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India fail to go past de Kock
JR HOCKEY WORLD CUP
IOC hints India’s return, Ministry joyous
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Taylor hits ton , puts NZ in control
Battered Poms claim they aren’t scared of fierce Mitch
4th WORLD CUP KABADDI
champions league
Saina took lead several times but failed to hold on to it. allowing her opponent to claw her way back into the game. — File Photo
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India fail to go past de Kock
Centurion, December 11 South Africa had already clinched the three-match ODI series having won both the earlier matches in Johannesburg (December 5) and Durban (December 8). Before the rain, Quinton de Kock notched up his third successive hundred while his captain A B de Villiers also struck a century as South Africa wriggled out of a tight spot to post an imposing 301 for 8 in the final ODI.
Opening batsman de Kock smashed nine fours and two sixes in his 101 off 120 balls to become the third South African and fifth batsman overall to hit a century in three successive innings to take the home side past 300. South Africa had been reduced to 28 for three in the eighth over at Super Sport Park. Skipper de Villiers, who hit his 16th ODI century, shared a crucial 171-run partnership for the fourth wicket with de Kock to repair the South African innings. De Villiers struck six fours and five sixes in his 101-ball innings. For India, pacer Ishant Sharma finished with 4/40 from his 10 overs, picking up his 100th ODI wicket in doing so. On a pitch that seemed to be the flattest of the series, de Villiers promptly decided to bat first after winning the toss. Since they had already stitched up the series, the hosts rested Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, bringing in Henry Davids, Wayne Parnell and Imran Tahir. India made one change, with the fit-again Yuvraj Singh taking Ajinkya Rahane’s spot. The Proteas’ in-form openers Hashim Amla and de Kock began in the same fashion as they did in the previous two matches, with the opening overs of Ishant and Umesh Yadav resulting in a string of boundaries. However, there was a difference this time. India struck early, and not just once.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rotated his medium-pacers, giving extended spells to Umesh Yadav and Shami, hoping to break this partnership as well. Yadav almost got de Kock in the 17th over, but Ajinkya Rahane put him down at square leg. He was on 37 at that time. Meanwhile, no more wickets came and Dhoni turned to spin from both ends, with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja coming on to bowl in the 18th and 19th over, respectively. The duo bowled in tandem for 12 overs, during which the Indian fielders dropped two more catches -- one each off de Kock and de Villiers. De Kock was let off this time by Yuvraj, who was running backwards from mid-on. It was a tough chance, off Ashwin, and he managed to get his hands to it, but spilled it at the last moment. The batsman was on 43 then, and carried on to complete his fifty off 71 balls. In doing so, he became only the third player ever to score 300-plus runs in a three-match ODI series, after New Zealand’s Martin Guptill (versus England in 2013) and Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor (versus New Zealand in 2011). — PTI The 100-run partnership between de Kock and de Villiers came up in the 29th over, and finally Dhoni made a change, going to his part-time bowlers. In the 30th over, he brought on Suresh Raina and it almost worked, as de Villiers nicked one only for the captain to drop a sharp half-chance. At the other end Virat Kohli came on to bowl and de Kock welcomed him with two massive sixes in successive overs. The run-rate began climbing as South Africa crossed the 150-mark in the 33rd over. De Villiers brought up his fifty in the 35th over and another over later, de Kock nudged Shami to square leg for a single to score his third successive century in three games this series, and his fourth in ODIs overall. He used up 116 deliveries for his knock, accelerating to score the second half, hitting nine fours and two sixes overall. He became only the fifth batsman ever to score three successive hundreds in ODI cricket after Pakistanis Zaheer Abbas (Dec 1982-Jan 1983) and Saeed Anwar (1993) and fellow South Africans Herschelle Gibbs (2002) and de Villiers (2010). He also became the first batsman ever to score all three hundreds in the same series. His departure signalled the death overs for the hosts and new batsman David Miller along with de Villiers put the Indian bowling to the sword. They put up 53 runs for the fifth wicket in only 28 balls. De Villiers was especially rough, scoring his second fifty in just 25 balls. He brought up his 16th ODI hundred with a dab to fine leg in the 42nd over. He was eventually out for 109, LBW to Yadav in the 44th over. Ryan McLaren (6) tried to force the pace and only ended up holing out to deep midwicket, becoming Ishant’s 100th dismissal in 70 ODIs. Miller hung around, smacking his sixth ODI fifty, finishing unbeaten on 56 runs off 34 balls. Shami had a successful final over, scalping Wayne Parnell (9) and Vernon Philander (0), bowling out his 10 overs for 69. Yadav got 1/57 from nine. The spinners were only mildly inexpensive in comparison. Ashwin gave away 63 runs from his nine overs, with Jadeja going for 32 runs from his six. Raina gave away 16 runs, and Kohli went for 22, both bowling three overs each. None of the four slow bowlers took a wicket. South Africa 300-run Specialists
