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special coverage
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Mishra,Haryana hand in Pakistan’s World Cup doom
Kusal, bowlers secure 5-wkt victory for Sri Lanka
Kiwis win rain-hit game vs England
England, Australia face injury woes
South Africa captain Du Plessis misses opener
Harbir denied CWG accreditation, India threaten pull-out
Anand, Aronian stay at top
Air India, CAGI in final
Barca have Pique back for ‘Clasico’ vs Real Madrid
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Win over Pak gives India upswing
Men in Blue gain momentum before facing defending champs Windies Subhash Rajta in Mirpur Yes, we have come a long way since those heady, jingoistic days of the 80s and 90s when beating Pakistan in the World Cup was better and more desirable than winning the Cup itself. The demanding fans from both sides would forgive their teams anything but a loss against the side that was generally seen as an enemy, not an opponent on a sporting field. The players, after losing to the archrivals, had to wait for the hate storm to blow over before returning home, the homes of the players were smeared with dirt and pelted with stones, and the reports of someone suffering a heart-attack while watching weren’t that uncommon. Such extreme reactions are now of course a thing of the distant past. Nevertheless, the India-Pakistan contest, especially in the World Cup, continues to hold its prominent place in the pantheons of sporting contest across the world, and winning or losing this battle is still a big deal for the spectators as well as the players. The proof presented itself on Friday night, immediately after India smashed the winning runs to stretch their amazing record against Pakistan in the World Cup contests. A group of spectators, beaming with joy, took to sloganeering as they walked out of the stadium into the streets. The Pakistan supporters, who were present inside the stadium in equally large numbers, took the exit route as quickly as quietly as possible, with disappointment writ large on their faces. Clearly, the result of the India-Pakistan contest still elates and disappoints much more than that of any other contest. As for the players, well, you could be certain that the result has similar effect on them if not more. Pakistan, for instance, though showed up for a practice session on Saturday but refused to talk to the journalists from their own country, suggesting they weren’t comfortable answering the questions on the loss. While the Pakistan side appeared cagey, one didn’t have to read the body language of the Indian team to gauge the impetus the victory has given them as Suresh Raina spelt it out as clearly as he possibly could. “When you play and win against Pakistan, it’s different. Players are good off the field but on the field, it’s do or die. It was important for us to win against them; a win against Pakistan gives us the momentum,” said the left-hander. So there you have it, straight from the horses’ mouth. With Pakistan out of the way, next up are West Indies, the defending champions, awaiting India up the alley. The contest may be relatively easier on the nerves but it’s definitely going to be much harder on the field, for the West Indians are perhaps the most dangerous side in this format, packed with explosive batting line-up, the mystery spinners and worthy allrounders. Still high on the win against Pakistan, India, however, don’t seem to be bothered. Raina in fact sounded as they already had the defending champions sorted out. “West Indians are all six-hitters, they don’t know how to rotate strike against spinners. So we just need to play positive cricket against them and, hopefully, everything else will fall in place,” he said. West Indian skipper Darren Sammy, who hardly stops smiling regardless of what’s going on around him or what’s asked of him, chose to see the brighter side in Raina’s statement. “Well, he has every right to say whatever he wants to. But then if that’s the case, they will need to stop us from hitting sixes,” he said, bringing down the house. The game is on… dhaka diaryWrong assumption Suresh Raina left everyone a bit startled when he said that India had been doing quite well in the ODIs in the last few months. Whether it was a slip of tongue or he had been away from the planet as India coursed a winless streak in every format for more than two months? Or did he simply assume that since he wasn’t being recalled, the team must be doing well? No malice towards Sehwag
You would think Virender Sehwag is one of the least liked cricketers in Bangladesh? To find out the reason you need to rewind to 2010 when Sehwag, quite bluntly, declared Bangladesh “an ordinary” side. For the passionate Bangladesh fans, it was an insult they wouldn’t forget in a hurry. Four years down the line, the Bangla fans have certainly not forgotten but have definitely forgiven the swaggering opener. “He’s such a great player, why India didn’t pick him. Is he ever going to make a comeback?” asked a local fan. |
