 |
|
|
Dravid guides rusty India to victory
Bangladesh win, but Hong Kong impress Woolmer’s tips
may harm Shoaib: Nawaz PCB underplays Haq-Shoaib rift |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BCCI told to furnish details of finances The Delhi High Court today directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to furnish within 15 day complete details of its finances and activities. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice B D Ahmed sought further details after BCCI counsel P N Lekhi sumitted a 21-point broad outline on the Board’s income, expenditure and activities. Revised contract for cricketers Agarkar likely to pair with McGrath Aussies to begin tour on Sept 30 Gavaskar denies involvement in ‘fraud’
US sprinter tests positive
GND varsity releases
sports calendar Mansa boys, girls make winning start
|
|
Dravid guides rusty India to victory
Dambulla, July 16 Dravid came to the rescue of the team after an early scare with a heroic 93-ball 104 to steer India to a competitive 260 for six, before the seamers ploughed through the UAE batting line-up and bundled them out for 144 in 35 overs in what turned to be a rather lop-sided opening floodlit encounter of the six-nation tournament. The Indian performance at the hillside venue of Dambulla might not have been an entirely clinical one, with the top order stuttering and the team needing the services of Sachin Tendulkar (3 for 21) to break the brief resistance by the Emirates middle order. But that was only understandable as the team was coming off a three-month break. Dravid continued from where he left off in Pakistan, carving out his ninth one-day hundred in his 230th one-day international and his first in 44 games in the past 20 months. It was also India’s best total in Asia Cup, improving upon their 254 against Sri Lanka in Dhaka during the 1988-89 edition. Irfan Pathan (3 for 28) and Laxmipathy Balaji (2 for 28) ripped through the UAE top order to leave the debutants struggling at 45 for six at one stage. But a defiant 55 by Mohammad Tauqir frustrated the Indians before Tendulkar polished off the tail. The Indians, seeking to regain the Asia Cup after six years, found the going tough on a slow track as their unheralded opponents performed beyond expectations in the initial stages of the match. Playing their first match in exactly three months, Ganguly’s men suffered from lack of match practice under conditions that were not exactly suited for stroke making. Only Dravid showed authority as he shared a crucial 88-run stand with his captain which helped the team to wriggle out of a precarious 65 for three. Ganguly made 56 at number three but, like other top order batsmen, his batting, too, suffered from rustiness. The skipper needed 102 balls for his half century and was lucky after being dropped twice in the slips in the early stages of the match. UAE had all their 11 players making their debut but the ACC Trophy winners in Kuala Lumpur last month made up for the lack of experience with their spirit and combined effort. Scoreboard India Sehwag run out 0 Tendulkar c Aslam Ganguly c Naeemuddin b Laxman c and b Dravid b Rizwan Ahmed 104 Yuvraj b Khurram 22 Kaif not out 31 Pathan not out 1 Extras: (lb-10, w-4) 14 Total:
(6 wkts, 50 overs) 260 FoW: 1-0, 2-30, 3-65, 4-153, 5-195, 6-255. Bowling:
Ali Asad Abbas 10-1-38-0, Asim Saeed 7-2-25-1, Maqsood 4-0-25-0, Mohammad Tauqir 10-0-46-1, Khurram 10-0-47-1, Rizwan 9-0-69-2. United Arab Emirates Saeed c Kaif b Pathan 12 Ali c Dravid b Pathan 0 Usman lbw Balaji 9 Aslam lbw Pathan 0 Khan lbw Balaji 5 Maqsood c Laxman b Zaheer 5 Ali lbw Kumble 14 Tauqir st Dravid b Tendulkar 55 Rehman b Tendulkar 1 Abbas not out 9 Ahmed c Laxman b Tendulkar 0 Extras
(nb-4, w-21, b-8, lb-1) 34. Total (all out, 35 overs) 144. F oW: 1-1, 2-26, 3-26, 4-29, 5-36, 6-45, 7-97, 8-121, 9-144. Bowling:
Pathan 8-0-28-3, Balaji 8-0-28-2, Zaheer 8-1-42-1, Kumble 7-1-16-1, Tendulkar 4-0-21-3.