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We will play to salvage some pride: Manpreet
India skipper Manpreet Singh insisted that his team was looking to secure 9th position in the tournament. “The team is putting in best possible efforts for the match tomorrow against Argentina. No doubt, the players are little disappointed about the loss against Korea yesterday, but we are looking forward to secure the 9th position in the tournament and have kept our hopes high,” said Manpreet after the team's practice session here at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. “We are focusing on a review of the previous matches so that we do not repeat the mistakes made,” he added. India crashed out of the quarterfinal race of the ongoing World Cup after being held to a 3-3 draw by Korea in their must-win Pool C match last night. Talking about yesterday's performance, Manpreet said, “We tried our best against Korea and had put forward fast attacks till the end, but ended up losing with a hard luck. Moreover, I was given a green card which turned the table round in the game. Any small or big change during the game affects the players and creates a huge impact on the overall match. “Few of our players like Talwinder Singh, Amit Rohidas and Imran Khan played extremely well. The Korean players were very strong in defence, which was one of the major reasons for their victory.” The skipper, however, felt that the team structure need not be changed. “As far as the team structure is concerned, I believe that we have a perfect team to compete against any opponent and I don't feel that any kind of changes are required in the team structure,” Manpreet said. If India win against Argentina tomorrow, they will take on the winner of the match between Pakistan and South Africa in the 9th-10th place play-off match on Saturday. Argentina also practised hard ahead of tomorrow's match against India and their coach Carlos Geneyro said his team was prepared to challenge the hosts. “We tried our best to finish in the last eight but things didn't turn out according to our plans. It's disappointing but the team is ready to fight it out against India tomorrow,” Geneyro said. — PTI
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IOC hints India’s return, Ministry joyous
Johannesburg, December 11 The IOC has expressed satisfaction with the IOA for undertaking amendments in its constitution which would bar charge-framed officials from the body. The IOC asked the IOA to now conduct its polls as soon as possible to ensure a return to the Olympic fold. The IOA has already set aside February 9 to conduct its election. “The Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports (Independent Charge), Shri Jitendra Singh has welcomed the decision taken by International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its Executive Board meeting to lift the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA),” the Ministry said in a statement. The Minister stated that this decision of IOC would enable the Indian sportspersons to participate in multi-disciplinary sports events such as Olympic Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games under the Indian National Flag. “...the pride and prestige associated with playing for the country under its National Flag motivates and lifts the performance of sportspersons,” he said. “The Ministry has been actively engaged with the IOC in the resolution of the matter of suspension of IOA from the time when IOC suspended IOA on 4th December 2013 citing IOA's failure to comply with the Olympic Charter and its statutes, failure to inform the IOC in a timely manner, and as a protective measure against Government interference in the IOA's election process.” Singh had led a Government delegation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Headquarters in Lausanne in May this year in an effort to ensure that a road map was agreed to and conditions were created for ending the suspension of IOA at the earliest.”IOA has, on its part, agreed to amend its constitution as per IOC's requirements particularly on the issue of keeping charge-framed sportspersons out of IOA elections. “The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has consistently supported the demand of the IOC that charge-framed persons be kept out of IOA. It has been urging IOA members during consultations from time to time to heed the advice of IOC and change its constitution in the interest of Indian sports and Indian sportspersons,” the Ministry stated. Singh expressed happiness that “all these efforts have culminated in decision of IOC revoking suspension of IOA. He expressed the hope that free and fair elections would be held to IOA in February next year as scheduled.” — PTI |
