We can’t take Windies lightly, says Dravid
M.S. Unnikrishnan

New Delhi, May 8
The West Indies team, led by Brian Lara, may not be as deadly a force as it used to be a decade ago, but Indian captain Rahul Dravid said a tour to the Caribbean islands was always a big challenge. “Any foreign tour is a challenge, more so because for over 20 years, we haven’t won a Test series overseas”, observed the Indian captain on a whistle-stop tour to Delhi. He promised that the team would perform to its potential during the two-month tour of the West Indies.

Dravid said though the Indian team for the tour was packed with youngsters, most of whom had never played in the Caribbean, it was a “pretty good side, with balance in both batting and bowling”.

He said the West Indies, after the exit of some of their senior players, were in the process of rebuilding their team, but now that Lara has returned to the helm as captain, they would be a force to reckon with.

“They are a good, developing side, and there are quite a few similarities between them and us”, Dravid said after signing up as the brand ambassador of a popular watch-maker.

Dravid said the Caribbean tour would be “very challenging, exciting and interesting for youngsters like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, S Sreesanth and Suresh Raina as it was a great opportunity for them to play in front a passionate crowd in exotic venues like Port of Spain, Antigua, Jamaica and Trinidad. Most of us grew up watching cricket being played in these venues on television, nursing the ambition of playing there once, and when we did, it was really a dream come true”.

Regarding India’s prospects, the captain said he did not attach much importance to who opened the innings or who played in what slot. “It does not really matter as long as the team is winning”, he argued.

“We will try and do what is best for the team. The team composition is based on a lot of factors, including the availability of players, injury problems, etc”, Dravid said, emphasising that picking the opening pair was not much of a concern for him.

Dravid admitted that the young players in the team were yet to properly settle down to play up to their potential in Test matches. “We lost Tests in Karachi and Mumbai. It will take time for the young players to get adjusted to Test cricket. But they will definitely get better with experience, and then we will do well in both forms of cricket”.

Dravid said it would be a privilege to play against Lara on the latter’s home soil. “It was a pleasure playing with him, and sharing the dressing room with him, during the World Series Cricket (in Australia last year). Now I look forward to playing against him”, Dravid noted.

With international cricket keeping the players’ schedule packed to the brim, Dravid agreed that the Indian Cricket Players’ Association (ICPA) should play a more pro-active role.“FICA (the international cricket players’ association) is doing a fine job but here at home, the ICPA has been regularly interacting with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). The ICPA is in the process of being recognised, and there have been healthy discussions between the players and the BCCI. The association will help make this process of discussions with the board smoother”, he said.

But the captain lamented that often a lot of “spin” got added to the discussions between players and the Board when the matter leaked out. Hence, he was very firm on his decision that “I don’t want to take up players’ issues with the BCCI through the media”.

The Indian cricket team will leave for the West Indies on May 11, and reach Jamaica on May 12. They will begin the tour with a match against WIPA Masters at Jamaica on May 16. The ODI series will begin with a match on May 18 at Jamaica.The second one-dayer will also be played at Jamaica on May 20, while St Kitts (May 23) and Trinidad (May 26 and May 28) will host the other three ODIs.

The ODI series will be followed by a two-day practice match at Antigua on May 30 and 31 before the four-Test series begins at the same venue on June 2. The other three Tests will be played at St Lucia (June 10-14), St Kitts (June 22-26) and Jamaica (June 30-July 4).

West Indies crush Zimbabwe

Georgetown (Guyana), May 8
Impressive bowling from Fidel Edwards and a dominant batting performance paved the way for West Indies to complete an 82-run win in the fourth one-dayer against Zimbabwe at Bourda Oval.

Edwards snared three wickets for 42 runs from his allotment of 10 overs, as Zimbabwe, chasing 334 for victory, were restricted to 251 for seven to hand West Indies an unstoppable 3-0 lead in the seven-match series.

West Indies’ total was the highest in a one-day international in the Caribbean, beating the 315 for four off 50 overs they made against Pakistan in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1988.

Scoreboard

West Indies

Chattergoon run out 9

Morton c Rainsford b Utseya 79

Lara c Taylor b Mupariwa 56

Chanderpaul b Rainsford 93

Sarwan c Coventry b Rinke 40

Samuels b Chibhabha 9

Smith not out 23

Ramdin not out 3

Extras (b-5, lb-1, w-6, nb-9) 21

Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 333

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-145, 3-166, 4-251, 5-280, 6-312.

Bowling: Rainsford 10-0-56-1, Mahwire 8-0-67-0, Mupariwa 10-0-61-1, Utseya 10-1-48-1, Chibhabha 8-0-65-0, Rinke 4-0-30-1.

Zimbabwe

Rinke b Edwards 0

Duffin c Ramdin b Edwards 0

Chibhabha b Samuels 40

Taylor lbw Smith 26

Sibanda b Best 52

Chigumbura c Morton b Edwards 60

Coventry b Samuels 12

Mahwire not out 22

Mupariwa not out 11

Extras (b-1, lb-9, w-13, nb-5) 28

Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 251

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-1, 3-55, 4-114, 5-145, 6-184, 7-227.

Bowling: Edwards 10-1-42-3, Best 10-0-70-1, Smith 10-2-54-1, Collymore 8-0-21-0, Samuels 10-1-48-2, Chattergoon 2-0-6-0. — AFP

Mongia, Zaheer fail to impress

London, May 8
Dinesh Mongia’s batting magic faded while Zaheer Khan could do little on a truncated day against their respective opponents in the C and G Trophy one-day cricket tournament.

Zaheer picked one for 44 runs in his five over spell for Worcestershire who lost to Scotland by eight runs in a match reduced to 25 overs a side on Sunday.

Put in to bat, Scotland scored 187 for six in their stipulated 25 overs. The Indian gave Worcestershire an early breakthrough by removing opener R.R. Watson at individual score of four.

But C.J. Richards, the next batsman in, went on to score an unbeaten 88 to guide Scotland to a healthy total. In reply, Worcestershire were restricted to 179 for five in their allotted overs.

Mongia could make only seven runs as his team made 188 for six.

The Punjab lad, however, had a better performance with the ball, picking one wicket for 35 in nine.

In reply, the hosts reached the victory mark in 43.4 overs. — PTI

Maharashtra moves SC in Dalmiya case

New Delhi, May 8
The State of Maharashtra today moved the Supreme Court challenging a Bombay High Court order granting anticipatory bail to former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Jagmohan Dalmiya.

A corruption case is registered against him for alleged bungling of over Rs 600 crore during the 1996 World Cup, when he was the BCCI chief.

The Bombay High Court had in its order, passed in April, 2006, held that Mr Dalmiya had been framed by the present BCCI.

A case had been registered against Mr Dalmiya on the basis of a complaint lodged by the BCCI.

The allegations are that Mr Dalmiya illegally transferred money from the BCCI account to the Cricket Association of Bengal account, for which there was no explanation and the BCCI management was kept in the dark about the dubious transaction.

A case of cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered by the Mumbai Police.

The State of Maharashtra, in its appeal filed in the Supreme Court, has contended that observations of the Bombay High Court were totally uncalled for as the case was still under investigation.

The remarks of the High Court are premature and are contrary to the settled law of land that courts are not supposed to interfere with the investigation except under exceptional circumstances, the appeal added.

The appealant state has also contended that such order, if not set aside, shall cause great prejudice to the state and shall also have adverse effect on the ongoing investigation into the case.

The appealant has also paid for interim stay against the operation of the impugned High Court order. — UNI

Cricket selectors poised to get three-year terms

Mumbai, May 8
The national cricket selection panel members are poised to get a three-year term without the need to be re-nominated annually by their respective five zones once the constitution of the Indian cricket board is amended at its special general meeting here on June 1.

“They are all grouped under the constitutional amendment motions, including the three-year term for office-bearers and selectors, without the need to be re-elected or re-nominated every year,” a top board source said today.

“The other proposed amendment that would come up for voting at the meeting is the incorporation of the clause for earmarking of Rs 50 crore corpus for training and coaching of young and talented athletes representing Olympic sports,” the source said.

All these proposed amendments need to be passed by a two-third’s majority, the source added. — PTI

KCA in the soup over stale biryani

Kochi, May 8
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) today found itself in a legal tangle for allegedly supplying stale food during the India-England one-day match here on April 6.

KCA secretary T.C. Mathew has been summoned to appear before the Chief Judicial Magistrate on May 30.

Corporation sources said they had initiated proceedings against Mathew “for supplying stale food during the match to spectators and for violating rule 50 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act as per which license from the corporation has to be taken for storing, selling and distributing food articles”.

Two truck loads of stale biryani meant to be sold at the venue on the day of the match was seized, the sources said.

The matter was brought to the notice of the City Police Commissioner, P. Vijayan, who then asked the Kochi corporation officials to get the quality of the food tested.

The biryani, which was sent for chemical analysis was found to be very stale, sources said.

The cricket association had not taken any license from the corporation to store, sell and distribute the food articles, thus violating Rule 50 of the PFA act.

Despite informing the KCA well before the match that such a license was needed, Mathew had refused to take it, sources said. — PTI

Flyovers won’t bring medals: IOA official

New Delhi, May 8
A senior sports administrator today slammed the government’s decision to reduce the cash rewards for medal-winning athletes in international meets and said hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India would have no meaning if there was no focus on preparing the sportspersons.

Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Vice-President of the Indian Olympic Association, said the entire thrust for the 2010 games was on building infrastructure in New Delhi but not much attention was being paid to preparing the athletes for the mega event.

“The success of the games will depend on how many medals we can win. But I am afraid sportspersons have become the biggest casualty. Everybody is talking about building flyovers and other things, but nobody is thinking about the athletes,” Malhotra told reporters here.

Malhotra described the government’s move to reduce the cash rewards for medal-winning athletes in the Commonwealth, Asian and Olympic Games as “highly deplorable” and said it showed that there was no priority for performance.

“Earlier, winners of a gold, silver and bronze medal in major international meets were given Rs 20 lakh, Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively. That was the practice till 2002 but it has now been reduced to Rs 6 lakh, Rs 4 lakh and Rs 2 lakh. What incentives are we giving to the sportspersons,” he asked.

Malhotra said the daily allowance for athletes in Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games have also been reduced over the years and it was really shocking to learn that sportspersons of the Indian contingent in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games were given a daily allowance of $ 20 per day.

“They (athletes) were earlier paid a daily allowance of $ 50. But in the Athens Olympics, it was reduced to $ 35 and now it is just $ 20. If we see the price index, it should go up, but strangely it has gone down,” he said.

Malhotra, who is also the president of the Archery Association of India, said the Delhi Government has sanctioned Rs 6,000 crore while the Centre has earmarked Rs 14,000 crore for the Commonwealth Games but most of the funds will go towards developing the infrastructure.

“Every day we hear that they are doing this and doing that. But I want to know what is being done to improve India’s performance in the games. How much money is being spent on training the athletes,” he asked. — PTI

Mahindras emerge NFL champions
East Bengal lose crucial tie

Margao, May 8
Mahindra United today clinched their maiden National Football League title after East Bengal lost to Sporting Clube de Goa 1-3 at Nehru Stadium here today.

East Bengal’s defeat meant Mahindras, with 32 points and three matches remaining, have an unbeatable four-point lead over their nearest rival, who have one match to go.

Even a win in their last match against JCT, and defeat in all the remaining three matches for Mahindras, will see the Bengal outfit still fall short by one point.

Edeh Chidi (11th minute), Hardeep Saini (32nd minute) and Dudu Omagbemi (35th minute) scored for Sporting. Baichung Bhutia scored the lone goal for East Bengal in the 18th minute of the first half.

Sporting, with today’s win, increased their points tally to 22 and moved on to the fourth spot below league leaders Mahindra United (32), East Bengal (28) and Dempo (23).

The home team played a spirited game with emphasis on attack. Their forwards tore open the visitors’ defence repeatedly in the opening half and Sporting held complete sway over the proceedings and shot into the lead in the 11th minute through Nigerian Chidi. The goal was a result of a fine combined move when Nicholas Borgues passed to Hardeep Saini, who quickly passed to better-placed Chidi who found the net.

East Bengal counter-attacked and levelled the score in the 18th minute through Bhutia who after collecting a pass from Malswant Lunga made a perfect placement at the far corner of the net.

Sporting consolidated their lead in the 32nd minute through Hardeep Saini, whose power-packed shot from the top of the box gave no chance to rival goalkeeper and found the net.

Dudu scored the third goal for his team in the 35th minute. He neatly headed in, following a flag kick taken by Nicholas Borgues. 3-1.

Hardeep Saini of Sporting was adjudged the man of the match. — PTI, UNI

Sasikiran loses to Nisipeanu

Sarajevo, May 8
Second seed Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran suffered a defeat at the hands of 2005 European champion and top seeded GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania in the first round of Bosnia 2006 International Grandmasters Chess Tournament here.

The loss came as big setback to Sasikiran’s quest to cross the 2700 ELO barrier as the Indian will now have to score heavily in the rounds to come to remain with a chance of achieving the feat here.

Nisipeanu, on the other hand, had everything to gain after his remarkable effort as he shot in to sole lead on the first day itself as the other games in the category-18 event ended in draws.

Signing peace first was Dortmund champion Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany who did not take long to realise he had little chance against Bosnian talent Borki Predojevic while Norwegian boy wonder Magnus Carlsen achieved the same result against higher rated Vladimir Malakhov of Russia.

While Nisipeanu has one point after the first round, Carlsen, Malakhov, Naiditsch and Predojevic are all on half a point sharing second spot. Sasikiran is currently at the bottom of the table after the debacle.

The event is being played on a double round basis between six players under FIDE’s time control of 90 minutes for the entire game with a 30 seconds increment after every move is made.

Nisipeanu turned the heat early on Sasikiran after the latter employed the fashionable Berlin defence with his black pieces.

The Romanian opted for an old variation earlier on and found Sasikiran’s preparation inadequate to get a tangible advantage in the queenless middle game.

As the game progressed, Nisipeanu tightened the noose around the central squares and Sasikiran was slowly pushed to the wall even as the piece got traded at regular intervals. — PTI

Randhir Singh on IOTF Board
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, May 8
Indian Olympic Association Secretary-General Randhir Singh, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has been nominated to the Board of the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF).

The IOC established the IOTF in 2000 with a view to support the promotion of values of peace and friendship through sports. The IOTF is composed of representatives of the Olympic movement, political institutions and individuals who are particularly engaged in the search for peace and international understanding.

Randhir Singh, who is the Secretary-General of the Olympic Council of Asia, was invited to join the IOTF Board by IOC President Jacques Rogge and he has accepted the invitation.

Randhir said he would attend the IOTB Board meeting, to be held at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 12.

Amit Sanghi finishes 18th in World Cup

New Delhi, May 8
Amit Sanghi gave an improved performance on the second day of the men’s skeet event to finish 18th at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup at Kerrville in USA.

Sanghi tallied 116 after firing a perfect round of 25 and a near perfect 24 on the second day after closing the first in 45th spot. He fired a series of 21, 23, 23, 25 and 24.

The other two Indians in the fray, Mairaj Khan Ahmad and Amardeep Singh Rai, finished in 71st and 75th positions, respectively, with scores of 104 (23, 19, 20, 22, 20) and 103 (19, 21, 20, 23, 20).

Ennio Falco of Italy won the gold medal with a score of 146 (121+25) while Tore Brovold of Norway pipped Dane Michael Nielsen for silver after both tallied 145 (120+25). — PTI

Haryana powerlifters excel in Asian meet
Tribune News Service

Karnal, May 8
Haryana powerlifters Malika Sharma and Sunita brought laurels to the nation by winning gold and silver medals, respectively, in Asian Powerlifting Championship held in South Korea from May 1-5.

While Yamunanagar-based Malika won gold in 90-kg+ category, Karnal-based Sunita won silver in 75 kg category.

An NGO, National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFFAA), welcomed both of them, on reaching Karnal today. While NIFAA sponsored Malika’s trip to South Korea by providing her Rs. 60,000, the Red Cross Society sponsored Sunita’s trip.

Prior to this championship, Malika had already won one gold and two bronze medals in Asian Powerlifting Championship.