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Tri-series in jeopardy
Rain washes away opener
When Wright grabbed Sehwag by the collar
Tendulkar says he is fit
Pilot error claimed Cronje’s life
India split points with Afghanistan
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Sunil wins gold in world boxing meet
Grapplers fourth in Asian tourney
418-member contingent for SAF Games
Punjab cops beat RCF
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Tri-series in jeopardy
Colombo, August 14 South African cricket team is almost ready to return home tonight without waiting for a decision to be made tomorrow at a meeting with Sri Lanka Cricket authorities and Indian team management, following today’s bomb blasts which killed seven persons. The team was only awaiting a green signal from the International Cricket Council to quit the Unitech Cup tri-series, also involving India and the hosts Sri Lanka, without playing even a single match, it was learnt. “After gathering all the facts the team management will meet Sri Lankan officials tomorrow at 10 am and a final decision will be taken,” team manager Gordon Templeton had said earlier in the day. The South African team management has expressed serious concerns about the security of its players after witnessing the second bomb explosion in last 10 days. It was also learnt that the players were not very keen on playing here after the security delegation sent by the Cricket South Africa recommended them to go home following the explosions. Counting all these factors along with the fact that CSA Chief Executive Gerald Majola was also supporting the players, the ICC may also agree to let them to leave the series and go home without imposing any penalty. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket media co-ordinator Samantha Algama said SLC was concerned with the situation
but had decided to go ahead with the tournament after taking into account the exact security scenario. “SLC Chief Executive Officer Duleep Mendis held a meeting with the coaches and managers of the three teams and it was decided to provide maximum security to the teams, which was already in place.” What South Africa seemed to be worried about, and what the media manager would not say, was the fact that the explosion took place near the shopping mall which was two km away from the hotel where they were staying and which their players had been frequently passing by during their stay in Colombo since last month. The SLC statement that the series was on also seems to have upset the South Africa team. “It definitely does not reflect the position of the South Africa team and it is that they have not agreed to (for the series to continue). As far as South Africans are concerned, the discussion is still on although the decision could go either way,” one of the touring South African journalists said. Indian media manager Rajan Nair told PTI that “there was no question of” the team going back home. “The players had done their gym, their lunch and were about to go for an afternoon practice session but unfortunately, it was cancelled due to rains. They are very much in the comfort of the hotel, there was no panic,” he said. Meanwhile, the BCCI is in constant touch with the team management as well as the Indian High Commission in Colombo and has been apprised of the security beef-up for the team.
— PTI
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Rain washes away opener
Colombo, August 14 Players of both the teams were confined to their rooms as persistent rains left puddles of water on the ground at the Premadasa Stadium. The umpires, Billy Bowden and Ashoka de Silva, and the match referee, Chris Broad, had a first inspection at 12.30 pm local time when the weather gods had relented briefly. There were scheduled to do a second inspection at 4 pm but another spell of showers literally poured cold water on their hopes. The tournament provides for a reserve day and the match will be played tomorrow. But with more thundershowers forecast for the next 48 hours it looks less likely that a ball would be bowled. The tournament organisers also had to grapple with concerns about the teams’ safety in the wake of a bomb blast less than 3 km from their hotel of stay. The rains, however, would provide enough respite for the South Africans who carry a couple of injury cases. Speedster Makhaya Ntini is yet to recover fully from a hamstring injury while Shaun Pollock has a lower-back problem. Both were supposed to undergo fitness tests today but had to forego it because of the weather. Meanwhile, the Indian team had to twice cancel their plans for a nets session. Rahul Dravid and his men were scheduled to practice this morning, which they postponed to afternoon after the skies opened up. Later, they were about to board their team bus when rains came back with full fury and they had to return to their rooms.