— PTI
|
|
Bangladesh
win, but Hong Kong impress
Colombo, July 16 Batting first, Bangladesh scored 221 runs for nine wickets in its 50 overs, and took just 45.2 overs to bowl out Hong Kong for 105 runs. Earlier, off-spinner Ilyas Gul bagged three wickets as Hong Kong made an impressive start in international cricket. Gul finished with 3-46 as Hong Kong, playing their first-ever one-day international, dominated play after electing to field. The 36-year-old bowler of Pakistani origin accounted for Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali and Mushfiqur Rahman and it took a resolute effort from opener Javed Omar (68) to give Test-playing Bangladesh a respectable total. Omar’s fifth half-century came with four boundaries off 113 deliveries and he was involved in a useful 85-run second-wicket stand with captain Habibul Bashar (32). Hong Kong, coached by former India all-rounder Robin Singh, put up a fine effort as seamers Afzaal Haider and Khalid Khan moved the new ball well and the spinners followed with a determined effort. Scoreboard Bangladesh Omar run out 68 Ashraful c French b Haider 9 Bashar c Sharma b Aamer 32 Saleh c Smart b Gul 10 Kapali lbw b Gul 2 Rahman c Smart b Gul 18 Mashud c Aamer b
Khalid Khan
26 Rafique b French 3 Mahmud run out 22 Baisya not out 6 Razzaq not out 5 Extras
(lb4, nb3, w13) 20 Total (9
wkts, 50 overs) 221 FoW: 1-10, 2-95, 3-123, 4-127, 5-145, 6-167, 7-174, 8-198, 9-212. Bowling:
Haider 8-1-31-1, Khalid Khan 8-1-31-1, Lamsam 4-0-20-0, Najeeb Aamer 10-2-38-1, French 10-0-51-1, Ilyas Gul 10-0-46-3. Hong Kong: Smart lbw b Razzaq
9 Cheruparambil b Rahman 0 French c and b Rahman 10 Tabarak Dar lbw Mahmud
20 Lamsam c Mashud b Mahmud 8 Sharma c Mashud b Rafique 10 Ilyas Gul c Rafique b Razzaq 16 Najeeb Aamer run out 0 Lama not out
16 Afzaal Haider lbw b Razzaq 0 Khalid c Mashud b Rafique 3 Extras
(lb-3, nb-1, w-9) 13 Total (all out in 45.2 overs) 105
FoW: 1-2, 2-15, 3-38, 4-49, 5-65, 6-65, 7-67, 8-96, 9-98 Bowling:
Baisya 8-2-21-0, Rahman 8-3-21-2, Razzaq 9-2-17-3, Mahmud 7-2-17-2, Rafique 9.2-3-21-2, Kapali 4-1-5-0.
— AFP |
||
|
Woolmer’s tips may harm Shoaib: Nawaz
Islamabad, July 16 “It is difficult to understand why Woolmer is asking Shoaib and other fast bowlers to shorten their run-ups,” said Nawaz, who revels in controversies. “During his coaching tenure with the cricket team of South Africa, Woolmer never asked South African bowlers to shorten their run-ups. “I have played cricket for my country for a long time and I feel that an Englishmen cannot see any Asian player on top,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistan news agency PPI. He also slammed Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Ramiz Raja for his anti-player policies and urged Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who is also the patron of the PCB, to personally review the policies and take stern action. Nawaz also accused former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar of conniving with the authorities to bring in foreign coaches in the sub-continent. “They are both getting commissions from foreign cricket’s administrators for appointing English coaches for their home teams,” he alleged. However, Nawaz hailed the efforts of the Senate standing committee on sports for questioning PCB bosses about their policies. He also urged the standing committee to call sports journalists and former Test cricketers in an upcoming meeting on July 19 with PCB officials. — PTI
|
||
|
PCB underplays Haq-Shoaib rift
‘’Personally, I have interacted with him on quite a few tours and know him well. He is not a bad chap at all despite his ego problem and can be persuaded to do a lot for the team. He requires to be dealt with deftly and he responds,” he added. Commenting on the differences between Inzamam and the Rawalpindi Express prior to the Asia Cup and the board’s problems with the speedster after the home series against India, Khan said everything was under control at the moment. ‘’It would be foolish to say there were no problems between Inzamam and Shoaib or that we were happy with Shoaib’s behaviour since the India series. But we have worked on these issues and things are better now,’’ he said. ‘’When I met