Pak cricket probe may be delayed
KARACHI, April 28 — A judicial commission investigating match-fixing allegations in Pakistan cricket postponed hearings today and its findings may now be delayed until after the World Cup, officials said.

Crowd trouble: talks in May
ST JOHN'S (Antigua), April 28 — West Indies cricket chiefs are to meet for talks on how to avoid a repetition of the crowd trouble in the one-day series against Australia that ended on Sunday.

Rain forces Indians to train indoors
LONDON, April 28 — Inclement weather over most of Britain’s Midlands has hampered the Indian cricket team's preparations for the World Cup, forcing the former champions to train indoors.

ICC to take up Calcutta incident
LONDON, April 28 — The International Cricket Council will discuss at a two-day meeting starting on May 12 the disturbance by the crowd at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, during the Asian Test Championship match between India and Pakistan.

Lillee attacks ICC over crowd trouble
PERTH, April 28 — Australian cricket legend Dennis Lillee today attacked the International Cricket Council over its failure to act on crowd violence in the West Indies.

Ronaldo bitter after fans assault
ROME, April 28 — Ronaldo has hinted he might consider leaving Inter Milan if the club's angry fans repeat attacks against him and other players.

Rafter loses; Tauziat survives
ATLANTA (Georgia), April 28 — Australia’s Patrick Rafter was upset by unheralded Argentinian Martin Rodriguez here yesterday in an opening-round match at the rain-plagued $ 350,000 ATP challenge.

• Bhupathi dedicates success to Paes
• MCC unveils media centre at Lords
• Top seeds sail through

SAFF football

Uphill task for India against Maldives

MARGAO, April 28 (UNI) — Hosts India, who finished second to Bangladesh in goal difference in group ‘A’, will have to put their best foot forward, come up as a cohesive unit and display striking power if they are to score over unpredictable Maldives in the first semifinals of the second South Asian Football Federation (SAFE) Coca-Cola Cup Championship here tomorrow.

In the second semifinal later in the evening, experienced and balanced side Bangladesh take on a youthful and spirited Nepali team. India, the hosts, are boasting of a star-studded side but the stars are yet to twinkle.

I.M. Vijayan's inclusion despite his being a mere passenger against Bangladesh in the goal-less tie and against Pakistan which the hosts won 2-0 has come in for severe criticism from all quarters.

But coach Sukhwinder Singh who has no answer to this query, still feels that Vijayan will come up trumps at the crucial moment.

On the eve of tomorrow's match, Vijayan was quoted as saying "If I want. I can definitely score and whenever I say, I will score. I have done it and here. I say, I will score in the semifinal".

Besides Vijayan, the other player who is not showing any signs of enthusiasm and sincerity to the side as it appears to the general eye is Carlion Chapman. Between themselves, these two players are alleged to have allowed grouses to cloud their game after being ignored for the captaincy.

While the morale in the Indian side is quite low though captain Bruno Coutinho is giving his heart out along with Batchung Bhutia, there is still a hope that the Indian camp will forget the rest and achieve the goal at home.

Coach Sukhwinder Singh who was boded against Pakistan for his strange substitution decisions, when asked if there was any pressure from the seniors explained "absolutely not. I make the changes and my decisions are accepted." Besides, the coach said that "everything is fine with the team as can be noted from the fact that the boys mix around and mingle together."

It is a knockout stage and unlike in the league, it will be a total new strategy to go on the offensive from the word go, said coach Singh whose wards have shown very poor marksmanship so far.

The Maldives on the other hand, by putting it across a plucky Nepal 3-2, have proved that they cannot be taken as pushovers. Their forwards Shah Ismail, Mohammed Wildham and Ghafoor Mausoom are an opportunistic lot and given half a leeway, particularly through counter offensives, can turn the applecart of any team as they did against Nepal by scoring two of the goals very much against the run of play.

So it is to be seen if hosts India can live to the expectations of the fans here.

The second semifinal is expected to be a neck-and-neck fight between youthful Nepal and Bangladesh and both stand an equal chance.

The probable teams:

India: Virender Singh, Reazul Mustafa, Ranjan Dev, Robert Fernandes, Daljit Singh, S. Venkatesh, Jules Aiberto, Rampal, Bruno Coutinho, Baichung Bhutia and I.M. Vijayan.

Maldives: Ishaq Easa, Ali Shahin, Mohammed Ibrahim, Hussain Luthfee, Mohammed, Nizam Shah Ismail, Mohammed Hussain, Ashraf Luthfee, Ali Shihan, Yusuf Azeem and Mohammed Wildhan.

World Cup to bridge ethnic divide

COLOMBO, April 28 (IPS) — If there is one thing that has united Sri Lankans in the midst of a bloody ethnic war, it is the fortunes of the national cricket team.

