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After twists, turns and thrills, it’s a draw!
SA recall pacer Abbott for 2nd Test
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Dhoni all praise for
bowlers
A mela that must not remain just Punjabi
Punjab Police, Air India set up summit clash
Swann spins a big surprise, calls it a day
Punjab put up a poor show, bowled out for 74
Yuvarj Singh fell for a duck in what was a complete batting failure for the Punjab side.
BSF Jalandhar win Liberals Cup
BSF Jalandhar pose with the trophy after beating Jarkhar Academy in the final. — Tribune Photo
I am working on my serve: Leander
Paes
Ratwada, Chandigarh boys win
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After twists, turns and thrills, it’s a draw!
Johannesburg, December 22 The Proteas ended the match on 450 for seven, the third highest fourth innings score in test history, but played out successive maidens in the second and third last overs of the game to ensure they would not lose the match rather than go for the historic win. It was a massive anti-climax on one of the great days of test cricket as South Africa went into the final day needing 320 runs to win with eight wickets remaining. “We showed a lot of mental strength not to fade away,” South Africa captain Graeme Smith said in a television interview. “We played it beautifully until Faf got run out and after that you have to respect the decision of the guys in the middle. “Chasing it down would have been incredible. It went down to the last hour which was great for test cricket. “At the start of the day we wanted to make sure we went to Durban with a chance of winning the series.” After the loss in the morning session of Alviro Petersen (76) and Jacques Kallis (34) had put India on top, a 205-run fifth wicket stand between Du Plessis (134) and AB de Villiers (103) laid the platform for what would have been an extraordinary win. The partnership was ended when De Villiers chopped an Ishant Sharma delivery onto his stumps with 56 runs still needed, and the jitters started in the home dressing room as JP Duminy (five) was bowled by the impressive Mohammed Shami. Vernon Philander (25 not out) and Du Plessis took South Africa to within 16 runs of the win before the latter was run out with a direct hit by Ajinkya Rahane as he attempted a quick single. Steyn lofted the final deliver of the match over the boundary for six to howls of disapproval from the Wanderers crowd, who could scarcely believe their side had baulked at the opportunity to make history. There was history of sorts made earlier in the day though, when India paceman Zaheer Khan claimed his 300th test wicket with the scalp of Kallis. The second test of the two-match series starts in Durban on December 26.. Zak picks 300th wicket
Zaheer Khan on Sunday became the fourth Indian bowler and only the second pacer to take 300 wickets in Test matches. The 35-year-old achieved the milestone when Jacques Kallis, batting at 34, was given leg before wicket by umpire Rod Tucker despite his edging the ball onto his pads at the New Wanderers Stadium. The left armer joins the elite company of leg spinner Anil Kumble (619 wickets), all-rounder Kapil Dev (434) and offie Harbhajan Singh (413) in his 89th match. He also becomes the most successful left arm fast bowler after Pakistani great Wasim Akram (414) and Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas (355). The left armer joins the elite company of leg spinner Anil Kumble (619 wickets), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (413) in his 89th match. Among the cricketing nations, Zaheer is placed 27th with Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan topping the chart with 800 scalps. Zaheer had taken a four-wicket haul in the first innings and this was his first wicket in South Africa's second innings.
— Agencies Scoreboard
India 1st innings 280 South Africa 1st innings 244 India
2nd innings: 421 South Africa 2nd innings Petersen b Shami 76 Smith run out 44 Amla b Shami 4 F du Plessis run out 134 Kallis lbw b Khan 34 de Villiers b I Sharma 103 Duminy b Shami 5 Philander not out 25 Steyn not out 6 Extras
(b 2, lb 7, w 8, nb 2) 19 Total (7 wickets; 136 overs) 450 FoW:
1-108, 2-118, 3-143, 4-197, 5-402, 6-407, 7-442 Bowling Khan 34-1 -135 -1 Sharma 29-4-91-1 Shami 28-5-107-3 Ashwin 36 -5-83 -0 Vijay 1-0-3-0 Dhoni 2-0-4-0 Kohli 6-0-18-0 Zaheer fourth Indian to 300 wickets Player M Wkts Avg Best Strike Rate Anil Kumble 132 619 29.65 10/74 65.9 Kapil Dev 131 434 29.64 9/83 63.9 Harbhajan Singh 101 413 32.37 8/84 68.5 Zaheer Khan 89* 300 32.42 7/87 59.7 |
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SA recall pacer Abbott for 2nd Test
Johannesburg, December 22 Despite recording match figures of nine for 68, including seven for 29 in the first innings, he was not retained when the squad was selected to tour United Arab Emirates eight months later. The 26-year-old Abbott, who plays for the Durban-based Dolphins franchise, has taken eight wickets at an average of 13 in the current domestic provincial competition. South Africa and India drew an epic first test on Sunday when the Proteas fell eight runs short of chasing down a record victory target of 458, ending the game with seven wickets down in their second innings.