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Taylor hits ton , puts NZ in control
Wellington, December 11 Taylor arrived at the crease with the home side in deep trouble at 24-2 but pulled them out of the woods with a fine ton. — PTI Brief score: New Zealand 307 for 6 (Taylor 129). |
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Battered Poms claim they aren’t scared of fierce Mitch
Perth, December 11 And the left-arm quick, who has taken 17 wickets with his 150 kilometre-an-hour (93 miles-an-hour) deliveries, has been tipped to bowl even faster on his home ground, the WACA, in the match starting on Friday. Despite a dressing room full of bruised and battered batsmen, Flower rejected claims that the players were afraid of Johnson, saying they were used to pace at the top level of the game. “One thing I would say about playing fast bowling is that our batsmen have to display the combination of skill and determination to bat long periods against it,” he said. “Because if we do expose our lower order, they will struggle against that sort of pace. So the responsibility lies with the batsmen in that regard.” England have a dismal record in Perth, where their only win in 12 attempts came in 1978 but must find a way to halt the Australian juggernaut, for whom a victory would give them an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series. Flower is undaunted by his side's previous struggles at the WACA but he is hoping captain Alastair Cook wins the toss the team is able to bat first and post a big score on the board. “I think past glories mean nothing in this context,” Flower said on the England and Wales Cricket Board website. “We've got a big challenge to stop the momentum of the opposition and to get ahead in the game. We had Australia 130 for six in Brisbane, but since then they've been ahead in both games.” England's second-innings 312 at Adelaide was the first time they have passed 200 in the series, with a number of batsmen, including Cook, struggling for form and Flower challenged his players to be more selective with their strokes. “The challenge at Perth will be to assess those conditions accurately and have clarity on the risk/reward that you always have to judge when you're batting,” he said. While Adelaide offered a pitch suitable for spinners, with Monty Panesar selected alongside Graeme Swann, Perth is more of a fast-bowlers track and Flower suggested there would be changes. — PTI |
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Support gay athletes, Navratilova tells IOC
New York, December 11 “The IOC needs to stand up better for their athletes quite frankly,” Navratilova told reporters here yesterday. “It’s (also) what happens after, and it’s not just one country, it’s many countries.” The two sporting icons added their voices to the UN’s campaign to counter homophobic violence and discrimination. “Nobody is talking about, for example, Qatar, where the World Cup is going to be, homosexual activity is punishable by a jail term there,” the openly gay former tennis star said, referring to the 2022 FIFA World Cup of soccer. Responding to questions about the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, where some have criticised authorities for an aggressive stance towards sexual minorities, Collins said the focus should be on the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. “Once the games leave, all those people are still going to be there oppressed,” Collins said. Navratilova said gays and lesbians “seem to be the last group of people that it’s still ok to pick on for whatever reason in whatever way”, adding that the abuse ranges from being bullied in school to being denied basic rights, incarcerated or sentenced for acts punishable by death in certain countries. “Sport and politics are inextricably combined. They go hand in hand,” she said urging athletes who are also members of the LGBT community to be more visible. “Get in their face. Once you’re visible, you make it personal.” — PTI
