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Akhtar, Asif ‘smoked cocaine’ after Oval fiasco
Pay up by Oct 31, ECB tells PCB
Australia start favourites
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Paes-Damm crash out
Santosh Trophy
Rs 776 cr budget for Commonwealth Games
Jahangir, Gopal lead on day one
Celeste wins gold
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Jaipur, October 17
Razzaq grabbed four wickets to restrict Sri Lanka to 253 all out in 49.2 overs and then smashed 38 not out off 24 balls to steer Pakistan to 255 for six in 48.1 overs. Opener Sanath Jayasuriya blasted 48 from 35 balls with useful contributions down the order which helped Sri Lanka reach a challenging total after skipper Mahela Jayawardene elected to bat. Pakistan opener Imran Farhat hit 53 and vice-captain Mohammad Younis contributed 49 in reply. It was a stunning comeback for the team which was in crisis yesterday after strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were sent home after testing positive for nandrolone. Earlier, Jayasuriya hit a flurry of shots to set the tone as the first 20 overs with field restrictions yielded over six runs an over. He dominated a 63-run opening stand with fellow left-hander Upul Tharanga (38) and punished erratic new ball bowlers Rana Naved and Rao Iftikhar. Jayasuriya hit Rana for two fours and a six over mid-wicket, in one over which went for 18 overs and then lofted Iftikhar for a straight six. He was dropped on 47 at mid-wicket by Shahid Afridi off paceman Umar Gul before Iftikhar bowled the left-hander one run later as he tried to slog over mid-wicket. The 21-year-old Tharanga, who hit two hundreds to help Sri Lanka top the qualifying league, added 45 runs for the second wicket with Jayawardene (31) before edging a wide ball from Razzaq for a catch behind the stumps. Scoreboard Tharanga c Akmal b Razzaq 38 Extras (lb-2, nb-8, w-7) 17 Total (all out, 49.2 overs) 253 Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-108, 3-141, 4-181, 5-186, 6-225, 7-236, 8-239, 9-240. Bowling: Naved 4-0-33-0, Anjum 7-0-40-1, Gul 6-0-23-0, Razzaq 7.2-0-50-4, Malik 8-0-34-2, Afridi 10-0-47-1, Hafeez 7-0-24-1. Pakistan Hafeez c Sangakkara b Vaas 22 Extras (lb-6, w-11, nb-2) 19 Total (6 wkts; 48.1 overs) 255 Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-71, 3-104, 4-114, 5-161, 6-201. Bowling:
Vaas 10-0-61-2, Malinga 7-1-49-0, Fernando 6.1-0-32-0, Maharoof 3-0-24-1, Muralitharan 10-0-37-1, Jayasuriya 10-0-33-1, Dilshan 2 -0-13-0.
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Akhtar, Asif ‘smoked cocaine’ after Oval fiasco
Karachi, October 17 According to leading daily Dawn, both Shoaib and Asif were seen smoking the stuff after Pakistan’s win in the third one-day match at Rose Bowl in Southampton, just days after the Oval Test controversy. “Shoaib was seen allegedly smoking cannabis-filled cigarette on the lawn of the team hotel along with Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis,” the daily quoted an eyewitness as saying. “Asif, meanwhile, practised something similar in the privacy of his room... (where) he pulled out some of the tobacco from his cigarette to stuff it with the banned substance. He then lit up his cigarette.” The eyewitness, who had come to watch the matches from the United States and was at the hotel to meet players that day, said he saw England-based recruit agent Azhar Mota passing on two small boxes, used for storing ‘naswar’, to the players. He also said Asif asked Azhar to fetch him a lucrative county deal. “Azhar bhai, I am interested in a contract worth £100,000 because only then I would be in a position to give you 10,000 (as commission),” Asif was quoted as saying by the witness. The incident went unreported unlike a similar case during the 1992-93 tour of the West Indies where Wasim Akram, Waqar, Mushtaq Ahmed and Aqib Javed were detained and then released on bail for possessing marijuana. Akhtar meets PCB official
Shoaib Akhtar today met Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director Operations Saleem Altaf but both of them declined to give any details of their discussion. “I met Shoaib this morning and we had a detailed discussion. Asif is due to meet me later in the afternoon. Everything is under control,” Altaf said. However, sources privy to the meeting said it was held basically to hear out Shoaib’s version of what had actually happened that led to him and Asif testing positive for taking the banned substance
nandrolone. Both the players returned home yesterday evening from Delhi after being suspended and withdrawn from the Champions Trophy following their positive results in dope tests conducted by the PCB before the tournament. “Naturally, Shoaib pleaded his innocence saying he didn't know what he was taking,” the source said but he had no other information. Altaf said the Board was in the process of finalising the drugs tribunal to hear out both players and then recommend disciplinary action. “It should be finalised later today because we want to have the hearing as soon as possible. We have taken a strong decision to have the tests, announce their results and call these players back. “We want this issue to reach its logical conclusion. But the players would be given a fair chance to present their cases,” Altaf said.
— PTI
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Pay up by Oct 31, ECB tells PCB
London, October 17 The England and Wales Cricket Board said it was not interested in a taking a legal course but was determined to reclaim the £800,000, which they claim to have lost when Pakistan were deemed to have forfeited the fourth Test on the fourth day. “The Pakistan Board have been very consistent in saying to us that England are the totally innocent party and whatever happens England should not be economically penalised on that Test match,” ECB chief executive David Collier said. “The argument, particularly following the hearing at “We’ve now formally “If there isn’t an obvious resolution it can be referred to the ICC’s panel. That is the proper course we would take, rather than engage in any legal fight. We will refer it at the end of this month if we have not had a response,” he added. — PTI
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Australia start favourites
Mumbai, October 17 The Australians - yet to win the tournament in the past - stand head and shoulders above the Caribbeans in all departments of the game and will be keen to launch their campaign on a triumphant note at the Brabourne Stadium. The bowlers — especially spinners, regular or part-time — have managed to extract lot of help in the last two matches on these early-season pitches, with even a part timer offie like South African captain Graeme Smith turning the ball square against New Zealand in yesterday’s Group B opener that saw neither team crossing the 200-run mark. The heat and humidity factor may also work against the Aussies who, however, have made it a point to practice extensively in the mid-day sun whenever the chance has come their way. While West Indies would bank on their non-regular slow bowlers Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels if selected and Ramnaresh Sarwan if the pitch shows signs of aiding the spin bowlers, Australia have left arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg, off break exponent Andrew Symonds and left arm orthodox slow bowler Michael Clarke to do the needful. The players from the land of the kangaroos have a pretty good past record against the Caribbeans, recording 14 wins in 19 encounters between the two sides in this decade. The Australians, towering above the other sides for the last few years, have an enviable ODI success percentage of 78 right through the 2000s, with a 138-39 win-loss record in 187 matches. They possess a star-studded batting line-up with skipper Ricky Ponting giving it the necessary thrust at number three after the opening fireworks from the swashbuckling Adam Gilchrist and either Shane Watson or Matthew Hayden. The presence of the classy Damien Martyn, big-hitting Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and late bloomer Michael Hussey, make the Australians a difficult proposition for any bowling side in the globe. Teams (from): Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Nathan Bracken, Dan Cullen, Michael Clarke, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Watson, Andrew Symonds. West Indies: Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh (wk), Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds. — PTI
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Paes-Damm crash out
Madrid, October 17 In a marathon battle with fortune fluctuating with every game, the Polish pair ended up on the right side with a hard-earned 6-7(3), 6-2, 12-10 win. The first set gave enough hints that the Polish pair was not overawed by the aura of their opponents — Paes and Damm had won the US Open this year — and put up a gritty show before conceding the set in tie-breaker. The second set was rather a tame affair with the Polish duo dishing out an aggressive play and they dropped just two games on their way to win the set and draw parity. The decider was an edge-of-the-seat thriller with both the pairs exchanging lead and breaks but in the end, it was the Fyrsttenberg-Matkowski duo that walked away with the match in the Euro 2,082,500 tournament. Paes’ estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi teams up with American James Blake and they face the Israeli pair of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in the first round. — UNI
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Tamil Nadu beat Karnataka
Gurgaon, October 17 After an uninspiring first half in which there was very little goalmouth action, the match came to life in the final 25 minutes with S. Sathish Kumar and substitute Jotin Singh finding the net. Karnataka had themselves to blame as apart from several other chances, they also missed a penalty with V. P. Sathish Kumar saving the effort from his namesake M. Sathish Kumar. Karnataka ended the game with 10 men when substitute Kutti Mani was shown the red card in the 77th minute for an elbow on Mohanraj. In the first half, both teams played like they had lost their opening fixtures in the league, Tamil Nadu going down 1-3 to Kerala while Karnataka getting a 0-3 thrashing at the hands of Maharashtra. There was very little to write home about in the opening exchanges which saw very little action. — PTI
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Rs 776 cr budget for Commonwealth Games
New Delhi, October 17 This amount will be in addition to the Rs 770 crore tentatively approved by the Planning Commission to be given to the Delhi Government for creating the infrastructure. The Delhi Government will put in an additional Rs 562 crore from its own state budget for getting the facilities mounted for the Games. Out of the Delhi Government budget, Rs 270 crore will go to improve the transport sector. Chairing the second annual general body meeting of the organising committee for the Commonwealth Games today, Kalmadi said work on the Games must start now without any further delay as time was running short. He said full involvement of the people of Delhi was an essential requirement for the unqualified success of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He said India was also set to get the 2014 Asian Games, the bid for which will be opened in March, 2007. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Randhir Singh, who is also the secretary-general for the Olympic Council of Asia, has been touring the Asian countries for the past few months in a bid to canvass support for India’s Asiad bid. All veteran sports officials of the country were present at the AGM, but the most surprising presence on the dais was that of former Union Minister and Governor Buta Singh. He was one of the key figures behind the organising committee when New Delhi hosted 1982 Asian Games.
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Jahangir, Gopal lead on day one
Chandigarh, October 17 Former national individual gold medalist from Chandigarh, H.S. Kang was second with a score of 77, followed by Balwant Garg from Kapurthala at 79 and Gaurav Ghosh from Kolkata at 81. Conducted by the Indian Golf Union (IGU), the apex body for amateur golfers in India, the tournament has about 25 participants up to the age of 55 years and having a handicap of 12 and below. The tournament consists of four rounds of 18-holes each and is being held on the stroke play basis in conformity with the rulers and regulations as approved by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, United Kingdom. Also being held alongside is the 35th Senior Amateur Golf Championship 2006-07, which would begin tomorrow. About 35 entries have been received for this event, also being conducted by the IGU. There would be three categories in senior league, the first for players in the age group of 56-60 years, the second for 60-64 years and the third for those above 65 years of age. The event for the seniors would consist of three rounds of 18 holes each and golfers having a handicap of 15 and below would be allowed to participate. The winners of this event would form part of the team to represent India in the world championships at Australia later this year. Both the events will conclude on October 20.
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Celeste wins gold
Chandigarh, October 17 Other results: 800m: (U-14 boys) Manish (Sujanpur Tira) 1, Harinder Parsad (Chandigarh) 2, Rohit (Una) 3; (U-16 boys) Yesu Das (Chandigarh) 1, Anil Yadav (Sujanpur Tira) 2, Sanjit Kumar (Nagrota) 3; (U-16 girls) Payal (Solan) 1, Monika Thakur (Shimla) 2, Uttranika (Una) 3; (U-19 boys) Lakwinder (Chandigarh) 1, Karan Partap (Mohali) 2, Manju (Chandigarh) 3. Long jump: (U-16 boys) Saurav (Una) 1, Shahid (Jammu) 2, Sunny Sharma (Sujanpur Tira) 3; (girls) Radhika Thakur (Chandigarh) 1, Manjeet (Panchkula) 2, Mandeep (Kalka) 3,; (U-19 boys) Lakhbir (Chandigarh) 1, Rishav (Sundernagar) 2, Palden (Paonta Sahib) 3; (girls) Anku (Naraingarh) 1, Swati (Chandigarh) 2, Deepshikha (Solan) 3; (U-14 girls) Puneet (Chandigarh) 1, Monika (Jammu) 2, Mandeep (Nalagarh) 3. Javelin throw: (U-19 boys) Lakhwinder (Naraingarh) 1, Reliance (Una) 2, Malkeet Singh (Sundernagar) 3; (girls) Sandeep (Chandigarh) 1, Meenu (Panchkula) 2, Nidhi (Solan) 3; Relay 4X100 m: (U-16 girls) St Soldier, Chandigarh 1, Doon, Nalagarh 2, Eicher, Parwanoo 3; (boys) Sainik School, Sujanpur Tira 1, Shivalik, Mohali 2, Sainik School, Nagrota 3; (U-14 boys) MIA DAV, Una 1, GAV, Solan 2, Air Force School, Chandigarh 3.
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