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Shami has all the weapons of pace
Coach Badruddin Siddique has high hopes from his ward
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ranji trophy
Indian eves bag silver in Asian Champions Trophy
Federer sets up semifinal clash with Nadal
State Rural Games
Siddikur maintains lead after Round Three
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Shami has all the weapons of pace
Kolkata, November 9 Then, he works up a decent pace — 140kmph isn’t frighteningly fast, but it’ll do if you bowl the right line and length. That brings us to his accuracy — his bowling length has been the talking point over the past few days. He keeps the ball just short of a good length and regularly hits the stumps right at the top — which means that the ball is just too short to be driven, but not too short to miss the stumps, at least on Indian wickets. Six of his nine victims here were bowled, one was LBW. He’s got a good yorker and a useful bouncer — he hasn’t overdone it over the last few matches, Test and ODIs, for India. Finally, he’s got this ability to swing the ball both in and out; he’s also bowled very effective reverse-swing in Kolkata. When he combined reverse-swing and movement off the seam, he looked unplayable yesterday. It’s was a good beginning in Tests — 9/118, the best match figures by a debutant Indian quick bowler in Test cricket. Among Indians, only Javagal Srinath and Kapil Dev have better figures in all Tests. His figures were made more flattering by West Indies, who didn’t have the temperament or a plan to handle his reverse-swing and seam movement. They didn’t try to adapt, they tried to only hit their way out of trouble. Traditionally, reverse swing has been produced best with fuller deliveries; Shami, though, kept a shorter length through the match. “The difference between our bowlers and Shami was the length. He was bowling the ball into the pitch, bowling wicket-to-wicket,” West Indies captain Darren Sammy said. “When he was reversing into the right-hander, he started on a good length, outside the off stump, hitting the stumps. Our bowlers were bowling it full, under the bat, or short.” “When reverse swing came into play, I think nobody knew how to play it or what it was all about," added R Ashwin said. "Maybe it's about watching out for the reverse swing and playing it late. I think that's how reverse swing needs to be played. But definitely, what happens with the reverse swing is that once you get excited and bowl fuller, it becomes easier for the batsmen. What Shami did do with [Marlon] Samuels and a few other batsmen was brilliant. He hit the deck, and got to move it off the seam as well. He bowled brilliantly.” "I think it was a disciplined bowling performance," skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "Shami was fantastic. Most of the fast bowlers got reverse swing, but his line and length was key. He got the right length and that's why I think he got nine wickets in this game." "You need a bit of pace to dominate. You can get a bit of reverse swing, and he's got very good seam positioning which means he can reverse the ball away from the right-handed batsmen,” the captain said. “So on wickets that have a bit more bounce, I think he will be even more effective with the ball going both ways. We're all very happy with the performance.” ‘Shami’s line, length key’ Shami was fantastic. Most of the fast bowlers got reverse swing, but his line and length was key. He got the right length and that's why I think he got nine wickets. You need a bit of pace to dominate. You can get a bit of reverse swing, and he's got very good seam positioning which means he can reverse the ball away from the right-handers — MS Dhoni
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Coach Badruddin Siddique has high hopes from his ward
Kolkata: The best thing about Shami is that his run-up is so smooth. It came naturally to him. In his village, he was known to be strong and quick on his legs. He ran well naturally when he first came to me. There was a problem with his stepping in the run-up, though, and we worked on that. He’s quite fit, too.