them in Karachi this week before they left for Colombo, things had improved a lot between the two and there is now proper trust and communication between them, which is good for the team,’’ he said, adding that coach Bob Woolmer and manager Haroon Rasheed had been arbitrators between the duelling duo. The PCB Chairman said the root cause of the differences between the two was that Inzamam felt that during the Test series against India, Shoaib did not give his 100 per cent, while in contrast, the fast bowler felt he was being unfairly singled out by Inzamam for criticism. ‘’Shoaib is a potential match winner and a star player. But he has been passed on the clear message now that while his status as a star player is undisputed, he should expect no special treatment and he has to perform like all the other players to keep his place in the team,’’ he explained.— UNI
|
||
|
BCCI told to furnish details of finances
New Delhi, July 16 The directions had come on a PIL, filed by advocate Rahul Mehra and businessman Shantanu Sharma in April 2000, seeking an independent probe into the BCCI functioning and accounts of five years (1995-2000). It called for ensuring that BCCI accounts were audited transparently by the Comptroller of Audit General and the Board functions primarily for the promotion of cricket. Board’s counsel had earlier sought time from the Court to device a mechanism that would bring transparency, accountability and checks and balances in the functioning of BCCI. It had been stated that the BCCI would study all suggestions, including those given by the petitioner, with an open mind and come out with the mechanism to ensure that the game of cricket was the ultimate winner. Today, Mr Lekhi said even though the Board’s income came from corporate sponsors and TV rights and not from the public, the BCCI wanted to satisfy any doubt in the minds of the public about its functioning. The BCCI wanted to be transparent as the game was for the public, national honour and glory, he added. On the other hand, Mr Mehra said the outline forwarded by the Board was vague and only an eyewash, it maintained no transparency and did not even have a website. The Board’s statement of accounts were more guarded than the country’s nuclear secrets, he added. On May 21, A petitioner seeking a probe into the BCCI’s functioning and accounts today alleged that contrary to the interests of the game non-cricketers are running the sports body and its affiliates. Arguing before the division bench Mehra said businessmen and politicians were at the helm of affairs in the BCCI and many state associations like in Bihar, Maharashtra and Delhi, having less than three per cent cricketers at the top. Lesser known players were appointed national selectors while players like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev did not find place, he added. The PIL said the Board officials should not function as private empires of some businessmen and traders who have come to control and abuse cricket for their own interest and profit. The BCCI and the Delhi and District Cricket Association
(DDCA)have acquired a monopoly status by virtue of government recognition and patronage. Only 5 per cent of 3,500 DDCA members have ever played cricket, the PIL added. The petitioners said accounts show the DDCA recorded sale of Rs 33 lakh on liquor in 1998-99 which was nearly five times the total expenses on coaching and promotion of cricket expenses over the past 11 years. The BCCI spent Rs 65 lakh for committee meetings in the same year and Rs 40 lakh for travel, they said. But coaching expenses were less than 2.2 per cent of the expenditure. The BCCI profits have been climbing at the rate of 59 per cent per year and totalled Rs 8.37 crore in 1998-99 compared to Rs 5.06 lakh in 1987-88, they said. Listing several instances of discrepancies in sale of TV rights by the BCCI, the PIL said there was no transparency in the manner in which the bids are invited and contracts were awarded. “The politics prevailing in the BCCI has almost led to seriously harming the entire selection process of national cricket team. It is reported to have resulted in ruining the career of some capable cricketers,’’ it added.