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Indian teams storm into finals Women will face New Zealand in the summit clash, men will take on Pakistan Tribune News Service Bathinda, December 11 The crowds had gathered in large numbers, hoping for an action-packed evening. But all four of the matches lacked spice and by the time the Indian men’s team walked into the centre, most of the spectators had already left. In the women's section, India's pint-sized stopper Anu made all the difference as she bagged 10 points to lead the charge into the final once more. Known for her scissor clinch, the diminutive stopper dived at the raiders' legs and pinned them down fearlessly. Through her tireless effort, India were leading 22-10 at half-time and the match was all but over. Altough Pakistan women were burly as compared to the Indians, the hosts exploited their athletic ability, experience and better coordination to negate the physical threat. Their title clash against the Kiwis, for a cash prize of Rs one crore, will take place at Jalandhar on Thursday. In the first semifinal, New Zealand women beat Denmark 44-25 to enter the final in their maiden effort. The Maori girls were more aggressive and indulged in rugby-like tackles, sometimes even warned for going to far. New Zealand’s Elizabeth Motu, a portly raider, bagged six points from eight raids to help her team win the match. But more than that, she won the hearts of the crowds with her aggressive sallies and antics. It will be interesting to see two different styles of kabaddi in the final, with the Maoris indulging in rugby-like tackling and the Indian women lunging for the legs of the attackers. In the other men's semifinal, Pakistan beat USA 51-33 hands down. US stoppers were short of the required skills and were found wanting for most part of the match. Results
Today’s matches
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Ronaldo on target yet again
LONDON, December 11
Holders Bayern Munich's record-breaking run of 10 consecutive Champions League wins came to an unceremonious end after Manchester City staged a memorable fightback after conceding two early goals to win 3-2 at the Allianz Arena. However, Bayern still won Group D with City finishing in second place. Prolific Ronaldo took his tally to nine for the campaign in Real's 2-0 win at FC Copenhagen, with the nine-times champions also setting an all-time record in European competitions by netting in 31 successive matches. Leverkusen's 1-0 win at Real Sociedad put them through as runners-up behind Manchester United, who beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0, in Group A. Javier Saviola scored twice as Olympiakos pipped Benfica to second spot in Group C by beating visitors Anderlecht 3-1. — Reuters
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Saina struggles to shrug off her poor Kuala Lumpur, December 11 Despite having healthy leads several times in the match, Saina could not hold her nerve and blew away the chance of an easy win. The World No.6 lost the three-game match 21-19, 22-24, 19-21 in an hour and eight minutes. The Hyderabadi got off to a superb start. From 6-7 down, Saina notched six straight points to go 12-7 in the lead. Though the Japanese World No.13 closed down the gap to 19-20 in the end, Saina managed to clinch the significant point and pocket the first game. Saina got off to a dream start in the second game with a 7-0 lead but Minatsu found her footing and drew level at 11 points. The two exchanged serves almost after every point but from 19-all, Minatsu reached game point. Saina saved three game points but her opponent managed to clinch the fourth one to level the match. Like in the first two games, Siana took a sizeable 12-7 lead in the decider but the World No.13 once again closed the gap to level the match at 17-17. At 19-all it could have been anyone's game but Minatsu held her nerve to win the next two points and clinch the game and match. Saina, a 2011 finalist here, needs to win her next two Group B matches to have any hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals. The Indian faces defending champion and World No.1 Li Xuerui of China Thursday. — IANS
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The Indian teams have yet again made it to the finals of the World Cup
Kabaddi. While the Indian women will face New Zealand in the summit clash, the men's team will be taking on Pakistan for the fourth time in a row. The men beat England 63-32 in a one-sided semifinal, while the women dominated Pakistan for a 46-16 win in their semifinal at the Multipurpose Sports Stadium in
Bathinda.
First up, Mohammed Shami was successful in breaking the opening stand cheaply. The first wicket yielded only 22 runs as Amla was out pulling, caught by Yuvraj. He followed up his century in Durban with only 13 runs. Ishant then got a double breakthrough for his team, dismissing both Davids (1) and JP Duminy (1) in the eighth over. For the first time in three matches, the hosts were feeling the heat at 28 for three. South Africa, however, did not worry too much. After all, de Kock was still batting when he was joined by de Villiers. And together, the in-form batsmen sent the Indian bowlers on a leatherhunt. Their progress was slow as they set about rebuilding the innings. South Africa’s fifty came only in the 13th over.
New Delhi, December 11