He comes from a rural background and you know that you’re more likely to have a cleaner environment and better, purer food there. But he worked hard on his physique. He used to play with a tennis ball, would leave home in the morning and play and run around the whole day. You must have noticed that despite bowling at 140kmph, he did not seem tired even after bowling five-seven overs. When he came to me, we had a schedule for him — get up early and start around 6.30, beginning with some running and bowling. He’d do the same in the evening, some running and bowling. He’d also work out in the gym for 45-odd minutes. To bowl fast, you need a good rhythm and a smooth action. He had that, but he had trouble swinging the ball in early on. His arm was not going right, his bowling hand was not finishing the right way. Now it’s fine. He was telling me the other day that the spike of his shoe was coming off often — this is because now the way he’s bowling for swing, much of his body weight is falling on his right foot and thus the spike is coming off. It’s just the beginning and there’s a long way to go yet. But I think he’s not going to stop, he’s going to do well for India in the future. I think pitches in South Africa, where there is more bounce, are going to be even more helpful for him. I think he’ll be more effective in
there. — As told to Rohit Mahajan |
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West Indies batsmen thwart CAB’s grandiose plans
Kolkata, November 9 Shane Shillingford was the only one who deviated from the script on the second morning. They batted like reckless cavaliers, lasting a total of just 132 overs in two innings. This meant that several plans of the Cricket Association of Bengal to honour Sachin Tendulkar on the fourth and fifth days of the Test match had to be cancelled — no showering of 199 kgs of rose petals, for instance. Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan were to be there to honour him. An aircraft was to hover over the ground and shower down 199 kgs of rose petals. Brian Lara was to fly in on the third evening and a grand event was planned with him. These plans came a cropper because India rose to the special occasion, and West Indies sank down far below it. The plans for the last two days went up on smoke. The early end meant that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had to keep an eye on the scoreboard and reach the ground today rather than the fifth day, as originally planned. She presented Tendulkar a painting made by herself and told him to “come again” to Kolkata. Lara, a special invitee of the CAB, was scheduled to arrive in the evening; but by the night, the match was long over and Tendulkar already gone to Mumbai. The CAB was able to do perform one event yesterday — releasing several bunches of balloons which had pictures of Tendulkar hanging below them. The CAB had not covered itself in glory on the first two days, for its plans all went awry. The amazing sight of 60,000 people wearing the Tendulkar mask was presented as a great possibility before the match. That sight could have been possible with coordinated participation of the spectators. In the event, not everyone got a mask, there were not enough masks; more importantly, there were not enough people at the Eden Gardens on any of the three days. The masks caused a controversy — the official sponsor of the series discovered that the masks didn’t have their branding on them. They got their own masks printed and started distributing them in the stands when Tendulkar walked in to bat on the second day. Before they could be given out to all the people, Tendulkar was out. The masks were then demanded back; some people refused to part with them. There was a scuffle in one of the stands. One local sportsgear manufacturer wanted to distribute special Tendulkar shirts among the crowd; the official sponsor, again, threatened to go legal at them. The plan wasn’t born of goodwill and kindness — the shirts would have had the branding of Tendulkar on them. This was not allowed as the series sponsor didn’t like this sort of ambush on their property — they’ve paid a big sum of money for the Tendulkar farewell series, after all. West Indies were below par; CAB wasn't much better; the fans didn't care too much and empty seats were a sore sight on all days. SRT Test 199, in terms of organisation and fan
participation, didn't go as per plans. |
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Punjab on verge of defeat; HP win
Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune news service
Chandigarh, November 9 Javed Khan (44) tore Harbhajan apart with two huge sixes and then humbled Yuvraj with two cracking fours to give the late push. By the end of day Punjab were tottering at 108/4 with struggling Yuvraj Singh batting on 19 in company of Uday Kaul (0). Punjab require 291 runs on the final day with six wickets in hand. It will be an onerous task for Yuvraj to save and get at least a point for Punjab on the final day. Veteran pacer Zaheer Khan (2 for 24) gave a good account of himself in a short eight-over burst in which he removed openers Jiwanjot Singh (31) and Ravi Inder Singh (19). While Jiwanjot nicked an away-going delivery to wicketkeeper Aditya Tare, Ravi Inder got one that held its line and went past his defence. The other two wickets were taken by left-armer Vishal Dabholkar (2/41). Brief Scores: Mumbai: 282 and 271 (Surya Kumar 62, Javed 44, Rajiwnder 5/102, Harbhajan 4 for 67). Punjab 155 & 108/4 (Yuvraj 19*, Zaheer 2/24); Group B: Vidarbha: 287 in 112.5 overs (Badani 65, Rashmi 60, Jayant 5/77); Haryana: 329 and 29/2 in 10 overs (Sunny 15*) ; Group C: Tripura: 141 & 188 in 77.2 overs (KB Pawan 86, Bipul 4/30, Rishi 3/48).; HP: 186 & 144 for two in 35.2 overs (Prashant 84 not out; Manisankar 1/21).