— PTI
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When Wright grabbed Sehwag by the collar
Christchurch, August 14 The genial New Zealander recalls the incident in his just-published book “Indian Summers” while referring to the Indian team’s tour of England in 2002. He recalls that India had bundled out Sri Lanka, the third participating team, for 202 on a very flat wicket at the Oval. “I had been trying to get Sehwag to temper his boldness which too often of late had crossed the line into recklessness,” he writes. Shortly after skipper Sourav Ganguly had got out in the second over, Sehwag holed out trying to blast one back over the bowler’s head, leaving India 26 for 2. “I had enough of players trotting out the ‘natural game’ line as an excuse for failing to take responsibility and disregarding the match situation. “When Sehwag wandered in, I decided it was time for a ‘sort-out’. Not realising that my exasperation levels had soared into the red zone, I went upto him, grabbed him by the collar and barked, ‘What the hell’s going on? How can you come back in here after playing a shot like that and unbuckle your pads as if nothing’s happened. Everyone froze — it was like someone had pulled out a gun — and I turned on my heel and stomped out.” Wright says in the subsequent team meetings he was told by the players that he had been a “bit rough” and the ex-coach accepts that he had indeed gone overboard. As for Sehwag, Wright said he was face to face with the Delhi opener back at the team hotel. “Sehwag told me bluntly that he didn’t like what I’d done. I acknowledged that he was entitled to feel aggrieved, but added that I didn’t give a damn if he poured his heart out to every newspaper in India.” Justifying his action, Wright says there was an urgent need for something to be done because it had not got to the point where the single-minded commitment to winning overrode all other considerations of the players. “The volcano had been rumbling for a while, and it just happened to be Sehwag who triggered the eruption. He took it better than some of the others would have and we remained mates.” The former New Zealand skipper said the Sehwag episode did not do the rounds by word of mouth or found its way into the press which showed “we were a pretty tight team”. Wright also says he used physio Andrew Leipus and trainer Adrian Le Roux to keep track of the “temperature and mood” of the dressing room. Wright says sometimes when he asked them if he had got it right, they frankly replied in the negative. “From time to time, outsiders who read too much into my public persona suggested that maybe I was too soft for the job, but I don’t think that view held sway on the other side of the dressing room door.” Wright said whenever the players thought he had crossed the line from being frank to brutal, they gave him the cold shoulder. “When you say ‘good morning’, they look right through you and keep walking. When that happened to me I’d answer for them — ‘Good morning, John’ and take on the broad message that there was a bit of bridge building to be done. “Sometimes it would come out of the blue and I’d wonder what’s up with him, but usually the player was reacting to a verbal rocket or being dropped.” Wright says he had to do a bit of “ego massage” at times when he realised that there was some justification in their sulk. “The core message that I wanted to come through in everything I did and said was that I cared; I cared for them as people, and as cricketers, and I cared for our team.”
— PTI
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Tendulkar says he is fit
New Delhi, August 14 “It hasn’t been easy not being part of the team and I missed it a lot. But I am looking at the positives, and yes, I feel fit and just happy to be back. I am ready to give my best,” he told CNN-IBN in an interview to be telecast tomorrow. A fresh debate on his fitness had ensued after coach Greg Chappell said Tendulkar was still not fully fit and unable to throw the ball from the deep. But Tendulkar said his shoulder was holding up quite nicely now. “I am a positive person and there is no room for regrets in my kit bag. You always want to move forward.”
— PTI
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Pilot error claimed Cronje’s life
Durban, August 14 Judge Siraj Desai, who delivered his verdict in the Cape High Court in Cape Town on the cause of the plane crash in the mountains near the town of George, said there were other contributory factors also but the tragedy could have been avoided if the pilots had heeded warnings and followed procedure. The two pilots, Willem Meyer and Ian Noakes, were also killed in the crash on June 1, 2002. The deaths could be attributed to the negligence of the pilots, Desai said, although the rainy weather conditions, the malfunctioning of the aircraft’s equipment and the landing system at George Airport also played their part in the accident. The judge ruled that the pilots did not climb to a higher altitude when instructed to do so. “The complacency of the pilot in command was surprising and ... the co-pilot failed under the circumstances to do what a reasonable pilot would have done,” Desai said. At the time of the crash, Cronje was banned from all cricket after a match-fixing scandal.
— PTI
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India split points with Afghanistan
Colombo, August 14 India will play Nepal in their next Pool B match on Wednesday. Sparse crowd, intermittent drizzle and a muddy ground at the stadium resulted in a pathetic display and maintaining balance seemed the most daunting task. While the dirt all over the players’ jerseys told the entire story, altogether five attempts were made on target by both the teams without any success. India had a slight edge in the first half but their moves died premature death in the midfield muddle. In the 37th minute, skipper Zadinmawia Hmar’s ambitious right footer crashed into the Afghan side net and that was the only highlight in the mundane first half. The Afghan side raised its game after the breather an M. Salal’s curling left-footer caught the Indian defence napping before custodian Shilton Paul thwarted the move. India too could have scored in the 76th minute when an unmarked Beevan Karol de Mellow had a world of time and the Afghan custodian at his disposal but he couldn’t connect a cross and the ball rolled by the goal post. Suddenly the Afghans sprung into action and the Indian defence looked vulnerable. On two occasions, the Indians almost got trapped in their offside traps but Bashir, who was otherwise in sparkling form, was the culprit on both occasions. A dejected India coach Islam Akhmedov was visibly upset and said he didn’t expect his side do better. “On this kind of ground, you can’t expect quality soccer. Our boys tried well but the ground made life difficult for all,” he told UNI after the
match. — UNI
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Dementieva wins LA Open
Los Angeles, August 14 Jankovic, ranked 29th in the world and seeded 16th, won four games in a row as she roared back from 0-5 down in the third set before world No. 6 Dementieva managed to finish it off. The 24-year-old Russian, who upset her top-seeded superstar compatriot Maria Sharapova in the semifinals, claimed her sixth career title and second of the year. She also won the tier one Pan Pacific Championship in Tokyo in February. Zheng spoils Myskina’s party
STOCKHOLM: Chinese third seed Zheng Jie upset world number 11 Anastasia Myskina 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the Stockholm Open to claim her third career title. In a match delayed by rain on Sunday and eventually moved inside, third seed Zheng, the world number 35, won a tight first set on the back of well placed ground strokes and several unforced errors by 2004 French Open champion Myskina. Doubles specialist Zheng raced away with the second set against the Russian, who also lost in the Stockholm final last year. Federer captures Toronto title
Toronto: World number one Roger Federer captured his seventh title of the season, rallying to beat France’s Richard Gasquet 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the $ 2.45 million Toronto Masters. The Swiss superstar was pushed to three sets in his three prior matches but reached his 17th consecutive final, one shy of Ivan Lendl’s ATP record. Federer, who turned 25 last Tuesday, won his 18th match in a row and stretched his North American hardcourt win streak to 55 matches. He improved to 62-4 this year, 61-0 against everyone except Spanish star Rafael Nadal.