— Reuters |
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Johannesburg, December 22 “I was confident if there was five runs to defend per over they (bowlers) would pull it off,” Dhoni said. “We might have been a little too attacking in the lead up but this experience will help them know when to throttle down and pump it up.” “Zak is the leader of the attack and he will teach the bowlers where to bowl. I can only put the field and the most impressive thing was his fitness and we look forward to having him out there giving it his all again in Durban,” the captain added. “We've got great support at there and the pitch is always sporting. We've got a few bowlers who've played there. We have plenty to gain from that Test and it’s important to rest up and get ready for that Test.” Man of the Match Virat Kohli described this tour as the “biggest challenge”. “The tours of England, Australia and South Africa are the biggest test for a young subcontinent side,” he said. “I didn't feel too good, I had been playing patiently to get to those three figures. A hundred in both innings would have been perfect, but I was happy with 96.” “We didn't get too much time to prepare,” he added. “We had time to get those net sessions in as we didn't have time to do that in the One-dayers and the guys felt a lot more comfortable about the game and conditions. Pujara has been another Wall for us at No. 3. It was great batting out there with him. Unfortunately, I was the culprit in his run out in the first innings and hopefully we have more such partnerships in the future.” “India played extremely well in the first four days,” said South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.
— Agencies
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A mela that must not remain just Punjabi
Such was the halo built around it that politicians, civil servants, government officials, cops, learned judges, and players had just one word on their lips, repeated —
kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi. The common man couldn’t help but get into the act — due to his abiding love for this sweaty, gut-wrenching half-fight, half-sport. A year later, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced: “Is saal goriyaan di bi kabaddi
hougi..(fair-skinned girls too would play kabaddi).” This ensured capacity crowds at every venue. With houses packed, in drove the imported luxury ‘team buses’, straight from the best available hotel in the nearby cities. Punjab’s very own
‘Ballis’, ‘Pallas’, ‘Dullas’ and ‘Sonus’ would often helplessly peep from the windows of oversized buses as they got stuck in the narrow roads of their own village. There was the ritual of hoisting national flags to lend an international hue to the affair. After the gladiatorial fights, sometimes utterly one-sided, national anthems of the countries followed, in an unmistakable desperation for
gravitas. The need for the government’s acceptance has never been felt — the state government runs the show. For players, there’s the satisfaction of performing in front of their own ilk — being glorified in this sport was something they never dreamt of. Massive amounts of money is to be won. “Kaudiyan di Kabaddi hun ho gayi Crorean di
(Kabaddi is now worth crores),” commentators repeat in matches. Repetition is the secret of the perfect sales pitch — the Kabaddi World Cup is sold as some sort of a phenomenon. The plebeian sport, thus, has been driven back into the consciousness of Punjab. In the very first edition, its TRP ratings trumped that of the IPL in the state. Credit goes to Sikandar Singh
Maluka, Punjab Kabaddi Association President and Chairman All India Circle Style
Kabaddi. He was the man who had a vision for the sport. The tournament may have a Sukhbir Badal stamp on it, but insiders say the blueprint is that of
Maluka. Together they have built a grand edifice, though critics believe that the event has become just a vehicle to mobilise political support. The prize money is Rs 2 crore for the men and Rs 1 crore for the women — it’s a fantastic amount for kabaddi players. But really, this is a borrowed phenomenon. Every year as many as 500-600 players from Punjab go to play in clubs of Canada, USA, the UK and make good money. “The Punjabi diaspora has a great affinity for
kabaddi. There it is played on weekends in May-August season,” says Sarwan Singh, who has penned more than two dozen books on sports in Punjab. “By December these players come back home… We can say that the game pays them enough to lead a good life.” There’s a dark side to it — Immigration Canada reported that of the 670 Indian players issued visas in 2011, 91 have not returned home while 27 have filed refugee claims. Punjabi World Cup?