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Mishra,Haryana hand in Pakistan’s World Cup doom
Mirpur, March 22 While it was Amit Mishra who starred in India’s win on Friday; seven years back in 2007, in the final of the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, his Haryana teammate Joginder Sharma bowled the all-important last over to pip Pakistan; and way back in 1996 World Cup, Ajay Jadeja hammered the stuffing out of lethal Waqar Younis to set up a memorable victory. Is it a mere coincidence or the Haryana players try that much extra hard against Pakistan to make amends for the “mistake” of one of their own in that fateful Austral-Asia Cup final in Sharjah in 1986? It’s almost three decades since that sultry evening in Sharjah but the image of Javed Miandad smashing that low full toss from Chetan Sharma is still etched in the minds of the Indian fans. Whatever the reason maybe, Amit Mishra is too happy with his own showing and the morale-boosting victory to dwell on that. And the leg spinner deserves all the credit for it hasn’t been a smooth ride for him coming into this game. The leg spinner has spent much of his time warming the bench ever since he was recalled to the side after a long hiatus, and hence coming in for a high-voltage game against Pakistan was a massive challenge, a make or break opportunity for him. “There’s always pressure while playing against Pakistan. But Dhoni told me to keep faith in my abilities and play to my strength, which I did and won the game for the team” he said. The leg-spinner made it sound easy but it must not have been easy to sit on the bench and wait for the opportunity. The wait would have seemed endless with the rumours suggesting that the skipper didn’t have much faith in his abilities, and many experts saying he was too slow in the air to make much of an impact. “All I can say is that the skipper and the coaching staff always had faith in my abilities, they told me keep patience and wait for my opportunity,” said Mishra. “Besides, I‘ve worked a lot on my game and fitness. I’ve a lot more variations now and the work I put in in the gym is also showing results.” Complimenting R Ashiwn’s off spin and Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin, Mishra’s craft gives Indian attack a more varied look. And with spin certain to play a crucial role in the tournament, the Indian team would be smiling with Mishra grabbing the opportunity with both hands. |
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Kusal, bowlers secure 5-wkt victory for Sri Lanka
Chittagong, March 22 South Africa had the upper hand chasing 166 for victory in their Group One super 10 match and needed 19 runs off the last two overs with five wickets in hand. But Kulasekara gave away just four runs and picked up the wicket of Farhaan Behardien (five) to leave South Africa needing 15 runs off limited-overs specialist Malinga's final over. Dale Steyn (zero) and the dangerous David Miller (19) were run out off the first two deliveries and although Imran Tahir (eight not out) managed a last-ball six, the chase had already gone out of South Africa's reach. AB de Villiers, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Faf du Plessis, was not impressed by his team's finish. “I do not think it was our best bowling performance ever but definitely our bowlers did a good job to get us into play,” De Villiers, who leads South Africa in the 50-over format, said at the presentation ceremony. “If we are going to win this tournament we gotta chase down totals like this. We know that. We got close, we were on track but unfortunately very disappointing finish. We lost too many wickets towards the end.” JP Duminy (39) top-scored for the Proteas, who ended on 160 for eight, and off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake was the most successful Sri Lankan bowler with figures of two for 22. Opener Kusal Perera's assault gave Sri Lanka the tempo at the start of their innings and Angelo Mathews provided the late fireworks to lift them to 165 for seven after their captain Dinesh Chandimal had won the toss. The diminutive Perera made clear his intentions with two fours and a six in three deliveries off Steyn's opening over and brought up his fifty off just 29 balls. He struck 61 off 40 balls, including six fours and three sixes, before falling to leg-spinner Tahir, who stemmed the run flow and picked up three wickets for 26 runs. Mathews was bowled by Steyn in the final over of the Sri Lanka innings but not before the test and 50-over captain had compiled 43 off 32 balls.