—UNI |
||
|
Revised contract for cricketers Dambulla, July 16 The figures doing the round here suggest Rs 50 lakh for Grade A cricketers, Rs 35 lakh for the next grade players and Rs 20 lakh for the bottom-rung performers. The contracts are expected to be signed after the cricketers return from the Asia Cup next month. This is a revision from the stated position of Rs 60, Rs 30 and Rs 15 lakh which the cricketers and the Indian Board had agreed to last month after which the copy of formal contracts was handed over to players in Chennai last week. This change is being considered because a few players are not happy with the terms of the deal and the money which has been put on the stake bar, according to informed sources. A couple of cricketers felt there was too much of a gap between the money offered for the successive grades. They were also not sure whether the criteria of performance and not seniority was the right way to go about it. They also felt the figure of 50 per cent for non-playing players was too less. If it surprised the Board, it absolutely stumped the senior players who were involved in negotiations for the central contracts for over two years and had hammered out a great deal of financial and legal interpretations. Board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya had to hastily cancel the gradation committee meeting in Kolkata on July 9 after he was informed by a very senior cricketer they needed more time to put it in place. Though the Gradation Committee meeting is yet to take place and the names of cricketers in different categories yet to be decided, it is learnt the senior cricketers have proposed eight cricketers for Grade A and six each for subsequent categories. The eight seniors for Grade A could include Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. The next six cricketers for Grade B include Ashish Nehra, Laxmipathy Balaji, Irfan Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Ajit Agarkar. The final six names for Grade C may be Parthiv Patel, Hemang Badani, Aakash Chopra, Murali Karthik, Rohan Gavaskar and Aavishkar Salvi. — PTI
|
|
Agarkar likely to pair with McGrath
Mumbai, July 16 Confirming that he has been approached by Middlesex, Agarkar told PTI yesterday: “Things would become clearer soon. A couple of things need to be sorted out. It’s going to be a month-long stint now that I am free. But I would be available to play for India whenever needed.” BCCI joint secretary Prof Ratnakar Shetty said the Mumbai speedster has written to the board seeking permission to play in the county cricket. — PTI
|
|
Aussies to begin tour on Sept 30 Mumbai:
World champions Australia will commence their tour of India with a three-day cricket match against the Board President’s XI on September 30 before plunging into the back-to-back four-Test series against the hosts. The Tests would be held between October 6 and November 7 at venues to be decided by the working committee of the BCCI at its meeting in Delhi on July 18 and 19, according to board sources. The Australian team is scheduled to arrive in India on September 26.
|
|
Gavaskar denies involvement in ‘fraud’
When his reaction was sought on the reported complaint registered against him and five others by the Vadodara police, the former India captain said he did not have much details with him. ‘’I had joined the company on the board of directors following a request from Moorthys. “However, I resigned about 10 years ago. I do not have much detail with me now. I was informed about the incident by someone. I will have to get information for a reaction,’’ he said The Little Master said he left India yesterday to perform his duties as a commentator here for ESPN/Star Sports. — UNI
|
|
Sacramento, July 16 The performance, the best by an American in six years, assured Jones of a spot on the US Olympic team for next month’s Athens Games. The reigning Olympic champion had failed to make the US team in the 100 metres on Saturday, and had been only the seventh-best long jump qualifier on Monday. But things were so different on Thursday.
Jones on her second jump, bounded 7.11 metres, her best since winning the IAAF grand prix final in 1998, and no one came within 28 centimetres of the performance. Grace Upshaw finished second at 6.83 metres.
She has run poorly in her first year back from the birth of her son with world 100 metres record holder Tim Montgomery. But on Thursday she was in control from the start with jumps of 6.80, 7.11, 6.72, 6.81, 6.84 and 6.72 metres. She will attempt to also make the US team for the women’s 200 metres this weekend. Jones, wearing a yellow body suit with racing stripes down the sides, leaped 6.77 metres on her first attempt in the final, the best jump of the first round. Her second jump was even better 7.11 metres, the second-longest jump in the world this year. She briefly nodded at her mark in the sand, then walked away expressionless. Three nights after being unable to reach 6.40 metres on any of her three jumps in the qualifying round, Jones surpassed 6.71 metres on all six jumps yesterday in winning the competition. Grace Upshaw and Akiba McKinney claimed the other spots on the US team.
