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Game of evidence: You win a few, you lose a few
Indian team pays visit to Man Utd home
I did nothing wrong, says Malik
WFI revokes ban on Malik, reinstates him
Vijay Kumar fails to make it to rapid fire team for Asiad
We need physios and doctors, says Amit
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Back to fighting the real battle
Manchester, August 6 Evidence suggests that India would make a few big changes to the team — possibly bringing Gautam Gambhir and Varun Aaron to replace Shikhar Dhawan and Pankaj Singh. Ravichandran Ashwin, not given a chance yet, could come in, since the pitch seems on the dryer side. Evidence suggests that the Indians, after the adverse verdict in the Anderson-Jadeja row, are seething in anger. ‘Evidence’ — the word used in the legal and criminal sense — has become central to sport over the last few days, which is quite unfortunate, for the series is poising on the knife’s edge, 1-1, after India’s loss in the third Southampton. India are clearly upset that there was no evidence found to back their contention that James Anderson shoved Ravindra Jadeja during a break in play during the first Test in Nottingham. Can they channelize this anger into performance, to win the Test that begins tomorrow? Injuries to Ishant Sharma — the star of second-Test win, but who won’t play here — and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have made things tougher for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Pankaj Singh’s nightmare debut at Southampton, combined with his reluctance to bring in Ashwin, suggests that Aaron could get to play here tomorrow. The absence of Ishant – the star of India’s win at Lord’s — hurts India; on this track, India are going to struggle even more than they did at Southampton to take 20 English wickets. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that Dhoni talked about the virtues of putting up a large score today — India’s best bet here, it would appear, is to bat first, rack up a giant total, put pressure on England. “Twenty wickets are very important to win a Test, but we cannot forget that its important to score runs as well,” he aid. “If you get 500-550 runs, the opposition batsmen will be under pressure, unless they bat well for two-three sessions.” Dhoni admitted that India never looked like taking 20 wickets in Southampton. That is likely to happen here as well. England got 569 in the first innings at Southampton; expect that sort of score to be replicated by them here, especially if the hosts win the toss. India, thus, could be left chasing the shadows here, because they don’t have the bowling firepower to terrify England. If England start well, the Indian bowlers seem to lack the ability, the guile and the mental fortitude to come back. The Indian bats, then, must fire here — once set, they must go on and complete the job, which they failed to do in the previous Test. At the Rose Bowl at Southampton, 13 times they passed the double figures — yet their highest in the two innings was just 54, by Ajinkya Rahane. Two English batsmen passed 150 in their first innings, two others went past 80. There’s evidence to suggest that the Indians are angry and determined to fight back – that must now be converted into action, performance.
The time to do that is now. Live on Star Sports, Old Trafford notes
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ICC not to appeal Anderson verdict Manchester, August 6 “This outcome is the result of two exhaustive and thorough disciplinary processes and, after considering the written decision, the ICC is satisfied with the manner in which the decisions have been reached," ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said in a statement. The ICC said it believed there was no merit in an appeal and dragging the matter further would serve no purpose. "It was a complicated and sensitive matter ... There appears to have been vastly conflicting evidence on both sides, with a total of 13 witnesses who gave testimony," Richardson added. "After carefully considering the decision by Gordon Lewis, whose vast experience was invaluable to the process over recent weeks, we believe that no further purpose would be served by prolonging the process through further appeal proceedings. The disciplinary procedures were robust and transparent and all parties had ample opportunity to ask questions, test the evidence and make submissions. The ICC CEO, however, made it clear that there was no place for the use of offensive language on the field. "International cricket is tough, competitive and uncompromising but we must reiterate that there is no place in the game for the use of offensive language that is personally insulting of one player by another," said the former South Africa wicketkeeper. "It is imperative that all captains, players and coaches as well as umpires and referees are reminded of and do not shirk their responsibility to one another and to the game." Lancashire paceman Anderson is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 16 victims and will play his home test at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Thursday. The five-match series is level at 1-1. No need for Jimmy to change his style: Cook Manchester: Paceman James Anderson has no need to tone down his aggression when England and India renew their rivalry in the fourth Test, according to Alastair Cook. England captain Cook will not ask Anderson — the leading wicket-taker in the series so far with 16 victims — to change his approach. "I'm happy (with the way he plays)," said Cook. "A little bit he might have overstepped the mark occasionally, but we want him to be on that line, not be too passive.” "Every time you pull on an England jersey we're aware we're role models for young kids, and anyone watching cricket, but we also want to play competitive cricket and not be too nicey-nicey. "There's always a muddied line ... I think the way both sides have played (this series) has been fantastic." Cook welcomed the decision to clear Lancashire's Anderson to play on his home ground at Old Trafford. "It's nice for Jimmy," Cook said. "He's been less grumpy in the past couple of days. "It's great the whole incident is behind us. It's very special for every guy to play a home test, and one of his biggest concerns was that he wouldn't be able to play at Old Trafford." — Agencies
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Game of evidence: You win a few, you lose a few
Manchester, August 6 The Australians believed that they were wronged there — they thought that India had got away with a racial slur on Symonds because of the financial power of the cricket board. They were most angry with the fact that their own cricket board, Cricket Australia, had let them down. That was how various books written by Australian cricketers, including captain Ricky Ponting, looked at that controversy – that the Cricket Australia had “bowed” before the Indian cricket board, because the latter had threatened to walk out of the tour. “I knew how powerful Indian cricket was — everyone did,” Ponting said. It boiled down to evidence – there was no conclusive evidence that showed Harbhajan had said what the Australians alleged he did. Ironically, that word has come back to bite the Indians – ‘evidence’. Ironically, it could be said that the Indian cricket board has let them down. There is no evidence that James Anderson pushed Ravindra Jadeja during the first Test at Nottingham. The Indians believe, they ‘know’ that England’s denial of the incident is a complete lie — but they’re met with this word again — ‘evidence’. The Indian team management seems to believe that it’s no accident that only that CCTV camera which could have recorded that incident was out of order. “All the cameras were working, how is that only that one camera was out of order,” wonders an Indian contingent member. Mahendra Singh Dhoni too brought up the ‘e’ word when he was asked about the fact that the International Cricket Council (ICC) won’t appeal against the verdict that had let off Anderson. “In our society we have something called evidence and something called lack of evidence,” Dhoni said today. “So it’s mostly on those lines, and it’s time for us to move ahead.” “A lot of emphasis is put on winning games… killer instinct has been misinterpreted a lot,” he said. “We need to realise about MCC guidelines and the spirit of game…” Dhoni insisted that it wasn’t bad language they had complained against, but added that consistent personal abuse should not be acceptable. “No, it was physical contact we complained about,” he said. “We never said anything about sledging. Quite a few harsh words were spoken, but we didn’t report that.” “But if someone is consistent with his abuse, he should be punished,” he said. “Doesn’t matter who he is, it must be done once the umpire goes and tells him we’ve had enough and foul language should not be used.” “I take control of how my players behave on the field,” he went on. “But at the same time I will have to expect that a lot of times, a fast bowler might say something to a batsman after taking his wicket. One cannot control it, because by the time one comes in, it already has been said.” “At the end of day I want to be happy when I look in the mirror,” Dhoni said, explaining why he took such a strong stance during the debate on the issue. |
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Indian team pays visit to Man Utd home
Manchester, August 6 A bus carrying team India arrived in the premises of the Old Trafford football ground on Sunday. The players got down and grouped at the entrance of the stadium and walked in through the tunnel to the sound of Fanfare for Rocky music. The team was led by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a football enthusiast and an ardent Man U fan, and all the cricketers paid full attention to every word uttered by the tour guide. The tour began from the Manchester United dressing room where the jerseys of the current team members were hung, marking their respective spots in the room. Then came the time to enter the arena — the Theatre of Dreams — where the Red Devils show their daredevilry in front of over 67,000 adoring fans. The Indian cricketers could relate to it but here they were just a bunch of boys learning about the historic football club and appreciating the tradition built over 100 years, the BCCI TV reported. They then gathered for group photos in the Manchester United dugout and were given a special permission to set foot on the pitch. The skipper took time to get himself clicked near the home team dugout, and the others followed suit. While the rest of the boys soaked in the atmosphere and captured the moments in their camera, Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir had long discussions with the authorities who were showing the team around. The players also shopped at the Manchester United merchandise mega store. After shopping, the team was taken to visit the Munich tunnel — a place where the club has immortalised its players who lost their lives in the air tragedy of 1958. As the guide walked them through the commemorative plaques and the eternal flame while giving out the details of the fatalities and survivors, the playfulness made way for gloom. The cheers were back when they were taken to a football pitch to have a few kicks in the net. Dhoni the wicketkeeper turned into a goalkeeper as his team mates tested his skills with a barrage of straight kicks. From the stadium, the Indian team was taken to the Man Utd academy and training facility. Move on and focus on the game: Gavaskar
New Delhi: Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar today said that India should put the James Anderson fracas behind and focus on the game. "I have always believed that it should be the bat and the ball that should talk on the field. I think the matter should now rest. I don't think we should go on and on with it," Gavaskar said. "I believe there is a new match referee for the last two Tests. And if Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, could tell the players that no verbals should be heard from anybody on the field, it would give Anderson and others the message that one can't get away with it."
— Agencies |
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Old warhorse Younis pulls Pakistan out of the woods
Galle, August 6 Younus and his captain Misbah-ul-Haq (31) put together a partnership of 100 for the fourth wicket to stage a recovery after Sri Lanka grabbed the first three wickets for 56 runs. Following Misbah's departure in the final session, Younus was joined by Asad Shafiq and they carried the total to 261 by the close after an unbeaten stand of 105. Younus was on 133 off 228 balls with 11 fours and a six while Shafiq had 55 off 110 balls with six fours and a six. Herath broke up the Younus-Misbah pairing when the Pakistan captain drove at a tossed up delivery and edged the ball to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella in the fourth over after tea. Seasoned campaigners Younus and Misbah had worked hard to rebuild Pakistan's innings with an unbroken 84-run fourth wicket stand that guided the tourists to 140 for three at tea. Both batsmen rode their luck with Younus benefiting the most, surviving two lbw decisions and a dropped catch to hit five fours and a six in his 146-ball knock. Earlier, Sri Lanka paceman Dhammika Prasad struck two early blows as Pakistan reached lunch on 59-3. After a delayed start due to a wet outfield, Pakistan lost both openers to Prasad within the first hour of play, during which they managed just 22 runs. Brief scores: Pakistan 261 for 4 (Younis 133 batting, Shafiq 55 batting).
— Reuters |
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I did nothing wrong, says Malik
The utter humiliation, which he went through for three days at the Glasgow jail, has left deep scars on his soul, which, according to him, would take years to heal. Malik opened up to The Tribune to tell his side of story, which he describes as nothing less than a “nightmare”. Excerpts: Tell us what exactly happened in Glasgow? I had gone to the reception of the Queen Margaret hostel, where I was staying during the Commonwealth Games, at around 11:30 pm to tell the staff about my departure time. Another technical official from India, Ashok Kumar, was with me at the hostel and he had to catch the same flight with me the next morning. I came back to my room after discussing a few things with Ashok and retired for the day. At around 3 am, someone knocked on my door. When I opened the door, police officers were standing outside my room. They told me “We are from the CID”. They asked me to accompany them to the police station. They did not reveal anything to me. After bringing me to the police station, they made me stand in front of a camera and started asking questions. They were speaking in English with an accent which I found difficult to understand. I told them that I needed an interpreter. I was made to sit in another room till the time a lawyer, accompanied by an interpreter, arrived at the police station. The officers asked me several questions. A police official told me that “you have been accused of sexually assaulting a girl at your accommodation. Is it true?” I said no. Then, they asked me about the alleged incident and I told the truth to the two investigating officers. After listening to my side of the story, they said “you have to remain in our custody till Monday when we produce you in court”. My lawyer told me to follow the instructions and I was taken to a separate room. Did you ask the Scotland police about the identity of complainant? Who was the girl? Yes, I asked them and they said “we can't reveal the identity of the complainant, we are following the rules”. They kept on asking me about pushing, inappropriately touching or sexually assaulting someone at the accommodation, to which, I said no. I was so miffed and told them that when nothing happened, why are you asking me all these questions? I am innocent and no incident took place. The officers took my blood sample, fingerprints, hair sample, DNA sample and conducted other tests on me. I was kept in custody for two days and, on Monday, they told me at around 2 pm that I was free to go. Did you contact the Indian officials present at the Games. Did you speak to the Wrestling Federation of India officials? WFI secretary general Raj Singh, who was the chef-de-mission, had a long discussion with the consulate officials in Edinburgh. The consulate officials told him that if I was guilty, I would be punished but if I was innocent, then the Indian High Commission was with him. Vishnu Sharma (Consul and Head of Chancery, Consulate General of India, Edinburgh) helped me a lot and played a key role in securing my release. I wasn't even produced in the court. All the charges were dropped against me. Did you try to find out why such charges were levelled against you in first place? Do you see any conspiracy? I did nothing wrong. I was made to suffer a lot. These allegations have damaged my reputation. The police did not give me satisfactory answers with regard to my arrest. I was never told about the girl, I was never told about the time of the incident. I was made to go through this hell for no fault of mine. I belong to a reputed family in Haryana. My father was the sarpanch of my village, my brother is the president of a women's college. What was the reaction of your family when they first heard about your arrest? My mother went through a trauma possibly worse than mine. She cried for hours with my wife. I have three children — a daughter and two sons. When I returned home, they hugged me and were inconsolable. My family members did not eat food for two days. They were just watching TV to get an update on me. Some TV channels ran every kind of negative story about me, even some showed the jail term I was expected to get from the court. I don't know the girl who complained against me, but she must be of my daughter’s age. You can understand she would be just like my daughter. Are you planning to take action against Scotland Police for tarnishing your image? The incident is still fresh in my mind. I will consult my lawyers and the WFI officials before deciding upon the next plan of action. I am not ruling out legal action against the Scotland Police. My image has been tarnished internationally, but I will continue refereeing. Did the Scotland Police arrange for your return? I paid Rs 75,000 from my own pocket to come back home. My ticket was lost in this mess. I have paid the amount to WFI. I am thankful to god that this nightmare has come to an end. |
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WFI revokes ban on Malik, reinstates him
New Delhi, August 6 Malik was charged with alleged sexual assault by Scotland police during the Commonwealth Games. WFI had suspended Malik on Monday. The referee was eventually let off due to lack of evidence. “Malik has submitted his statement before the inquiry committee which includes WFI president Sharan Singh and secretary general Raj Singh. It has been decided to revoke his suspension and reinstate him. The charges of sexual assault were not proved against him and he was let off by the Glasgow court, so the suspension doesn’t hold any ground. The committee members were satisfied with Malik’s version,” WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar told The Tribune. Tomar said the world wrestling body (FILA) would be informed about the decision tomorrow. “We will inform FILA that we have reinstated Malik and he can continue refereeing in international competitions.” The Haryana referee had officiated at the CWG. Rajeev Mehta contemplates legal action New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta today hinted that he might initiate legal proceedings against Scotland Police. Mehta was arrested for alleged drunken driving in Glasgow City Centre, but was later released after the prosecution failed to produce enough evidence against him. “I will talk to my lawyers and then decide. I am not ruling it out. Let’s see,” Mehta said. Asked about the incident, Mehta said, “I was not under the influence of alcohol. There was nothing wrong in my medical reports.”
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Vijay Kumar fails to make it to rapid fire team for Asiad
The multi-sport extravaganza event will be held in Incheon, South Korea, from September 19. The selection committee of the National Rifle Association of India picked the team during a meeting at its headquarters here. "His (Vijay's) scores haven't been good enough in recent times and as you all know, as per our selection policy, only the last six scores are taken into account," an NRAI official said. Beijing Olympic gold medallist Bindra, who won the top prize at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, will represent India in 10-metre air rifle alongside Sanjeev Rajput and Ravi Kumar. Like it was with the CWG squad, multiple medallist Gagan Narang will not be part of the 10 metre air rifle team, but will compete in rifle prone (Joydeep Karmakar and Hariom Singh being the other two members) and rifle 3 position (Sanjeev Rajput and Chain Singh). London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar will be part of the centre fire pistol team alongside Pemba Tamang and Gurpreet Singh. Vijay failed to qualify for the finals of rapid fire pistol at the just-concluded Glasgow CWG. Trap will be taken care of by Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Mansher Singh and Kynan Chenai while double trap event will have Ankur Mittal, Mohd Asab and Sangram Dahiya. The in-form world No. 1 Jitu Rai will compete in free pistol and will have Om Prakash and Omkar Singh for company. Rai will also be seen in action in air pistol along with Prakash Nanjappa and Samresh Jung. In the women's section, CWG winners Rahi Sarnobat, Anisa Sayyed will represent India in sports pistol alongside Heena Sidhu. Heena will also compete in air pistol, which will also have Shweta Chaudhary and Malaika Goel.
— PTI |
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A bright night for Rogers
Montreal, August 6 The 20-year-old Bouchard, playing for the first time since losing in the Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova last month, faltered badly in front of her native Montreal crowd. Her 6-0 2-6 6-0 loss came after the event suffered a seven-hour power outage that shut down scoreboards and umpires' microphones. "I was feeling the pressure on the court and I was feeling kind of match rusty," Bouchard said. Serena Williams had the day off but her older sister Venus fought her way to a three-set victory against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 3-6 6-2 despite the electrical issues. "It was like going back to the southern California juniors," Venus told reporters of the power outages. In other matches, Caroline Wozniacki made easy work of Daniel Hantuchova in a 6-1 6-1 triumph, while third-seed Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova 6-4 6-4 and ninth-seed Ana Ivanovic routed Timea Bacsinszky 6-1 6-2. Roger’s easy start
Toronto: Roger Federer launched his North American hard court campaign and bid for an 80th career title in impressive style blowing past Canadian Peter Polansky 6-2 6-0 on Tuesday and into the third round of the Rogers Cup. Seeing his first action since an epic five set loss to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, Federer lacked sharpness at times but still barely worked up a good sweat on a balmy summer evening needing just 52 minutes to dispose of the Canadian wild card. "I was happy, I started well and that's always helpful to play more freely," said Federer. Stan Wawrinka made it a perfect evening for the Swiss as he rallied for a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (2) win over determined French qualifier Benoit Paire. Vasek Pospisil fell 7-5 7-5 to 12th seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Joining Pospisil and Polansky at the exit were compatriots Frank Dancevic, a 5-7 6-0 6-3 loser to American Donald Young and Brayden Schnur, who dropped a 6-3 6-3 decision to Italy's Andreas Seppi.
— Reuters |
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We need physios and doctors, says Amit
New Delhi, August 6 "Only during the bouts, a physio was there with us. But we can get injured during practise and that’s the time when we need a physio or a doctor. It is only the coaches who are available during our practice sessions. "So, there's an urgent need to appoint physios and doctors fully dedicated to the wrestlers," said Amit. "Sooner it is done, the better it will be fors us," he added. Amit, who was the youngest wrestler to represent India at the London Olympics, said he had set his eyes on the upcoming Asian Games. “I have already started practicing and hope to win a medal there too."
— PTI |
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New Delhi, August 6
New Delhi, August 6
Boxing trials for Asiads to be held in Patiala on Aug 9