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India keen on making winning start
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Flintoff plays down pellets’ incident
Dravid walks out of press conference
BCCI invites bids
Narang books Olympic berth
Jasjeet happy with hockey team’s show
Cash reward for winners from HP
Minister seeks jobs for medal winners
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India keen on making winning start
New Delhi, March 27 With Virender Sehwag passing the fitness test, India’s opening slots are settled. Sehwag is sure to open the Indian innings tomorrow with another Delhi boy, Gautam Gambhir, though Dravid has not given any hint about the other slots. Dravid is keen to quickly erase the bad memory of the 212-run defeat in the third Test in Mumbai and he was pleased like a punch at the green ground and sporting wicket of Ferozeshah Kotla. But his mood was spoilt for a brief while when press photographers and television crew jostled for space at his media briefing, and created a ruckus. The absence of Sachin Tendulkar has created space for fielding a promising batsman like Venugopala Rao, who has been scoring runs by the tons in domestic cricket, or Suresh Raina, or both. Mohammad Kaif, who had shown blazing form with the bat in the first Test at Mohali and the warm-up one-day tie against the visitors at Jaipur on Saturday, will get another chance to shame the selectors who have been toying with his career despite his fine showings. Dravid refused to divulge his game plan and the final eleven for tomorrow’s tie, giving scope for the guessing game, though it is almost certain that pacers Irfan Pathan, S Sreeshanth and Munaf Patel would play. In the absence of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh too may make it into the eleven as the Kotla wicket invariably aides the slow bowlers. Sehwag, who missed the Test against Sri Lanka at Kotla in December last year due to a “throat infection”, will be raring to have a go at the English bowling which he could not dominate in the Test series. The match will be played on a new strip, not the ones used for the matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. "This pitch has more for the bowlers. It is different from what we saw against Pakistan and Lanka," the captain observed. He said it looked like a sporting wicket “and should be a good batting track as the match progresses”. And he was happy too that there was “depth” in bowling. "It's nice to have depth in bowling," Dravid said. He was happy that he had the talent at his command to make the right choices. "Decent bench strength is important," he admitted, and true to his words, did not make much of Munaf Patel bruising his heel while practising. "Nothing alarming," said the skipper about Munaf’s injury. Dravid wants the top-order batsmen to score big runs to put a decent total on the board. "We would like the top order to fire”, he noted. Dravid felt that “losing Tendulkar was bad enough as he was an important part of our attack against Pakistan (he bowled too)”. The 14 ODI matches to be played this year (seven against England and seven against the West Indies) will be utilised by the team think-tank to “assess” the Indian players and make the right choices for the World Cup in the West Indies next year. “We are developing our team for the World Cup”, Dravid added. The shoddy fielding and the spilled catches in the Test series were major concerns for the captain, and he has set out to address these flaws in the one-day squad. “We are developing close-in fielders, have to work on our batting and fielding." England captain Andrew Flintoff exuded tremendous confidence as the incredible victory in Mumbai to square the Test series seems to have given him a new high. He looked cheerful and full of confidence after spending three days with his family in England. Flintoff, who has become a role-model for his team and fans back home after his stellar deeds in the Test series though he was only a “stand-in” captain who got the top job only because Michael Vaughan got injured, was looking forward to the ODI series. And if he succeeds in the ODI series, then Vaughan will have difficulty regaining his captaincy. But keeping the top job was farthest from Flintoff’s mind, as his immediate goal was to succeed in the ODI series. "The ODI series is more challenging. I am looking forward to it," he said. The England captain was happy that he would be leading a new, talented bunch in the ODI series. He considers it as a “blessing in disguise” that some of the senior players were not in the squad due to injuries which gives him the freedom to give exposure to the young talent. Flintoff admitted that it would be a tough series because of the kind of travel involved. "Travelling all over India is taxing," he explained. But after the success in Mumbai, the Englishmen don’t mind such discomforts. "The win in Mumbai was a great boost. We have got very young, very talented players for the one-dayers," Flintoff said. Both Dravid and Flintoff felt that scoring over 400 runs in an innings in ODIs like South Africa did against Australia recently will be a recurring trend in future. “It’s a trend you will see more often in future. It’s the effect of Twenty/20 cricket”, Flintoff said. Like Dravid, Flintoff also did not reveal his mind about team composition. He said he was yet to decide who would open with Andrew Strauss. Teams: (from) India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(wk), Irfan Pathan, Venugopal Rao, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Ramesh Powar and Rudra Pratap Singh. England: Andrew Flintoff, Kabir Ali, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Ian Blackwell, Paul Collingwood, Matthew Hoggard, Geraint Jones (wk), Sajid Mahmood, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Vikram Solanki and Andrew Strauss. |