— AP |
|
|
Sacramento, July 16 Edwards tested positive for nikethamide at a meet in Fort-de-France, Martinique, in April, International Association of Athletics Federations spokesman Nick Davies said. Analysis of her backup B sample confirmed the positive result, he said. Edwards’ status for the Athens Olympics will be determined at a hearing Monday in the USA, he said. Under international rules, sanctions for use of stimulants range from a public warning to a two-year ban. The 27-year-old Edwards was awarded the gold medal in the 100 in 2003 world championships after Kelli White, another US sprinter, was stripped of the title this year. White has been suspended from competition for two years after admitting using steroids and several other banned substances. Edwards also moved from third to second in the world 200 finish because White lost her gold medal in that event, too. Spokesmen for the US Anti-Doping Agency and US Olympic Committee said they had no comment on the reports. Edwards’ coach, John Smith, and her manager, Emanuel Hudson, did not return telephone calls last night. The sport in the USA already had been rocked by doping accusations against six athletes. The USOC has vowed to take a “clean” team to the Athens Olympics. — AP
|
|
KPS
Gill vents ire on chief coach Patiala, July 16 A senior IHF office-bearer, preferring anonymity, confirmed that the Mr Gill has told the chief coach in no uncertain terms that his job would be on the line if the team fails to make the cut in the semis. This, he added, has been conveyed telephonically by Mr Gill to Rajinder at Leverkusen (Germany) where 21 probables are at present slugging it out in a training camp. The official disclosed that the chief coach was peeved at the frequent changes being made among the support staff by the federation top brass without him being consulted at any stage. A piqued Rajinder expressed his displeasure to certain people close to the IHF president who, in turn, took umbrage to the chief coach’s remarks. A furious Mr Gill vented his ire on the chief coach on the phone and told Rajinder that Jagbir would be at the helm of affairs if the team’s fortunes did not improve at the Olympics. Yet
another reason for Mr Gill’s ire was the shoddy performance dished out by the team under Rajinder’s guidance at Amstelveen where the Indians lost to Pakistan and Germany by tennis like margins. After the Amstelveen debacle the IHF, in a knee-jerk reaction, roped in former Olympian Jagbir Singh as assistant to Rajinder Singh. This move had sparked off speculation that the chief coach might be on his way out even before the Olympics. For the time being, Jagbir has been asked by the IHF president to work in tandem with the chief coach to keep a watch on the midfield and front line. Jagbir has represented the country as a forward at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics and has also attended the FIH masters course in Holland last year. |
|
GND varsity releases
sports calendar Amritsar, July 16 Competitions in cross-country, gymnastics, judo (men and women) and rhythmic gymnastics (women) would be held at the university campus while competitions in yachting, canoeing and kayaking (men and women) would be held at Chandigarh in the third week of August. Similarly, yoga, taekwondo, fencing, chess (men and women) would be held in the last week of August. The last date for the receipt of entries is July 19, 2004. Competitions in swimming (men and women), water polo (men), softball (men and women), squash raquet (men and women), badminton (men and women), table tennis, handball, kho-kho (women), kabaddi (national style), football, basketball, kabaddi (Punjab style), ball badminton (men and women), boxing (men), powerlifting (men), weightlifting (men and women) and best physique (men) would be held in September. Kho-kho (men), cricket (women) and tennis (men), wrestling (freestyle both for men and women), wrestling greecoroman (men), volleyball (men and women), kabaddi (women) and basketball (women) would be held in October. Competitions in rowing (men and women) would be held in Chandigarh in the same month (October). In November, competitions in netball (men and women), korfball, football (women), hockey (women), tennis (women), cycling (men and women), cricket, hockey (men), archery, pistol shooting and airrifle (men and women) would be organised.
|
|
|
Mansa boys, girls make winning start Chandigarh, July 16 Seventeen teams in the boys section and 11 teams in the girls section are participating in the championship which is being conducted on knockout-cum-league basis. The results of matches on the opening day: Boys section: Mansa b Ferozepore 62-04, Baba Ludhiana Academy b Ropar 32-13, Muktsar b Faridkot 50-21, Bathinda b Sangrur 42-02, Kapurthala b Patiala 56-39, Amritsar b Jalandhar 26-13, Moga b Gurdaspur 43-23, Ludhiana b Hoshiarpur 50-13, Muktsar b Fatehgarh Sahib 29-04.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Video
Lahore, July 16
Dambulla (Sri Lanka), July 16