Circle style is Punjab’s variant if
kabaddi. Thus, it was taken for granted that predominantly Punjabi-origin players would be playing in the World Cup. So, great pains were taken to give it a global look. Along with
firangs, Africans and Australians were roped in. After four editions, it can be safely said that the experiment has gained some ground. However, teams from Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal have given it a try once, only to give up. Those still in fray, such as Sierra Leone, Kenya, Scotland, Mexico and Argentina, make for utterly one-sided contests. Bangladesh has been conspicuous by its absence. There were grand plans —
IPL-like auctions, deputing coaches to foreign countries, taking kabaddi to the Olympic. Much of this hasn’t taken place. There is no sign of auctioning. There have been instances of two teams from Canada trooping down to the ground. The Punjab sports department has just two coaches on its rolls — they also happen to be the national coaches for men and women for the last four years. Twelve other temporary coaches get a pittance in salary. The other teams are made of untrained novices — to call it a World Cup would be too pretentious, for a very large number of the players are amateurs who’ve just chanced upon the sport. Observers feel that even village tournaments see more exciting and competitive matches. Of the 82 matches (54 men, 28 women) this year, 37 were one-sided and drab. The Canada men beat Denmark 89-9. Men from Argentina and Scotland could not win a single match, like the women from Kenya and Mexico. The level of competition is laughably low. The New Zealand women, a group of 14 Maori girls, made it look ridiculously easy, despite practising for only a few days. They finished as runners-up and a tidy cheque of Rs 51 lakh. “We watched the game on Youtube and went with the flow. I don’t see why we would not come next time and win the title,” their skipper Terrace Victoria said. Kenya’s Esther, a housemaid, took to the game after watching it on TV and she’s the team’s best player. Kenya’s men’s captain Haron Onguso sells old clothes in Nairobi. Five other members of the men’s team work as bouncers in private clubs. Kevin Aura, a player, said, “Most of us earn a monthly income of $50 to $70. One can imagine what circumstances we are playing in.” In Punjab, the sport has an immensely rich player base in the hinterland, with as many as 600 small and big tournaments held every year.
Sangrur, Kapurthala, Nakodar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Faridkot have decades-old tournaments. Some them, such as Samrala Khel Mela and Shaheed Baba Deep Singh tournaments, offer a prize money Rs 1 lakh. New academies are coming up fast. But it’s a bit too much to tell these players that kabaddi would be an Olympic sport. Doping
The blot of doping has almost became synonymous with the event. The dope count in the second edition touched 53, a staggering 29% of total players (220). Two teams, Australia and UK, were thrown out. In 2012 10 players were positive. It is reliably learnt that dope testing was given a go by in the middle stages of the event this year. There is no mechanism in place to ensure that those who test positive are banned because except for two or three countries, the others don’t have officially recognised kabaddi associations to enforce NADA and WADA rules. The amateurish nature of the event came to the fore when the England women alleged that the Pakistan team had three
transgenders. The organisers, unaware of the international rules on this issue, failed miserably to address their complaint. Road ahead
To reach the Olympic fold, the sport must be
standardised. Kabaddi has been held in the Asian Games, but circle style kabaddi isn’t recognised by the Olympic Council of Asia. This style is played mostly in the region of the pre-Independence Punjab — which includes Haryana and Pakistani Punjab. Critics believe that circle style kabaddi has no future, because it is not held internationally. If out of 136 players (men) 81 were of Punjabi origin, would it be a World Cup in the real sense? No wonder questions are raised over the wisdom of organising an event with a budget of Rs 20 crore. The Punjab Kabaddi Association
(PKA) also has to mend its fences with the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India
(AKFI). It is the World Cup Kabaddi which, to some extent, has become the bone of contention. “The AKFI Life President Janardhan Singh Gehlot was dissatisfied with the