— Reuters brief scores Sri Lanka 165-7 in 20 overs (Kusal Perera 61, Angelo Mathews 43; Imran Tahir 3-26, Morne Morkel 2-31, Dale Steyn 2-37) v South Africa 160-8 in 20 overs (Duminy 39; Sachithra Senanayake 2-22) Match Highlight
Dale Steyn conceded 17 runs in his first over, which equalled the third most expensive opening over of an innings in the World T20. Scotland's Calum Macleod holds the record, conceding 19 runs against New Zealand in the 2009 World T20. |
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Kiwis win rain-hit game vs England Chittagong, March 22 After restricting England to 172/6 in their stipulated 20 overs, New Zealand were cruising at 52/1 in 5.2 overs when heavens opened up, interrupting the match. With heavy rains unabated, play could not be resumed and the game was abandoned by the umpires. New Zealand were nine runs ahead of England at that stage. It was skipper Brendon McCullum, who pocketed the win for the Kiwis by blasting two sixes and a four in the fifth over off Stuart Broad to put them ahead. Brief Scores: England 172/6 in 20 overs (Lumb 33, Ali 36, Buttler 32; Anderson 2 for 32) lost to New Zealand 52/1 in 5.2 overs (Williamson 24*, McCullum 16*; Dernbach 1/13) by 9 runs by D/L method. — PTI
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England, Australia face injury woes
Mirpur, March 22 Barely hours before the already-depleted English side begin their Super 10 campaign against New Zealand in Chittagong, 29-year-old Wright joined Joe Root and Ben Stokes in being forced out of the former winners' squad with injury. “The Event Technical Committee ... has approved Craig Kieswetter as a replacement player for Luke Wright in the England men's squad,” the International Cricket Council said in a statement. Like Wright, South Africa-born Kieswetter was part of England's 2010 World Twenty20 winning side. Faulkner's wait on the sidelines also got prolonged as the 23-year-old continues to recover from a knee surgery which forced him out of Australia's Test tour of South Africa. “He will miss tomorrow's game,” Australia captain George Bailey told reporters, still optimistic that the bowling all-rounder would play a pivotal role in the tournament and beyond. Stokes has wrist surgery, out for six weeks
London: All-rounder Ben Stokes has had surgery on his broken wrist and will need at least six weeks to recover before he can begin training, the ECB have said. The 22-year-old was ruled out of England's World Twenty20 campaign in Bangladesh because of the injury, which occurred when he punched a dressing room locker following a dismissal against West Indies in Barbados earlier this month.
— Reuters |
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South Africa captain Du Plessis misses opener
Chittagong, March 22 South Africa pace spearhead Dale Steyn, who had mildly aggravated a previous hamstring strain, was passed fit for the match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. This was South Africa's fourth-consecutive loss in World T20s. The last match that they won in the World T20 was against the same opposition, in Hambantota. Imran Tahir took three wickets for 26 runs in this game, which are his best bowling figures in T20Is. Against Sri Lanka, Tahir has taken six wickets in four games, with an economy of 5.56. Overall, Tahir taken 12 wickets at 13 from eight games and has an economy of 5.37 in T20Is.
— Reuters |
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Harbir denied CWG accreditation, India threaten pull-out
New Delhi, March 22 Harbir, whose name featured in the provisional 28-member list of the men's hockey team for the Glasgow Games, has been denied accreditation for the mega-event following a UK Home Office Background Check result. The decision did not go down well with HI, whose secretary general Narinder Batra today shot off a letter to newly-elected IOA president N Ramachandran and secretary general Rajiv Mehta and requested them to take up the matter with the Glasgow Games organisers. "One of our shortlisted athletes for CWG in Glasgow has been denied visa. No reason is being given. He is a young budding athlete and our prospect for 2016 Olympics. He has travelled with the Indian team earlier on international tours," Batra wrote in the letter. "I feel the IOA needs to push and take this matter forcefully with CWG otherwise it my personal opinion that IOA as a matter of protest should withdraw the men's hockey team from CWG. I will take up the issue with HI Executive Board on March 29. "There is no guarantee that Harbir Singh Sandhu would be in final 16 of CWG but we feel this is an insult for a budding Indian athlete and should not be accepted quietly," Batra said in his letter. The 24-year-old Harbir is a promising full-back hailing from Punjab and has been part of the Indian team in many international tours. The matter came to light after Commonwealth Games Associations Relations Manager, Robert Vergouw, wrote to Ramachandran and Mehta on March 10, informing them about the refusal of accreditation to Harbir. "It is with great regret that I must inform you that one of your delegation members (Harbir Singh Sandhu) has had his request for a Glasgow 2014 accreditation refused due to a UK Home Office Background Check (BGC) result," Vergouw wrote in his communication.