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Game 1 of World Chess Championship ends in a draw
Anand, with black pieces, showed the world that he has come well prepared for the most challenging match yet. The Indian gave no chance to Carlsen who started with the Reti opening and got nothing with his first white game. The quick draw, lasting a mere 16 moves, proved Anand's preparation right as Magnus spent more time on the clock in the opening and still could not get the complicated and sometimes lifeless positions wherein he famously outplays opposition.There was much speculation about Anand going for a sharp position and he did not disappoint his backers. "I know after two moves its Reti, after that I don't know what it is," said Anand smilingly in the post match conference. After Anand's 10th move Carlsen thought he had no chances and went for the repetition of moves by force. However the highest rated player in the world did not think he was worse at any point in the game. "I would not have minded if he (Anand) had continued, my long term prospects are not bad," Carlsen said. Anand simply repeated the knight moves while Carlsen moved his queen a few times to get the same position three times. The players immediately shook hands. It was a position akin to the Grunfeld for Anand and he did not opt for a locked structure. His ninth move created the imbalance that the Indian wanted and Carlsen conceded that white had nothing after the tenth move. The Norwegian superstar said he was quite happy that he could start the match but not with the way it went. "I am happy that finally the match is on, hopefully we will give you more than one and a half hour," he said mentioning the duration of the game. Anand will now be playing with white in second game. The 12-game match carries Rs 14 crore as prize money. — PTI
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Indian eves bag silver in Asian Champions Trophy
New Delhi: The Indian women's hockey team had to be content with a silver in third Asian Champions Trophy after losing to hosts Japan by a solitary goal in the summit clash of the event at Kakamigahara, Japan. India conceded an early goal when Otsuka Shiho converted a penalty corner for Japan in the second minute of the match. The Indians had a chance to equalise in the eighth minute when they earned their first penalty corner, only to waste it. The Indian defence led by goalkeeper Savita played a superb game. Japan earned three more penalty corners in the next 10 minutes but the Indian defence stood tall to deny the home team any further opening in the first half. Trailing 0-1, India tried hard to forge a comeback after the breather and created a few chances but the forwardline disappointed the team. If not for custodian Savita, the margin of defeat could have bigger for India. Japan earned another penalty corner in the 50th which was brilliantly saved by Savita to keep India in the hunt. India fought hard till the end but failed to score the equaliser. The Indian eves put up a impressive display in the tournament, beating higher-ranked China 4-2 and Malaysia 5-1 before losing to Japan 1-2 in the league stages. Japan won the gold, while India and Malaysia bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively in the four-team event.
— PTI |
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Federer sets up semifinal clash with Nadal
The Swiss seemed to spend most of the match fighting from behind but showed the grit of a true champion to topple the Argentine 4-6 7-6(2) 7-5 at London's o2 Arena.
Federer had only once fallen in the round-robin phase of the season-ending tournament in 11 previous appearances and never since the tournament switched to London in 2009. — Reuters
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Arshdeep wins 800m gold
Ludhiana, November 9 Tajinder Singh of Amritsar won gold in high jump, clearing 1.70m, while Angrej Singh of Gurdaspur won silver with 1.65m and Manpreet Singh of Fazilka got bronze with 1.60m. In 100m Gurinderbir Singh of Jalandhar bagged gold, clocking 11.30sec, while Princedeep Singh of Sangrur won silver in 11.50sec and Rahul Sharma of Faridkot got bronze in 11.76sec. — TNS
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Siddikur maintains lead after Round Three
New Delhi, November 9 Siddikur, who has dropped only two shots in 54 holes, extended his lead by four shots over India’s SSP Chowrasia with five Indians in the top ten. Siddikur played an almost flawless third round to put himself on course for the top prize in the $1.25 million event. Chowrasia shot a 66 on the day, while Rashid Khan and Filippino Angelo Que shot 65 and 67 respectively, to share the third spot on 204. Earlier, Rahil Gangjee was leading the Indian charge but a couple of double bogeys spoilt his chances. He slipped to settle for a 73.
— TNS |
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Chennai,
November 9
London, November 9
Victory meant he qualified for the last four as group runner-up to defending champion Novak Djokovic who will face Federer’s fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in Sunday’s other semifinal.
de Kock, Steyn help SA claim series vs Pak