Government soldiers and armed Tamil Tiger rebels marked a temporary truce to follow on radio and television the March 1996 World Cup cliff-hanger when Sri Lanka beat Australia to emerge as World Champions of the one-day game.

Lankans then burst crackers and danced on the streets in jubilation as cricket cut across ethnic divides.

Cricket is the only subject on which the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils agree. Large pictures of Lankan superstar Sanath Jayasuriya are framed and hung on walls in homes in the countryside.

The 1996 victory was sweet for many reasons. For most people, it was just the thing to pep up flagging national spirits after a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence.

To some extent, the 1996 win also helped soothe ethnic tensions with the presence of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the only Tamil member in a side dominated by Sinhalese.

Earlier this year, Muralitharan, rated among Sri Lanka’s best spinners ever, was honoured by a local newspaper, the Midweek Mirror, as its 1998 choice of man of the year.

The award was for his contribution to ethnic harmony in the nation where violence unleashed by Tamil separatists fighting for a separate homeland has claimed over 70,000 lives since 1983.

"Muralitharan is an epitome of national unity with true lion grit overcoming all obstacles with a smile and has a sense of deep devotion towards his country," wrote a Mirror reader.

Endearingly called ‘Koti Petiya’ (tiger cub) by his team-mates, Muralitharan straddles the ethnic divide with ease. All Lankans, be they Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims or Burghers, stood by him when he was charged during the 1996 Australia tour with ‘chucking’.

During that tour, an Australian newspaper reported telephone threats from suspected Tamil rebels to Craig Mcdermott warning the Australian speedster that he would be killed if he bowled well against the Lankans.

In July 1998 when Muralitharan returned from an amazing bowling performance that brought Sri Lanka a historic test victory in England, he was welcomed in his tiny home town of Kundasale by thousands of men, women and children from all communities.

"The Sri Lankan team has given us the will to believe in ourselves. It has brought people together irrespective of race or language," says Sunil Perera, veteran leader of Sri Lanka’s best known music band, Gypsies.

The game will once again bring Lankans together as the national team prepares to defend its title at the World Cup next month.

But the heady days seem over with Sri Lanka rated the underdog as the team left on Saturday for Britain for the tournament. After a string of defeats in recent one-day matches, the team is no longer the world beater it once was and trails South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and India.

After a successful England tour last year, the Lankans lost 15 of the 20 one-day matches they played subsequently in Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia and India.

What went wrong? "I would say they are ageing as a team, they’ve lost their sharpness on the field particularly in fielding and lack spirit and motivation," says Lakshman Perera, a taxi driver.

"It was a wonderful feeling in 1996 when we won the cup. It was pure ecstasy, pure joy. Nothing can take that away from us. Today, I am not so sure whether Sri Lanka could even reach the semi-finals," he said.

But national team manager Duleep Mendis is optimistic. "We have been training hard and I think we can do well," he says. Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and his men have been hard at practice in the past few days and have kept away from public appearances.

Cricket writer Callistus Davy believes that age, low morale and stiffness on the field have all contributed to the decline of the Lankan side in recent months.

"While our performances have been average, the other countries are raising standards," he says.

According to Saadi’ Thawfeeq, Senior Sports Correspondent of the leading national newspaper, Daily News, Sri Lanka is capable of retaining the World Cup.

"Our fielding has let us down in recent games. But with the team being bashed by the media over mediocre performance I feel this is the motivation for them to strike back," he writes.

A reason for the dip in the team’s morale is the recent turmoil in the cricket administration. The election of the Sri Lanka cricket board is bogged in a legal dispute and some senior officials including the board president, have been barred from functioning till the case is over.

Lankans suffer loss of confidence?

COLOMBO, April 28 (Reuters) — Arjuna Ranatunga lifted Sri Lanka to their peak of sporting achievement when his team won cricket’s last World Cup in 1996.

Ranatunga would enjoy nothing more in the twilight of his career than leading a successful defence of the trophy in England but the captain of the tiny island nation side looks like facing an uphill task.

Sri Lanka have won only five of their last 20 one day games and although they still have such match winners as Aravinda De Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, Ranatunga’s men appear to have lost confidence.

They look a shadow of the side who triumphed so stunningly on the subcontinent three years ago, taking the trophy with an unbeaten record. In the previous five World Cups, Sri Lanka won just four matches out of 24.

Even De Silva, whose brilliant batting was a key element in the 1996 victory, is cautious of the outcome this time. "A lot of things will have to go right," he said recently.

Ranatunga, one of the world’s most senior players with 264 one day internationals under his belt, is familiar with his country being the underdogs.

In fact, he says, it helps their cause since there are no high expectations.

Yet Sri Lanka are world’s one-day champions to the country’s 18.5 million people and they will be closely watching Ranatunga whose authoritarian control over the team has come under fire from local media.