— PTI |
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Anand, Aronian stay at top
Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), March 22 The draw against Aronian was important for Anand as the Indian ace not only maintained his joint lead with the Armenian but now also four games with white pieces to come in the last six rounds, which should give him an edge over the others. Vladimir Kramnik of Russia could not get past the solid defence of his resurgent compatriot Dmitry Andreikin and had to settle for a draw and the game between Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan was also drawn after some promise of an intense battle. In the other game of the day, Peter Svidler fought hard to salvage half-a-point against fellow Russian Sergey Karjakin but had to eventually concede defeat. With six rounds still to go, Anand and Aronian have five points apiece and they are followed by Kramnik on 4.5 points. It was a very unusual start to the game between Anand and Aronian. Playing white, Aronian came up with a less played manoeuvre on the third move by moving his queen while Anand threw caution to the winds with his next move — this move could not be found in any existing chess database. If this was not enough, Anand sacrificed a pawn on his fourth move for sheer compensation and many believed that the Indian had blundered. Anand pointed out later that he’d seen the pawn sacrifice and thought it gave sufficient compensation. Aronian, though a pawn up, did not like his position. "I think I was worse," he conceded later. As it happened, after some routine manoeuvres, the players decided to repeat moves and the game was drawn in just 19 moves.
— PTI |
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Chelsea hit Arsenal for six in Wenger's 1,000th game
London, March 22 Goals from Samuel Eto'o, Andre Schuerrle, Eden Hazard, Oscar (2) and Mohamed Salah coupled with Marriner's decision to send off Kieran Gibbs for a handball by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will ensure Wenger remembers the day for all the wrong reasons. The sending-off did little to affect the destination of the points, however, as Arsenal were already 2-0 down when Gibbs was dismissed for his team mate's indiscretion and Hazard stepped up to covert the resulting penalty after just 17 minutes. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho extended his unbeaten record against his bitter managerial rival to 11 games and the league leaders moved seven points clear of third-placed Arsenal having played a game more. This was their biggest loss since they were thrashed 8-2 by Manchester United in 2011 and will feature high on Wenger's list of worst performances in his 17-1/2 years in charge. It was the second time in six weeks that Arsenal had visited a major title rival and left with their tails between their legs after their 5-1 thrashing by Liverpool last month. In a similar vein to that encounter, their defence was all at sea in the early stages, allowing Chelsea to effectively wrap up the points within minutes of the kickoff. "We started incredibly," Mourinho later said. "Seven minutes gone we were 2-0 up, it's game over. We started very strong. I sent the message across that it was very important that we really want Arsenal to feel not comfortable. We managed to do that." The visitors had the first chance with Olivier Giroud forcing a smart save from Petr Cech after four minutes but seconds later they fell behind. With Arsenal over-committed, Chelsea sprung forward quickly and Schuerrle fed Eto'o in acres of space on the left of the penalty area. The experienced striker cut inside a half-hearted challenge and curled a superb left-foot finish into the corner. With the Arsenal defence in disarray, Chelsea struck another rapier-like blow after seven minutes, again exposing Arsenal's open left flank with Schuerrle this time applying the finish with a low drive across Wojciech Szczesny into the corner.
— Reuters |
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Air India, CAGI in final
Lucknow, March 22 While AISPB eked out a hard-fought 2-1 win over UP in the first semifinal, CAGI defeated RSPB 3-2 in the other last four match. Gaganpreet Singh (13th) and Shivendra Singh (68th) were the goal-getters for AISPB. The two teams displayed excellent skills in the contest, and a small mistake by Uttar Pradesh gave AISPB a penalty-corner in the 13th minute and Gaganpreet promptly converted. After Amir Khan equalised in the 43rd minute, the two teams were locked in a tough battle. With just two minutes in hand, AISPB’s Shivendra Singh managed to sneak in and slice in the winning goal in the 68th minute. In the second semifinal, CAGI scored through Darshan DS (27th, 34th) and Chandan Singh (64th), while RSPB's two goals came from the stick of Amit Rohidas (23rd, 55th).
— PTI |
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Barca have Pique back for ‘Clasico’ vs Real Madrid
Barcelona, March 22 Pique missed last weekend's 7-0 home win over Osasuna with an ankle problem but is in the squad for the clash at the Bernabeu, when third-placed Barca will seek to trim Real's four-point advantage and keep alive their bid for a fifth title in six years. Puyol, who is leaving Barca at the end of the season, is recovering well and should return to training next week, a Barca statement said. Real have a three-point lead over second-placed city rivals Atletico Madrid, who play at bottom side Real Betis earlier on Sunday. Barca coach Gerardo Martino said if his side failed to win on Sunday their challenge was probably over. "This is likely the last chance we have because after this match there are only nine left, and it is not the same to be one, four or seven points behind," Martino, in his first season in charge at the Nou Camp, said.
— Reuters |
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