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Flintoff plays down pellets’ incident
New Delhi, March 27 Reminded of the claims he had made in his autobiography “Being Freddie” of being shot at the January 31 match, Flintoff evaded any direct reference to the incident and said, “Last time, it was a minor thing from any miscreant but one must not expect it to happen again.” Without going into the matter further, Flintoff hinted he was ready to put it behind and prepare for the ODI series. “It’s a great opportunity for all of us to play seven one day matches in front of packed crowds and that makes it great,” he said. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), however, has vehemently denied the veracity of the event and questioned the logic behind raising the issue so long after the incident. In his autibiography, Flintoff had recalled the incident, saying, “I felt something hit me and, looking down, saw pellets on the ground.” “You expect to have plastic bottles thrown at you when you are playing on the subcontinent, but you don’t expect to be shot,” he wrote. Flintoff also claimed that he was upset at being asked to play down the incident by the team management. “(The then captain) Nasser Hussain got very heated about it in the middle and Phil Neale, the tour manager, came to find out what was going on, but the whole thing seemed to get swept under the carpet,” he wrote. “There was a big story back home to do with crowd disturbances, but Andrew Walpole, the ECB’s media relations manager, told me to play the incident down when I was interviewed the following day.” “Looking back now, I think I should have made more of a stand because I wasn't there to be shot at. We explained it away as the crowd just being over-excited at the time, but I wasn’t sure about that at all,” he added. Flintoff said the team morale was high after winning the Mumbai Test and he was fresh after spending three days with his nascent son back in England. “It was fantastic to win in Mumbai and personally, I spent three days with my new-born son and family and feeling fresh,” he said.
— UNI |
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Dravid walks out of press conference
New Delhi, March 27 What put off the skipper was chaos and unruly scenes which drowned Dravid’s replies even as the conference had just begun at the media centre of the DDCA Club. Mobile phone ringtones and television camera crew constantly shouting from the back have been a feature for media sessions for sometime now. What accentuated the problem at DDCA was the presence of too many non-journalists at the conference hall. Even as the buzz continued, Dravid arrived flanked by BCCI Media Committee member G S Walia and DDCA co-ordinator Ravi Jain. With hardly five minutes into the media session, a horde of still photographers came in, obviously unaware of the timing of the conference as they kept clicking away at teams’ practice on the field. Hell broke loose with the photographers trying to find a suitable position for themselves and the TV cameramen commanding them to keep out of their frame. One senior journalist then lost his cool and screamed “shut up. Enough is enough.” A deafening silence followed, but only for a moment. When the camera men started cribbing about their need to carry out their job, Dravid walked out. The captain, however, returned a few minutes later to take the questions without a hint of annoyance on the face.
— PTI |
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Dalmiya grilled for over seven hours
Mumbai, March 27 The other former members of the BCCI to appear before the EOW today were former Secretary S K Nair, former treasurer Kishore Rungta and former joint secretary Jyoti Bajpai. Dalmiya and the others were interrogated by the EOW sleuths separately, with the former board chief himself being asked 35 questions alone. Dalmiya’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde, who emerged out of the hearing, told mediapersons that he or his client would not make any comments on the case at the moment as it was sub-judice. The four appeared before the EOW in compliance with the Bombay High Court directive of March 23 when it had extended the interim protection from arrest till April 10 and had directed them to attend the inquiries before Mumbai and Kolkata police in connection with the case. The cricket board had stated in its complaint that Dalmiya, the convener of PILCOM, the agency formed to overlook the expenses during the 1996 World Cup, had allegedly transferred money into his own account and misappropriated funds to the tune of Rs 21.74 lakh. Earlier, Justice V M Kanade, who was hearing the anticipatory bail plea moved by petitioners, had directed them to attend the office of the EOW of the Mumbai police today, tomorrow, March 29 and 31 and also to attend the Kolkata police inquiry into the matter on April 3, 4 and 5.