maan, samman accorded to him during the third World Cup. So he chose to go his own way in the May 19 elections this year. It has also put in doubt India’s participation in the Asian Games,” said PKA general secretary Gurdeep Singh
Malhi. “They need to recognise it (World Cup) at the national level first and then think of making it an international affair. I think the state government has not even taken up the matter with the sports ministry,” Jitendra Singh, Union minister of Sports said recently. The Kabaddi World Cup has had a good run — to take it to another level, several remedial measures need to be taken, including on whether to keep this a Circle Style, predominantly Punjabi event which is not recognised by even the
AKFI. Two, it needs to be organised in a more professional manner, with full compliance with the international anti-doping measures. Three, teams need to be trained better so that matches are not lop-sided. If these decisions are made soon and implemented whole-heartedly, kabaddi can gain ground. Else, it will continue to be tucked away either in foreign shores or languish in the hinterland, a ‘world’ sport only in name. |
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Punjab Police, Air India set up summit clash
Ludhiana, December 22 PP players gained an early lead as Ranwant Singh found the target in the very second minute. Varun converted a penalty corner to make it 2-0. Ranwant Singh scored his second goal to enhance the lead, and with just two minutes for the half time, Satvinder Singh sounded the board to make it 4-0. In the second half, ONGC forced a penalty corner early on and converted it to reduce the margin to 4-1. However, in the next minute, Satvinder Singh added another goal to make it 5-1. Divakar converted a penalty corner again, in the 50th minute, for ONGC. In the last ten minutes of the game, Punjab Police exerted more pressure and scored two more goals to complete the tally. In the second semifinal, Air India, Mumbai and PSB fought a pitched battle before the former emerged victorious with a narrow margin to secure a berth in the final. The bank men surged ahead through a field goal scored by Karamjit Singh in the 24th minute. But they surrendered the advantage eight minutes later when Armaan Kureshi of Air India scored the equalizer (1-1). Midway through the half, Mumbai outfit earned a penalty corner and Shivander Singh made the most of it. In women's section, MP Academy, Gwalior thrashed Chandigarh XI 7-1. In the second match, Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala defeated Sonepat XI 5-1. |
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Swann spins a big surprise, calls it a day
Melbourne, DECEMBER 22 The 34-year-old Northampton man said his body was no longer up to the rigour of long-form cricket and that it would be selfish for him to stay in a team that needed to rebuild. “It's quite simple, when I came out on this trip, I half expected it to be my last tour for England,” he said. “I was desperately hoping to win the Ashes out here again, like we did in 2010-11 but with the Ashes gone now, with those three Test matches, personally I think to stay on and selfishly play just to experience another Boxing Day Test, Sydney Test match would be wrong. “It would be wrong for the team, it would be wrong for me as well. “It's time for someone else to strap themselves in and enjoy the ride like I have done. It's time for England to rebuild and refocus on winning back these big series and me hanging around with the decision already made in my head wouldn't be right.” Swann had long been Australia's Ashes tormentor, playing a key role in England's run of three successive series wins against their arch-rivals, but has been a shadow of the guileful off-spinner that topped the bowling table with 26 wickets in the northern Ashes, which England won 3-0. He had managed only seven wickets for the current series at 80 runs apiece and was brutally punished by Australia's batsmen in their second innings at the WACA. “My body doesn't like playing long forms of cricket,” Swann said. “My arm doesn't cope very well with bowling 30-40 overs in the first innings and then repeating it in the second innings a day later any more. “I'm not willing to just hang on and just get by being a bit-part player. I want to be a guy who wins matches for England and I don't feel like I was doing that in the second innings any more.” Swann retires sixth in England's all-time Test wicket-takers with 255 wickets from his 60 matches.
