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Samuels the showstopper
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WI payment row: Series still under threat
Vaughan, Ponting back KP’s claims
For Indian expats in Korea, life is a blend of sweet and sour
Hockey colts eager to emulate seniors
Nadal, Wawrinka make early exits
WKL to stay in India; final in Pakistan
Life in Korea: Sweet & sour
KP gets a dose of his own medicine
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Samuels the showstopper
Kochi, October 8 The contrasting comments made the skipper look a little confused. But, to their immense credit, West Indies didn't let the issue distract them once they took the field. And the result was a massive 124-run victory for the Caribbean outfit, ranked No 8 in the world, over the world champions and No. 1 ranked side. The story doesn't end here — it was West Indies' second heaviest win against India in terms of margin of runs. So while the Indian team was already looking ahead to the World Cup going into the game, there was no such talk in the visitors' camp. Even the commentators did not give much chance to the touring side; they had been constantly talking about their poor record against India in recent times. But all doubts were put to rest once the West Indian batsmen took the field. Bravo (17), opening the innings in place of an injured Lendl Simmons, however, did not last long, but other batsmen lived up to their reputation of being the big-hitters. Marlon Samuels, playing only his third ODI this year, sent the Indian fielders on a leather hunt. The series against India is the last chance for the Jamaican to secure a place for himself in the World Cup squad as he has been out-of form for about two years. Battling self-doubt, Samuels made the most of this opportunity as he blasted a whirlwind hundred, his sixth ODI ton, to guide West Indies to 321 for six. Samuels batted like a man possessed to score his second century against India and share a 165-run partnership for the fourth wicket — a West Indies record against India — with Denesh Ramdin, who made an equally impressive 61. Samuels faced 116 balls and struck nine boundaries and three sixes in his unbeaten knock. The solid start provided by Dwayne Smith (46) and Darren Bravo (28) offered him the platform to anchor the side to a 300-plus total. The Indian spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra and part-timer Suresh Raina failed to exert any pressure as they ended up with a combined tally of 22-0-144-2. Samuels welcomed Amit Mishra with a couple of sixes to complete his 4000 ODI runs. Ramdin took over from Samuels during the second batting powerplay, and 52 runs came off that period. That India's bowlers had given up became apparent in the 40th over when Jadeja leaked 10 extra runs through leg-side wides. Dhoni had opted for a three-seamer attack in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami, but they leaked 165 runs amongst them. Chasing the daunting target, India never looked in the hunt after opener Ajinkya Rahane (24) was run out following a mix-up with Shikhar Dhawan. Both the openers had started on an attacking note, but Rahane's dismissal spelt doom for India as other batsmen committed hara-kiri in the face of mounting asking rate. Virat Kohli's (2) miserable run as his weakness against the moving deliveries outside the off-stump stood exposed yet again. None of the Indian batsmen, except Dhawan (68), showed enough stomach for fight and ability to grind it out in the middle. Scoreboard West Indies India Kochi wants Samson in the side
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WI payment row: Series still under threat
Kochi, October 8 Hours before the start of the first ODI, the West Indies players decided not to strike over the salary and conditions agreement, signed between the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) last month. But the arrangement was worked out only for the Kochi ODI, after the visitors agreed to play under the old agreement until a new one can be renegotiated. The cloud of uncertainty still hovers over the series after West Indies captain and player representative, Dwayne Bravo, wrote a scathing letter to WIPA president Wavell Hinds, informing him that the morale of the team was “at an all-time low” and the players will not hesitate to take appropriate action as they see fit. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) cut match fees for players outside the playing XI by 50 percent; whereas, under the old deal, the entire touring party received identical match fees, though performance-related incentives differed according to seniority. Although the new agreement gives the players a small increase in their match fees, they stand to lose as much as 75 per cent of their total pay package due to the loss in sponsorship money and image rights, which were won under former WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine. Bravo believes that Hinds did not seek the players' consent before he signed a new agreement with WICB on September 18. He said the decision to play in the first One-day should not be construed as an acceptance of this agreement by the players. “We believe we are being hoodwinked and are being treated like little school boys, yet we are being asked to perform and play as professionals. The players are of the view that as a matter of principle, we should not accept these conditions whereby we are being asked to play a series against India without any certainty of what are our obligations and what we will be playing for,” Bravo said in his letter. “We reserve all of our rights and intend to seek independent advice so as to establish the players’ best course of action. We wish to reiterate our position put forward to the WICB earlier, that we continue under the old structure until a new agreement is reached between the players and WICB,” the letter added. BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, who flew down to Kochi from Mumbai on Wednesday and held a meeting with West Indies team manager Richie Richardson and Bravo, tried to smooth the course of the series. “Mr. Patel told the West Indies team management that the series is part of the ICC's Futures Tour Program (FTP) and that both the boards are bound by a contract. He also informed them about the ticket sales and BCCI's obligation to its sponsors. The West Indies cricketers agreed to play in the first ODI, but the issue still remains unresolved,” a BCCI official told The Tribune.
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Vaughan, Ponting back KP’s claims
London, October 8 He made a particular mention of former off-spinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Stuart Broad, saying that they have been disrespectful to the fielders. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting too has spoken up in support of Pietersen's allegations of a “bullying” culture within the England team. “The guys who were doing it were the so-called leaders. That's where the captain has got to come in, not wait and let little things turn into big things. That's what it sounds like has happened in this England team,” said Ponting. Ponting then added that he hadn't been surprised by the revelations, and he said the Aussies always considered the England team a weak unit, even when they were doing well for the most part. — Agencies
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For Indian expats in Korea, life is a blend of sweet and sour Who wants to play when there’s no one to watch, no one to cheer and shout and encourage? Many of the Asian Games events were completely bereft of support — that’s where the ‘Volunteer fans’ and schoolchildren came in, who did their best to make their Asiad noisy and cheerful. It was not uncommon to see schoolchildren on their way home at midnight — at first, we thought that something was very wrong with a nation if 10-year-old girls are out, on their way home, at midnight; then we realised that actually, something is very right with a nation if 10-year-olds know no fear when being out even at midnight. South Korea can’t be free of crime, of course, but it’s wonderful that children and students and women in Seoul and Incheon go to work at 2 AM, or operate a 24x4 convenience store at that time, with no anxiety. Indians living in South Korea can’t stop talking about feeling very safe there, unlike back home in India. “Safety is one of the factors which I doubt you can find in any country of this size elsewhere in the world,” says Vijay Kumar Tiwari, a Seoul-based Indian engineer. “Of the countries I’ve visited or lived in, I find Koreans most gentle and very helpful.” Chandra Shekhar Dhir, who’s lived in Korea for 11 years, agrees. “In general, Korean people are humble and law-abiding. I can tell you of several incidences where my lost property was returned to me,” he says. “However, there are outliers as in other countries, and they are heavily fined.” He says the justice system is quick, and the public systems are quite transparent. There are roughly 9,000 Indians living in South Korea. “A majority of them are either students, or post-docs,” says Pranveer Singh, who works for Samsung. “Many work for big companies like Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo, GS, Daelim, and a few are businessmen.” Singh says that Korean food —there are practically no vegetarians among the Koreans — was a problem initially. “Initially, the local food was a big problem but then the availability of Indian groceries made life easier,” he says. “With time, the local food starts tasting better! When I visit India on vacations, I crave for the Korean delicacies. If you are a non-veggie and a seafood fan, Korea is the place to be. Koreans love spending more than half of their earnings eating quality food.” Language woes The Korean language is another challenge. “It’s is one of the easier languages to learn to read and write, but difficult to understand,” he says. It’s so because one word can have many meanings, which can vary from one context to another. The institution which invites foreigners (a university or a company) has courses in Korean, and picking up some basic Korean is very easy. There are dedicated helplines with people fluent in English and other languages such as Chinese, Mongolian, etc. “And even if the person does not know English, he/she will use a smartphone to translate your English into Korean and help,” says Tiwari who, incidentally, lives in Seoul’s Gangnam region, which inspired Psy’s superhit music video. Manjit Singh, a Punjabi Sikh businessman who’s lived in the country for over 10 years, says he’s never heard of racism in Korea. “I was keen to watch Indians sports, and so went to as many venues as I could,” he says, his voice hoarse because he’s been cheering the Indian hockey team against Pakistan. The only big concern is the education for children. “It’s the primary reason for parents to think of relocating,” says Dhir. The medium of education is Korean, up to the university level, though universities are trying to be bilingual. One can opt for international schools but they all are very costly — $2000 a month, says Dhir, while the government schools cost $35 a month, includes the afternoon meal. This, says Tiwari, is one big reason why Korea is not a favourite destination for Indians to work. For the temporary visitors to the country for the Asian Games, including the athletes from India, it turned out to be a great destination, due to the peaceable, considerate Koreans.
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Hockey colts eager to emulate seniors
New Delhi, October 8 “We are inspired by our senior team and want to bring home the trophy as an acknowledgment to the pride they have brought to the country,” Harjeet said. “We have been working on our technique and strategies for the past few months and are confident of implementing those strategies on the ground.” Team’s coach Harendra Singh said the Asiad gold has come as a motivation for the juniors. “The players want to achieve a similar feat. We are the defending champions and have set new targets for this tournament and we are working day and night to achieve those targets,” he said. “Our aim is to play good hockey and utilise all our opportunities.” The tournament will begin on October 12. — PTI
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Nadal, Wawrinka make early exits
Shanghai, October 8 World No. 1 Novak Djokovic kicked off his title defence with a 6-3 6-4 win over Dominic Thiem, while Andy Murray did his hopes of grabbing a spot at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals no harm with an assured 7-5 6-2 win over Jerzy Janowicz. Nadal has been diagnosed with appendicitis which will require surgery and while the world No. 2 tried to play through the pain, he was clearly not at his best. With five spots still up for grabs at the season-ender in London, Australian Open champion Wawrinka, who fell at the first hurdle in Tokyo last week, suffered the same fate in China with a 5-7 7-5 6-4 defeat to Frenchman Gilles Simon. American Jack Sock produced another upset when he defeated Kei Nishikori 7-6(5) 6-4. David Ferrer survived a tense encounter against Martin Klizan, winning 4-6 7-6(4) 6-4. — Reuters
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WKL to stay in India; final in Pakistan
New Delhi, October 8
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Life in Korea: Sweet & sour
Who wants to play when there’s no one to watch, no one to cheer and shout and encourage? Many of the Asian Games events were completely bereft of support — that’s where the ‘Volunteer fans’ and schoolchildren came in, who did their best to make their Asiad noisy and cheerful. It was not uncommon to see schoolchildren on their way home at midnight — at first, we thought that something was very wrong with a nation if 10-year-old girls are out, on their way home, at midnight; then we realised that actually, something is very right with a nation if 10-year-olds know no fear when being out even at midnight. South Korea can’t be free of crime, of course, but it’s wonderful that children and students and women in Seoul and Incheon go to work at 2 AM, or operate a 24x4 convenience store at that time, with no anxiety. Indians living in South Korea can’t stop talking about feeling very safe there, unlike back home in India. “Safety is one of the factors which I doubt you can find in any country of this size elsewhere in the world,” says Vijay Kumar Tiwari, a Seoul-based Indian engineer. “Of the countries I’ve visited or lived in, I find Koreans most gentle and very helpful.” Chandra Shekhar Dhir, who’s lived in Korea for 11 years, agrees. “In general, Korean people are humble and law-abiding. I can tell you of several incidences where my lost property was returned to me,” he says. “However, there are outliers as in other countries, and they are heavily fined.” He says the justice system is quick, and the public systems are quite transparent. There are roughly 9,000 Indians living in South Korea. “A majority of them are either students, or post-docs,” says Pranveer Singh, who works for Samsung. “Many work for big companies like Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo, GS, Daelim, and a few are businessmen.” Singh says that Korean food —there are practically no vegetarians among the Koreans — was a problem initially. “Initially, the local food was a big problem but then the availability of Indian groceries made life easier,” he says. “With time, the local food starts tasting better! When I visit India on vacations, I crave for the Korean delicacies. If you are a non-veggie and a seafood fan, Korea is the place to be. Koreans love spending more than half of their earnings eating quality food.” The Korean language is another challenge. “It’s is one of the easier languages to learn to read and write, but difficult to understand,” he says. It’s so because one word can have many meanings, which can vary from one context to another. The institution which invites foreigners (a university or a company) has courses in Korean, and picking up some basic Korean is very easy. There are dedicated helplines with people fluent in English and other languages such as Chinese, Mongolian, etc. “And even if the person does not know English, he/she will use a smartphone to translate your English into Korean and help,” says Tiwari who, incidentally, lives in Seoul’s Gangnam region, which inspired Psy’s superhit music video. Manjit Singh, a Punjabi Sikh businessman who’s lived in the country for over 10 years, says he’s never heard of racism in Korea. “I was keen to watch Indians sports, and so went to as many venues as I could,” he says, his voice hoarse because he’s been cheering the Indian hockey team against Pakistan. The only big concern is the education for children. “It’s the primary reason for parents to think of relocating,” says Dhir. The medium of education is Korean, up to the university level, though universities are trying to be bilingual. One can opt for international schools but they all are very costly — $2000 a month, says Dhir, while the government schools cost $35 a month, includes the afternoon meal. This, says Tiwari, is one big reason why Korea is not a favourite destination for Indians to work. For the temporary visitors to the country for the Asian Games, including the athletes from India, it turned out to be a great destination, due to the peaceable, considerate Koreans.
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KP gets a dose of his own medicine
London, October 8 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) insisted the email website Cricinfo had received was not the official dossier compiled by former coach Andy Flower, who has like many others not escaped the wrath of Pietersen in his book. The ECB said it was an internal email draft drawn up by their lawyers — marked strictly privileged and confidential. Neverthless it will not make pleasant reading for the South African-born batsman but will delight those who, like former England spinner Graeme Swann and wicketkeeper Matt Prior, have been lambasted by Pietersen. However, Pietersen brushed off the email's contents which included captain Alastair Cook's first name being misspelt in one instance. "I heard about it in the car earlier. It is embarrassing," said Pietersen. His claims that an atmosphere of bullying existed in the dressingroom is undermined by one of the observations in the email. "At the end of the First Test, KP was awarded a present by the team in recognition of 100th Test (as is customary). During his acceptance speech KP stated that 'this is the best England dressing room environment that I have ever experienced'," reads the email. Pietersen's claim of younger players being hectored and bullied by the bowlers in particular if they were deemed guilty of dropping catches or sloppy fielding also appears to include him in the list of those abusing them according to the email. "After playing a terrible shot to get out in one of his innings in the Fourth Test, KP returned to the dressing room and in front of the younger players, shouted "you lot are a bunch of useless c***s"," reads the report. His antipathy towards Swann, who controversially retired after the third Test with England 3-0 down, and disregard for Alastair Cook's captaincy are also laid bare in incidents that apparently took place ahead of the fifth and final Test. "KP stated that AC (Cook) was weak, tactically inept and that AC's latest effort to galvanise the team was 'pathetic'. — Agencies Vaughan, Ponting back Pietersen’s claims
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has backed out-of-favour batsman Kevin Pietersen's claims that the bowlers in the national squad were an intimidating clique, adding they could be "disrespectful". In an article for The Telegrapgh, Vaughan said the "bowlers' cabal" has been a "problem for several years". He made a particular mention of former off-spinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Stuart Broad, saying that they have been disrespectful to the fielders. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting too has has spoken up in support of Pietersen's allegations of a "bullying" culture within the England team. "The guys who were doing it were the so-called leaders. That's where the captain has got to come in, not wait and let little things turn into big things. That's what it sounds like has happened in this England team," said Ponting. |
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Who wants to play when there’s no one to watch, no one to cheer and shout and
encourage? Many of the Asian Games events were completely bereft of support — that’s where the ‘Volunteer fans’ and schoolchildren came in, who did their best to make their Asiad noisy and cheerful.
New Delhi, October 8
Shanghai, October 8
The Tri-colours fluttered, people danced to the beats of numerous drums… the atmosphere at the packed Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium was simply electric. The cricket buffs, who queued up for hours to enter the stadium, shouted their lungs out to cheer the home side. A few spectators also carried the posters of Kerala boy Sanju Samson, demanding his inclusion in the side for the World Cup. “The Indian team is incomplete without the 19-year-old talented Kerala batsman Sanju Samson. We love you Sanju, our pride,” a poster screamed.
Smith, Johnson lead Australia to easy win