— UNI |
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BCCI invites bids
New Delhi, March 27 “The minimum bid for the ground rights tender package is $ 3 million and the participation is open to any company or agency with a net worth of $ 5 million,” the BCCI said in a statement here today. India and Pakistan are to play each other in two one-dayers to raise funds for last year’s quake victims. Both matches have been awarded official ODI status by the ICC. All revenues of the series, after meeting basic costs, will be donated to the earthquake relief funds of the two countries, and the players of the two teams have also decided to donate their match fees for one day for this cause, the BCCI statement added.
— PTI |
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Asif, Farhat give Pak the edge
Colombo, March 27 Asif snared four for 41 as Sri Lanka were skittled out for 185 and then left-handed Farhat scored 69 from 90 balls to consolidate his team’s advantage. Pakistan finished the first day’s play after yesterday’s total washout on 124 for four, trailing by 61 runs with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq looking ominously dangerous on 30 not out. Just after tea, Sri Lanka had fought themselves back into the game as three top-order wickets tumbled in quick succession and Pakistan slumped to 28 for 3. Farhat and Inzamam rescued Pakistan with a 94-run stand though Sri Lanka did strike again just before bad light stopped play when Farhat skied a bouncer and was caught at long leg. In the Sri Lanka innings, Pakistan’s Asif was well supported by new-ball partner Umar Gul (two for 41) and leg spinner Danish Kaneria (three for 44). Inzamam’s decision to bowl first was quickly justified as the ball danced round off the seam on a pitch that had remained covered for 24 hours after the first day’s abandonment. Sri Lanka’s openers were dismissed in a 3.4-over session before a further rain interruption held up play for 40 minutes. Sri Lanka’s problems escalated after the rain break, Kumar Sangakkara (8) shouldering arms to a fine delivery from Asif that cut back to clip his off bail. Scoreboard
Sri Lanka (1st innings) Tharanga lbw Asif 0 Jayasuriya b Gul 6 Sangakkara b Asif 8 Jayawardene c Akmal b Gul 1 Samaraweera b Asif 4 Dilshan c Younis b Kaneria 69 Maharoof c Younis b Asif 46 Bandara b Kaneria 16 Fernando c Inzamam b Kaneria 16 Malinga c Inzamam b Afridi 8 Muralitharan not out 0 Extras (b-4, lb-6, w-1) 11 Total (all out, 57.5 overs) 185 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-10, 3-18, 4-26, 5-32, 6-143, 7-149, 8-162, 9-177. Bowling: Asif 15-4-41-4, Gul 13-3-41-2, Razzaq 10-1-43-0, Kaneria 17.5-3-44-3, Afridi 2-0-6-1. Pakistan (1st innings) Malik c Bandara b Maharoof 13 Farhat c Bandara b Malinga 69 Younis c Sangakkara Iqbal c Maharoof b Malinga 2 Haq not out 30 Razzaq not out 1 Extras
(b-1, nb-8) 9 Total (4 wickets, 32 overs) 124 Fall of wickets:
1-25, 2-25, 3-28, 4-122. Bowling: Malinga 8-2-24-2, Maharoof 8-2-29-2, Fernando 3-0-20-0, Bandara 7-1-32-0, Muralitharan 6-0-18-0. — AFP, Reuters |
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Durban, March 27 South Africa, set a target of 410, were 29 for no wicket at close when bad light ended play early 13 balls after tea on the fourth day. Australia declared their second innings on 307 for four after Ponting added 116 to the 103 he made in the first innings. Scoreboard
Australia (1st innings) 369 SA (1st innings) 267 Australia (2nd innings) Langer c Pollock b Boje 37 Hayden c Boucher b Ntini 102 Ponting c Boje b Pollock 116 Martyn not out 15 Gilchrist c Nel b Boje 24 Extras
(lb-5, nb-7, w-1) 13 Total (4 wkts dec) 307 Fall of wickets:
1-49, 2-250, 3-278, 4-307. Bowling: Pollock 19-4-55-1, Ntini 15-2-62-1, Boje 26.4-4-87-2, Nel 14-3-58-0, Kallis 8-0-40-0. SA (2nd innings) De Villiers not out 17 Smith not out 10 Extras (lb-1 nb-1) 2 Total (for no loss) 29 Bowling:
Lee 3-0-16-0, Clark 2-0-3-0, Symonds 1.1-0-6-0, Warne 1-0-3-0. |
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Narang books Olympic berth
Beijing, March 27 Narang collected 597 points in the qualification round and 103.2 in the final, overcoming stiff competition from the local favourite. “Before I came to the World Cup, I was not very sure that I could win,” said Narang. “So I am very happy now. It is my first win in a World Cup event.” Liu took the silver with 699.6 points, while Russia’s Artem Khadjibekov, the gold medallist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, grabbed the bronze medal with 699.1 points. Five marksmen entered the final with the same qualification score of 597. However, it was Narang who led for most of the 10-shot final, Xinhua news agency reported from Guangzhou, capital of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. With a fabulous last shot worth 10.8 points, the 2005 Asian champion secured his second international victory this year with an advantage of 0.6 points together with an Olympic quota place for India. “I am extremely happy to win the first Olympic berth for my country,” said a beaming Narang, who started his international career in 2002. “I am in pretty good form now. My next aim is the World Championships and the Asian Games,” he added. In the seven-day World Cup in Guangzhou, 10 berths for the Beijing Olympics are at stake from 10 rifle and pistol events.
— PTI |
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Jasjeet happy with hockey team’s show
Shahbad (Kurukshetra), March 27 Jasjeet, 18, had just arrived at her house in Shahbad from Australia when The Tribune team met her. It is going to be brief visit for Jasjeet since she will be leaving to
represent Haryana in the senior nationals. Although Jasjeet is happy at winning the silver at the Commonwealth Games, she has a tinge of regret that the team missed the gold medal. "I would have been more happy had we won the gold. We lost to Australia by a solitary goal,” she said. She said India were pitted against good teams in Melbourne, such as Australia, South Africa and
New Zealand. She gives credit for her success to coach Baldev Singh. “Without his guidance, my international success would not have been possible. Besides me, three other players from Shahbad were part of the team at the Commonwealth Games,” she said. Meanwhile, Jasjeet learnt this afternoon that the Bhim Award would be conferred upon her. “I will receive the award on April 5,” she said. |
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Cash reward for winners from HP
Shimla, March 27 Making a suo motu statement in the House in this regard, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister, said that cash prize of Rs 5 lakh would be given for each gold medal winner, Rs 3 lakh for silver medal winner and Rs 2 lakh for a bronze medal winner. He said it was a matter of pride for the state that as many as eight out of the total 22 gold medals won by the country were bagged by Himachal sportspersons. The crowning glory, however, was the David Dixon Trophy won by Samresh Jung who was declared the best athlete of the Commonwealth Games. In all, Himachali athletes won 11 medals, all in shooting, with Samresh Jung’s five gold, one silver and one bronze, Anuja Jung’s one gold and one silver and Vijay Singh’s two gold medals. |
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Minister seeks jobs for medal winners
Chandigarh, March 27 The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, had earlier announced handsome rewards for players from Haryana who have won medals in the Commonwealth Games. Mr Hooda announced yesterday that the gold medal winners would be given Rs 10 lakh, the silver medal winners Rs 5 lakh and the bronze medalists Rs 3 lakh. Akhil Kumar won a gold medal in boxing. Bijender and Jitender won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in boxing.
— TNS |
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Sania-Ivanovic win
Miami, March 27 The Indo-Serbian pair recorded a 6-3, 6-4 victory over their rivals.
— UNI |
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