— Reuters |
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Punjab put up a poor show, bowled out for 74
New Delhi, DECEMBER 22 Delhi skipper Gambhir won the toss and put Punjab into bat. The slide started from the third over itself with Ashish Nehra showing that he was a force to reckon with in overcast conditions and the pitch having a lot of juice. Yuvraj Singh (0) might have got a debatable leg before decision when he had plonked his front-foot forward by a fair distance but most of the other batsmen looked incapable of handling the controlled seam bowling from Nehra. Nehra grabbed four for 31 while Parvinder Awana (3/20) and Rajat Bhatia (2/4) produced wickets at regular intervals to reduce Punjab to 35 for nine at one stage. It was Manpreet Gony who used the long handle to a good effect, smashing 29 off 24 balls with five boundaries as Punjab managed to cross 50 in the end. Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh (Sr) admitted that his batsmen played poorly. "We always knew what the conditions were and we can't give any excuse for scoring 74 runs. It's not acceptable whether you are playing for Punjab or any other team. But we still have hope that we can make a comeback otherwise there would be no point in the contest," he said. HP bowled out for 228
Pune: Himachal Pradesh were bowled for 228 runs in their first innings against Maharashtra. The hosts were 35 for no loss in reply at the draw of stumps. |
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BSF Jalandhar win Liberals Cup
Patiala, DECEMBER 22 Ranjit Singh increased the lead to 2-0 when he intercepted a pass from centre half Parminder Singh, and weaved his way into the circle past a bunch of defenders before placing the ball into the goal between the legs of goalkeeper. After lying low for some time, Jarkhar lads hit back to score two goals through Damanjeet Singh in 19th minute and Lovepreet Singh in the 46th minute to level the score. BSF made full use of their experience to subdue the talented Jarkhar forwards and scored the winning goal in the 62nd minute through Hatinder Singh, who did not make any mistake in putting the ball into the goal after receiving a pass towards the left side of the striking circle. The winners BSF Jalandhar were awarded a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, while runners up Jarkhar Academy got richer by Rs 51,000. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, a Member the Rajya Sabha, was the chief guest, accompanied by India captain Sardar Singh. |
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I am working on my serve: Leander
Paes
Mumbai, DECEMBER 22 "Hence, the flexibility has to be better, which gives me not only power but more variables, more range of direction. That is what I am working on this year," he said. The 40-year-old said he is focusing on his fitness and trying to take it to the next level. "For me, Rio 2016 is definitely a very real target. In the new year, I am mostly focusing on trying to stay injury free. Take my fitness levels to another height. I feel at 40 to keep pushing the bar, to keep trying to get better and to continue being a student of my profession motivates me a lot," he said. "Watching Andy Murray train off the court, what he does for fitness. How Ivan Lendl and how his fitness team has worked to get Murray to get so much stronger, that is something I try and learn from.”
— PTI |
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Ratwada, Chandigarh boys win
JALANDHAR, DECEMBER 22 While Khalsa Academy beat Panj Dariya Academy 8-6, Chandigarh Academy sneaked past Khalsa Academy 2-1. In the last match of the day, Sangrur Academy beat Gurukul Academy 2-0. The U-19 tournament is conducted in the memory of Olympian Mohinder Singh. He was a key member of the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup winning squad and Montreal Olympics, 1976. “Thanks to the monetary help by some good Samaritans, we have been conducting this tournament in his memory," said the Olympian's younger brother Satpal Singh. |
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Melbourne, DECEMBER 22
Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir's insistence on playing on a seaming track was vindicated once again as the hosts bowled out Punjab for just 74 runs on a fog-hit first day of the Ranji Trophy group A encounter here today. At stumps, Delhi were 46 for two, with Unmukt Chand batting on 21 and veteran Mithun Manhas on 6.
BSF Jalandhar pipped Jarkhar Academy 3-2 in the final to lift the glittering Liberals Trophy on the concluding day of the 38th Liberals All India Hockey Tournament.
BSF, seven time winner of the trophy, brought out their best to subdue the fighting Jarkhar boys. The match started with the BSF going on the offensive right from the word go.
At seven wickets down South Africa decided to play for the draw, with Philander and Dale Steyn (six not out) shouldering arms in the closing overs.
Four years ago, with a firm slap on a thigh and a familiar sounding refrain, villages, towns and cities across Punjab witnessed a grand spectacle. A spectacle exalted to the heights of a World Cup of what was till now an earthy sport, a domain of rural youth, though revered as their ‘Maakhed’ — mother-sport.
New Delhi: