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Dravid, Laxman revive Eden memories
Aussies lost patience, says coach
Kumble still has
a lot to offer |
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Vaughan secures England a draw
Cricket academy launched IM Vijayan strikes as JCT overpower Salgaocar
Top players to miss national tennis Atwal annexes Order of Merit title MHF can’t dictate terms, says Jothikumaran Kamalakar win bridge title
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Dravid,
Laxman revive Eden memories
Adelaide, December 14 After two days of Australian domination, Dravid and Laxman (148) brought back memories of their epic association at the Eden Gardens two years ago to not only script a stunning recovery but throw the match wide open. The pair, who came together yesterday with the visitors reeling at 85 for four, set the Adelaide Oval ablaze with some amazing shots during their marathon partnership which shattered Australian hopes of taking a huge first innings lead. Dravid was batting on 199 and Anil Kumble on one as India reached 477 for seven at stumps on the third day, still 79 runs behind Australia’s total of 556. It was Dravid’s 16th Test ton and first Down Under while Laxman’s century was the sixth of his career and third against the world champions. It was Dravid and Laxman who authored India’s revival in the last Test series between the two teams in 2001. The duo had then recorded 376 runs for the fifth wicket partnership in Kolkata as India, following on, went on to win the Test and eventually clinch the three-match series 2-1. By the time Laxman departed at the stroke of tea, caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off Andy Bichel, their association had consumed 563 balls and spanned 357 minutes. Laxman earned an early reprieve on 65 when Ricky Ponting, diving to his right, grassed him in the slip cordon. That turned out to be a costly miss for Australia as the batsman and his partner proceeded to bat them out of the match. Dravid brought up his century with a mistimed hook off Jason Gillespie that sailed over the fine-leg fence. His hundred came off 223 balls and included 10 boundaries and a six. Laxman then notched up his sixth career hundred, and third against Australia, that needed 209 balls and included 12 fours. Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill came around the stumps but Laxman responded brilliantly with a
demonstration of batting foot work. The sub-continental artistry was on display as the right hander stepped outside the line and drove MacGill through the cover region. When the bowler reverted to over the wicket, he
promptly clipped him to the square leg fence. The captain then brought himself on and almost produced a wicket when a Laxman pull shot ballooned up but fell in no man’s land in the deep. It was also unlike the Aussies when their shoulders drooped and misfielding became a common recurrence. Even their 38-year old captain was a symbol of weariness as he let balls pass through with a tired approach. The hosts also suffered a blow when right arm fast bowler Brad Williams injured his left shoulder while making a diving stop near the ropes. He was taken to hospital immediately and his chances of bowling again in the match remained doubtful. Having started the day on 43 to Laxman’s 55, Dravid picked up his pace sufficiently to be the first one to reach the three
figure mark and with a stirring hooked six off Jason Gillespie over fine leg. Laxman did not take long to reach his own coveted mark, flicking Stuart MacGill for a single as the
double hundred for the stand was realised too. The second new ball seemed to have little effect and a stunning cover drive by Laxman off Bichel brought the 300 on the Indian board. But Laxman fell to the very next ball, an extravagant slash ending in a simple nick to Adam Gilchrist. Parthiv Patel (31), after batting
handsomely for 65 minute, drove a catch to extra cover region and then Ajit Agarkar pulled a catch into the wicket region. Dravid has so far batted for eight hours and 41 minutes during which he faced 385 balls and hit 19 fours and a six.
Scoreboard Australia (1st innings): 556 India (1st innings): Chopra c and b Bichel 27 Sehwag c Hayden b Bichel 47 Dravid batting 199 Tendulkar c Gilchrist b Bichel 1 Ganguly run out 2 Laxman c Gilchrist b Bichel 148 Patel c Ponting b Katich 31 Agarkar c MacGill b Katich 11 Kumble batting 1 Extras:
(b-4, b-2, w-2, nb-2) 10 Total: (7 wkts, 143 overs) 477 Fall of wickets:
1-66, 2-81, 3-83, 4-85, 5-388, 6-447, 7-469. Bowling: Jason Gillespie 34-12-87-0, Brad Williams 23-7-72-0, Andy Bichel 26-3-114-4, Stuart MacGill 35-7-121-0, Simon Katich 15-3-58-2, Steve Waugh 9-2-15-0, Ricky Ponting 1-0-4-0.
— PTI |
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Aussies lost patience, says coach
Adelaide, December 14 “I think what they showed — and showed in that Kolkata Test — is the ability to bat time. In case of batting time, it is the case of who loses the patience first. We probably lost a bit of patience in the second session,” said Buchanan as India powered to 477 for 7 at close of play in reply to Australia’s 556 in the first innings. “I thought their batting was exceptional. They both batted without risk. We did exactly what we wanted to do. And so great credit to them for pulling that partnership together. “It was a freakish stand and obviously there was a dropped chance which we did not take as well as the run-out attempt we missed yesterday,” the Aussie coach said. Buchanan said his side would still like to chase a win in this game but for that to happen, Australia needed to ensure they finished with a lead of around 50-60 runs. “It depends on how much lead we are able to take and then how we score runs. If we take a lead of 50-60 runs, make 250 in our second innings, 300 could still be a very difficult total to get on the last day”. Buchanan agreed the wicket had not deteriorated much after three day’s play but said with the prediction of hot weather over the next two days, it could start cracking and helping the bowlers more. “The game is in interesting stage. The wicket is still playing pretty well and we have couple of pretty hot days coming up. So you expect the wicket to play some odd trick over the next couple of days. “There are still 180 overs plus left in this game. So it sets up an interesting Test.” “We were a bit
depleted today so that was a bit unfortunate. We would try to dismiss the last three batsmen as quickly as possible and set a target we feel would be sufficient to bowl India out on the last day.” Williams, who hurt his shoulder in the field, was also disappointed he would not be able to take any part in the rest of the game.
—PTI |
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Kumble still has
a lot to offer As I finished watching the third day’s proceedings at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, my first feeling was that it was yet another stupendous effort by the Indian batsmen to negate all the advantage that the Australians held for the first two days. Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman have not only frustrated the mighty Aussies, but have also driven in the message that the Indians cannot be tamed as easily as they thought about. For India, it was certainly not a great start. They lost two of their key bowlers Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan because of injury and then lost the toss on a wicket, which is still full of runs. Winning the toss is very important to win a Test match on a wicket like this. But then, Ganguly was not lucky enough this time around. Australia piled up huge score of 556, but I personally feel it could have been reduced by at least 100 runs. A lot of runs were given away through the slip cordon since there was no fielder at the third man region. I don’t really blame anyone for this. I know that no bowler would like to operate on the first day with a fielder at the third man position because it could simply be a waste of a fielder. But the reality remains that the Aussies managed a lot of runs through this region. India’s bowling department may have suffered an upset because of the absence of Zaheer and Harbhajan, but it had a lot of positives, too. While Ashish Nehra bowled his best, debutant Irfan Pathan showed that he has the ability to put the ball at the right spot. Then there was ever-green Anil Kumble, who once again walked away with a five-wicket haul despite being hit hard on the opening day. It pained me to find that some people rushing in to write off Kumble at the end of the first day. Some even went to the extent of questioning his inclusion in the team. Firstly, these things should not be discussed in a middle of a Test match and an important tour. And then, I strongly believe Kumble still has a lot of variations and things to offer. Didn’t it show his class when he captured three wickets in one over at the end? I am not the one, who has a great passion for records, but I don’t remember of any other Indian spinner, apart EAS Prasanna to bowl with such authority outside India. Coming back to Australian batting, I watched Ponting with awe. Except for that one occasion, when everyone around except for the umpire thought that Agarkar plumbed Ponting, the Aussie captain-in-waiting looked a man in total control. At this rate, I have a strong feeling, Ponting might end up breaking a whole lot of batting records. After all, he still has at least eight years of international cricket left in him. The Indian batting had a few unfortunate hiccups. Sehwag only flattered to deceive. I thought he was good for a three-figure knock when he gave away his wicket. Now, I think, Sehwag should apply himself more. After all, this is a wicket on which the bowler has to wait for the batsman to make a mistake. So, why commit hara-kiri? Most unfortunate was Ganguly’s dismissal. I know it’s not easy to judge a run, but both Dravid and Ganguly, especially the former, should have been more cautious. It was Dravid’s call, but I am also sure that the skipper must have pardoned him long before the day ended. He had to. After all, what an innings Dravid is playing at the moment! The Aussies are finding it extremely difficult to contain his measured aggression. Same can be said about Laxman. He made up for the century he missed at Brisbane, that, too, at a time when India needed those runs badly. To me, Laxman is the brightest spot in Indian cricket at the moment. Test cricket is a serious business, but sometimes it evokes a few funny comments also. But the one I heard this time was the funniest. There are some people, who are now questioning Sachin Tendulkar’s utility as an international batsman since he hasn’t scored too many runs in his last few innings. Its really funny I must say and I need not to explain why. All I can say its good for the team. From my experience I know that its only indication of what is in the offing. Let me assure you, it is just the calm before the storm. Soon enough you will see the real Sachin Tendulkar. At the end, I think the Test match is heading for a draw. Australia won the toss and scored more than 500 runs. Yet, they could not gag India in any way. It’s a great feeling. If they have missed their three frontline bowlers so far, we too, took the field without two of our top strikers and a debutant on tow. We have fought it out so far and I am sure, will come out in flying colours at the end of the tour.
—Chivach Media |
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Vaughan secures England a draw
Kandy, December 14 Set a 368-run victory target, England decided to bat out the final day to earn a draw, as it did in last week’s series opener at Galle. Man of the Match Vaughan struck 10 boundaries from 333 deliveries. He scored just 16 runs in the afternoon session when he remained stuck in the 90s for an hour as he tried to smother the turn that the pitch offered Sri Lanka’s spinners. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st Innings): 382 England (1st Innings): 294 Sri Lanka (2nd Innings): 279 for 7 declared. England (2nd Innings): (overnight 89 for 2) Trescothick c Jayawardene
Vaughan c Dilshan
Butcher st Sangakkara
Hussain c Sangakkara
Thorpe c Sangakkara
Collingwood c Jayawardene
Flintoff lbw b Murali 19 Read not out 18 Batty not out 25 Extras:
(b-3, lb-8, nb-5) 16 Total: (7 wkts, 140 overs) 285 FoW:
1-24, 2-50, 3-90, 4-167, 5-208, 6-233, 7-239. Bowling: Chaminda Vaas 29-7-59-2, Dinusha Fernando 7-1-21-0, Kumar Dharmasena 26-2-74-1, Muttiah Muralitharan 56-28-64-4, Sanath Jayasuriya 17-2-45-0, Hashan Tillekeratne 1-0-1-0, Thilan Samaraweera 1-1-0-0, Tillekeratne Dilshan 3-1-10-0.
— AP |
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Dropped twice, Lara
hits ton Johannesburg, December 14 He was dropped twice, a straightforward chance to Shaun Pollock at first slip off Ntini and a tough one as he slashed Jacques Kallis wide of Robin Peterson at gully when he had 62. SA (1st innings): 561 West Indies (1st innings): Hinds c Peterson b Nel 10 Ganga c Peterson b Ntini
60 Sarwan c Boucher b Pollock 21 Lara batting 100 Chanderpaul batting 23 Extras (12b, 8lb, 3nb, 2w) 25 Total
(3
wkts, 87 overs) 239 FoW: 1-43, 2-94, 3-141. Bowling: Pollock 24-6-48-1, Ntini 20-6-58-1, Nel 17-7-32-1, Kallis 14-4-33-0,Peterson 8-1-31-0, Smith 4-0-17-0. — AFP |
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Cricket academy launched Chandigarh, December 14 Speaking on the occasion, Mr J.S. Sukhija a trustee of the school, said facilities would be created for other sports as well. He said they were honoured by the joining of DP Azad as the patron. Mr Azad said the academy would impart training through latest gadgets like audio-visuals, swing analysis besides others. Video recording would be done for each player. One coach would be provided for 20 trainees. Players would have to be at least six years of age. Chetan, while talking to newspersons, said the school which is being set up in collaboration with Shriram Educare, had a good reputation. He said the city has already produced world class players. He said he would like to give back by working hard with the children. The endeavour of the academy would be to produce eminent cricketers. Facilities would include a strip of turf wicket and two cemented wicket along with a synthetic wicket. |
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IM Vijayan strikes as JCT overpower Salgaocar Ludhiana, December 14 Salgaocar fought back with all their might and coach Savio Madeira even effected a couple of substitutions in the fag end but the JCT defence, manned by stopper backs Musa Aliu and KV Dhanesh and wing backs Jagjit Randhawa and Jaspal Singh withstood the pressure with fortitude.
JCT goalkeeper Mansuru Mohammed also won the hearts of the enthusiastic Sunday crowd with a breathtaking performance under the bar. On the few occasions that the JCT defence was beaten, Mansuru rose to the occasion to thwart the
Goans' designs. With both teams eager to romp home victorious, aggression was the watchword from the onset. Unlike the earlier match today's match had thrills aplenty and JCT matched the rivals move for move. Star Nigerian striker Stephan Abarowei was back in action after missing the two earlier matches. A free kick taken by Vijayan early on after winger Jaswinder was brought down outside the penalty area was a close miss but Salgaocar's counter-offensive through skipper Climax Lawrence was no better as his piledriver was easily collected by
Mansuru. In the 17th minute, JCT, backed by a large crowd, turned the tide against the Goan outfit. As Jagjit Randhawa floated the ball off a corner,
Vijayan, standing unmarked outside the box, turned around to despatch a volley which beat Salgaocar custodian Dastidar hands down. Undeterred by the setback, Salgaocar launched a flurry of attacks and earned a free kick following a foul by JCT's Jaswinder Singh but goalkeeper Mansuru Mohammed
effected an excellent save by diving to his right. The second half once again saw JCT mounting pressure and a well-taken free kick by medio Joe Paul Ancheri following Ragui Singh's unfair tackle was collected by the Salgaocar custodian with some difficulty.
Salgaocar's Nigerian forward Felix Ibrebru also made a close call but his piledriver was slightly off the mark. Midway through the second half, JCT had another good chance when Ancheri put Vijayan in possession who relayed the ball to Sukhjinder but despite having a clear view of the goal, he shot wide. This was followed by another unsuccessful attempt by Vijayan after the ball deflected from the feet of newcomer
Baldip. With the minutes ticking away, Salgaocar's frustration multiplied. Skipper Climax Lawrence earned the yellow card when he contested a linesman's decision. Salgaocar had a good chance to equalise towards the end but international Jatin Bisht's excellent attempt brought out the best in JCT goalie Mansuru Mohammed, who leapt high to make a neat collection. Substitutes Samson Singh and Narendra Meetei also could not do much against the sturdy JCT defence. Earlier, the two teams were introduced to Mr KK Garg, an industrialist, who was the chief guest. With today's victory, JCT's tally has gone up to seven points. The millmen will now meet Goa's Dempo SC in their next home match here on December 20. |
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Top players to miss national tennis New Delhi, December 14 The 12th edition of the DCSL Open National Tennis Championship, which carries a total prize money of Rs 5 lakh, will witness only second rung players in action as the leading ones have not entered the fray for various reasons. The men’s field is so shallow that even defending champion Vijay Kannan has not bothered to defend his title. Women’s title holder Isha Lakhani too will not be seen in action. The championship, to be held at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association courts from December 15 to 26, not only offers attractive cash incentives, but also awards precious points to the winners. The men’s singles title winner will pocket 60 AITA (All-India Tennis Association) points while the runner-up will earn 45 points. The losing semifinalists will pick up 30 points each. The title winners would also be entitled to actual return air fare upto Rs 40,000 each while the runners-up would be entitled to actual return air fare upto Rs 20,000 each to play in an ITF tournament outside India. Chairman of DSCL Ajay S Shriram said the juniors would also be given a lot of incentives as besides daily allowance as per the AITA rules, incentives worth Rs 5000 to 7000 would be offered to the boys singles and girls singles finalists in each of the three age group categories — under-18, under-16 and under-14. Following are the seedings: Women: 1. Liza Perreira, 2. Sai Jayalakshmi, 3. Archana Venkataraman, 4. Ankita Bhambri, 5. Shruti Dhawan, 6. Lata Assudani, 7. Samrita Sekhar, 8. Sheetal Goutham. Men:
1.Vinod Sridhar, 2. Vishal Punna, 3. Kedar Tembe, 4. Ajay Ramaswamy, 5. Jaco T. Mathew, 6. Kamla Kannan, 7. Som Dev Vamran and 8. Parantap
Chaturvedi. |
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Atwal annexes Order of Merit title
New Delhi, December 14 Atwal, who last week became the only Indian ever to qualify for the US PGA Tour, finished the lowest among the Indian in fray at the $500,000 event played at par-71 Bangkok Golf Club course at tied 57th and a three-day aggregate of four-over 288. Atwal’s only real threat to the Order of Merit title, China’s Zhang Lian Wei finished tied 39th at 281, according to information received here. It is the second time in a row that an Indian took home the coveted title as Jyoti Randhawa had achieved the feat last season. Randhawa may have not been able to defend his crown but he did outshine Atwal with his performance today — a card of six-under 65 in the final round and a tournament tally of 15-under 269 which placed him third on the leaderboard. He pocketed a cheque of $ 30,000. —PTI
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MHF can’t dictate terms, says Jothikumaran New Delhi, December 14 “One cannot dictate terms to us on the composition of the Indian team. We are sending the team keeping in mind the upcoming Olympic qualifiers and the Athens Olympics,” Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) Secretary General K. Jothikumaran told PTI today. He was reacting to media reports which quoted Malaysian Hockey Federation secretary S. Satgunam as saying “we will not accept India for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup if they are sending their second stringers.” Jothikumaran said it would be incorrect to call the Indian team as junior or second-string since 16 of the 25 probables have represented the country. “How can you call a team junior or second-string when 16 of the players have played at international level. They have no right to call it so. Moreover, keeping in mind the ability of the Indians to draw huge crowds to the stadium in Malaysia, we are giving special attention to the tournament,” he said.
—PTI |
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Kamalakar win bridge title Ludhiana, December 14 As expected, the decisive match for Kamalakar was against ABCD of Delhi. Their comprehensive 22-8 VPs win seemed to have boosted the confidence going into their last encounter against Delhi Blues. Delhi Blues, who had beaten Kamalakar in the qualifying round, had a disastrous outing in this round against Punjab Bridge Association (Lakhanpal) and went down 13-17 VPs and Kamalakar had cut into the lead to such an extent that they came within one VP of Delhi Blues. The scores at this stage read- Delhi Blues -76 VPs to Kamalakar's 75 VPs, leaving the winner's place up for grabs. Kamalakar gained sweet revenge dishing out a 23-7 VPs defeat to emerge clear winners, relegating Delhi Blues to second place. Kamalakar team led by Y Kamalakar Rao with other players, Yatish Chandra, K Suryanaryana, B Ramamohan Rao and M Diwakar Chowdhary ended with 98 VPs, far ahead of Delhi Blues, led by TC Pant and other members- Sudhir Aggarwal, A K Narang, R C Consul and S Bhatia whose total was 83 VPs. ABCD of Delhi finished third with 76 VPs to their credit and hosts, a relatively inexperienced team, PBA (Kang) with Col DS Kang, Dinesh Gogna, MM Sharma, Dr BK Walia and DP Sood (Bhindi) did creditably to be in the fourth spot, through a tie-breaker with RM Gupta of Kanpur whom they had beaten in their match, both having finished with 68 VPs. The open pairs attracted a total of 60 pairs, which through two elimination rounds, was whittled down to a 14-pair final. Delhi's duo of Inderpal Singh and Paresh Gupta was comfortable winner with 93 match points (MPs). |
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Fleming fit to
lead against Pak Kenyan sweep Netball champs Vasco held
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