutes. Praneeth will next take on the winner between RMV Gurusaidutt and Wei Feng Chong in the second
round. — PTI |
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Rotterdam, June 19 The Australians took the stuffing out of India in the first 35 minutes by scoring four goals — Glenn Simpson (2nd minute), Matt Gohdes (20th, Russell Ford (22nd) and an own goal by Sandeep Singh — while their fifth goal was scored by Matthew Swann in the 39th minute. Chinglensana Singh scored the consolation goal for India in the 21st minute. Ranked second in the world, the Australians started the 100th international fixture between the two sides as favourites against the 11th ranked Indians and they played according to their reputation by dominating the share of possession throughout the match. India will now play the loser of the last quarterfinal between Netherlands and France in the 5-8 classification matches on Friday.
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Heat rally from brink to set up Game 7 decider
Miami, June 19 Miami trailed by 13 points in the third quarter but LeBron James, ditching his trademark headband, turned on the afterburners to spark the fightback. San Antonio were not about to roll over under the weight of the onslaught, however, rallying to eke out a five-point lead with 28.2 seconds remaining. James cut the deficit with a vital three-pointer and San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard could only sink one of his two free throws to give Miami a glimmer of hope as they trailed by just three points in the closing seconds. Ray Allen then took centre stage, finding the basket with his first successful three-point attempt of the night with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Then, with the Heat trailing 100-97 in overtime, Allen and James were again decisive, sinking jump shots before San Antonio's Manu Ginobili turned the ball over while driving towards the basket. Former Boston Celtics Allen guard then completed a memorable performance by keeping his cool to drain two free throws to give Miami a three-point lead they would not relinquish. "It was by far the best game I've ever been a part of," said LeBron James.
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Cycling coach’s peer remembers her for her dedication to the sport
Patiala, June 19 Recalling the days spent with her during various camps, cycling coach of Punjabi University Mittarpal Singh said she was one of the most dedicated coaches he had ever come across and her death was a big loss to the Indian sports. “She was a very daring person, who never let her gender be a hindrance in her training. Where ever she went, she rode her own bike, even to the high altitude centre at Shilaru, Himachal Pradesh. With her, girl cyclists always felt secure. Unlike other (female coaches) who complained of inconvenience and shirked from attending far off camps and training, she was always willing to provide her services,” said Mittarpal Singh. — TNS
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Cardiff, June 19
Miami, June 19
England, who face India or Sri Lanka in Sunday's final, won the toss under overcast skies and soon had South Africa reeling at four for two after James Anderson and the returning Steven Finn removed Colin Ingram and Hashim Amla in their first overs.
The tail wagged as Kleinveldt hit an ODI best but paceman Stuart Broad dismissed him and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in successive balls to finish off the innings and end up with three for 50. The batsmen mainly had themselves to blame with England bowling well but not spectacularly as the white ball again failed to move significantly.
One of them, Lasith
Malinga, has been averse to training on the eve of the matches here. But
Malinga, determined to do well tomorrow, did the full nets today for the first time on match-eve, bowling his yorkers to his batsmen and, as is his habit, to only cricket boots placed at the
crease.
That’s true, though if Dhoni went through the figures, he’d be pleased that his batsmen haven’t done too badly against him, especially in the last five years, after the IPL came into being.
Pre-IPL, Malinga averaged 40.50 and had an economy rate of 5.73 against India in 10
ODIs; post-IPL, both figures are up to 41.04 and 6.12, respectively; but the strike rate has improved from a wicket every 42.4 balls to one every 40.2 balls now.
Malinga, the team’s talismanic bowler, must raise his game — and he seemed quite earnest in training today.