— AFP, Reuters
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Sunil wins gold in world boxing meet
New Delhi, August 14 Sunil upset Agayev Ilkin of Azerbaijan, the bronze medal winner of European Championships held in June, by ‘Referee Stops Contest (Out Scored)’ in the final of the 50 kg class in the tournament that concluded yesterday. Balbir Singh had last won the gold in the 48 kg division in 2001 in the second edition of the tournament. Indian colts have not won a medal at world level since then. The unfancied Indian, who had prepared well by studying his taller opponent’s movements in detail ahead of the bout, led 13:8 in the first round of their encounter. Chief coach Mahendra Singh Dhaka and the new Turkish coach Sefa Nar had clinically analysed Ilkin in his earlier bouts. They advised Sunil to stay close to Agayev and keep attacking him, as the Azeri was more comfortable playing from long range. Sunil attacked him with quick short jabs and straight punches to the body and face in rapid succession while Agayev was backpedalling to keep the Indian away and tried to hit him on the side of his body. Sunil was a combination of aggression and intelligence personified as he kept his cool and piled up a sizeable lead of 26:11 points. For cadets, if the difference of scores between the two boxers is 15 points, the bout is stopped and the leading player is declared winner by ‘Referee Stops Contest (Out Scored)’.
— PTI
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Grapplers fourth in Asian tourney
Chandigarh, August 14 Medal winners: Gold: Narender Kumar (50 kg); Apoorva Tyagi (40 kg); Kumari Babita (49 kg). Silver: Amit Dhankar (63 kg); Sandeep Kumar (69 kg); Parvesh (85 kg); Mausam (100 kg); Priyanka Singh (43 kg), Wang Kaushalya (46 kg). Bronze: Surender (54 kg), Imran Khan (76 kg), Vishal Gorakhnath (85 kg), Rakesh (100 kg); Kavita (38 kg), Jayawanti (65 kg), Anmol (70 kg).
— UNI
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418-member contingent for SAF Games
New Delhi, August 14 According Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, the contingent was cleared by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports “at cost to the government”. But he said the managers were cleared by the ministry at “no cost” though the managers have to perform important functions. Rangil Singh has been named as the chef-de-mission while Kamlesh Chatterjee will be the deputy chef-de-mission. C.G. Bhargava is the secretary-cum-treasurer. India will participate in archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, rowing, shooting, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball and wushu. In the last edition at Islamabad, Pakistan in 2004, Indian contingent of 312 members featured in 15 sports.
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10 sportspersons felicitated Chandigarh, August 14 The lion’s share went to world champions Abhinav Bindra and Manavjit Sandhu. Bindra was given a cheque for Rs 39.5 lakh, while Manavjit Singh Sandhu got Rs 34.33 lakh. Avneet Kaur Sidhu (10.25 lakh), Mansher Singh (7.33 lakh) and Amanpreet Singh (2.33 lakh) were the other shooters who were honoured. Among weightlifters, Geeta Rani, who won the gold at Commonwealth Games, got Rs 7 lakh, while silver medallist Vicky Batta received a cheque for Rs 5 lakh. Commonwealth Games silver medalist Harpreet Singh of Sangrur was presented a cheque of Rs 5 lakh. Silver-winning relay race members of the Commonwealth Games Manjit Kaur and Rajwinder Kaur got Rs 2.5 lakh each. Athletes Manjit Kaur and Rajwinder Kaur were felicitated in absentia as they are in Ukraine preparing for the Doha Asian Games. The CM announced a special grant of over Rs 5 lakh to all shooters, except Bindra, for purchasing the new equipment. “One cannot perform to one’s potential with borrowed equipment. So it is the duty of the state government to provide the necessary paraphernalia”, he viewed.
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Punjab cops beat RCF
Chandigarh, August 14 After Harshdeep put Punjab Police ahead with a fine effort in the 29th minute, Harpreet added another in injury time to fetch full points for his team. Yesterday, defending champions JCT Mills edged out Bassi FC by a solitary goal scored by Reetinder Singh to maintain their dream run in the championship. Earlier, PSEB and RCF split points with
a 1-1 draw.
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