Sri Lanka’s squad includes 11 of the players who took part in the 1996 campaign, though some of them are either out of form or recovering from injury.

Jayasuriya, whose explosive batting can take advantage of the restrictions on field placings during the first 15 overs of an innings, is returning from a lay-off after fracturing his right wrist during the 1998-99 tour of Australia.

Muralitharan has also missed matches during treatment for a shoulder problem, having experienced the contrasting emotions of delight and despair in the past nine months.

The off-spinner had a match haul of 16 wickets as Sri Lanka beat England in a one off test at the Oval last August but when he went to Australia he was called for throwing, repeating the trauma he suffered over his unorthodox action on his country’s previous tour in 1995-96.

De Silva, who illuminates Sri Lanka’s victory over Australia in the 1996 World Cup final with an unbeaten 107, is batting to find form after an injury to his left leg.

On the plus side, the batting is strengthened by newcomer Mahela Jayawardene, it boasts an effective opening partner for Jayasuriya in Romesh Kaluwitharana, and will be enhanced if Marvan Atapattu shows the form that brought him an unbeaten 132 against England in a triangular tournament final at Lord’s last August.

Sri Lanka’s pace attack leans heavily on left armer Chaminda Vaas and Pramodaya Wickremasinghe, so that much may be expected from their slow bowlers.

Muralitharan is sure to be a handful whatever the conditions while there is no shortage of variation, with Upul Chandana’s leg spin, Jayasuriya’s left arm spin and the off breaks of De Silva and Ruwan Kalpage.

The last time Sri Lanka won a limited overs tournament was in England in 1998 when they took a triangular event involving the host country and South Africa.

That may offer a measure of encouragement as Ranatunga’s men return to English soil for their World Cup defence which begins in the opening match against England at Lord’s on May 14.

Sri Lanka — group ‘A’ first round fixtures; May 14 vs England, at Lord’s; May 19 vs South Africa, at Northampton; May 22 vs Zimbabwe, at Worcester; May 26 vs India, at Taunton; May 30 vs Kenya, at Southampton.

India best equipped for World Cup: Wisden

NEW DELHI, April 28 (PTI) — India, winner of the third cricket World Cup in 1993, is arguably the best equipped team of all the 12 countries to exploit the English conditions, according to a guide of World Cup '99 brought out in association with 'Wisden'.

"They (Indians) arrive on territory familiar for many of their players and possess arguably the best batsman in the world in Sachin Tendulkar and the most prolific current rungetter in the world in Rahul Dravid," Wisden writers Steve Pearce and Bill Day commented in their profiles of the teams.

India, which returns to England as a triumphant nation of the last World Cup hosted by the UK, has been rated 12-1 by the London bookies alongside its arch-rival Pakistan, Sri Lanka and strong favourite South Africa.

Despite a relatively poor showing by England in recent times, they stand high in esteem of the patriotic bookies who gave the home side a 10-1 chance with two-time World Cup champions West Indies — also suffering from indifferent form — on the same pedestal.

Only Australia, the unofficial Test champion and with 100 per cent success in every series it played over last one year is placed higher at 8-1.

"The 1999 Cricket World Cup Essential Stats and Facts", the book released in association with the England and Wales Cricket Board and ‘Wisden’, says India has three most dangerous bowlers in the world in Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble who can exploit the English conditions that will confront them at cricket’s greatest extravaganza.

Besides world’s richest cricketer Tendulkar, the authors say, India has star performers such as Saurav Ganguly and wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia, who could be match-winners on their day.

"...And it is difficult to make an argument against India having the firepower to mount their biggest challenge since that June day, 16 years ago, when Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath bowled out the West Indies cheaply at Lord’s to allow their captain Kapil Dev and the country a moment of glory."

The authors base their assessment on India’s successful tour of England in 1996 "Since new stars Ganguly and Dravid emerged as batsmen of impressive technique and temperament on their first England Test tour.

"The two new batsmen conquered the peculiar demands of English conditions, where the ball swings and can move alarmingly at times off the seam, as if they were born to the ever changing weather they faced."

On the bowling front, experienced new ball bowlers Srinath and Prasad, and Kumble are expected to perform better while many-a-time match-winner Ajit Agarkar does not even get a mention in the commentary.

"Srinath and Prasad have impressed in England as one of the best new-ball attacks in the world," Pearce-Day said. The two bowlers picked up 26 wickets between them in the three-Test series.

India has a point or two to prove. After a farcical exit from the 1996 edition - India was defaulted playing against eventual champions Sri Lanka in the semifinals when crowd interruption forced match referee to take punitive action - those who played that ill-fated match are still eager to undo that sordid saga.

"Tendulkar scored 523 runs, more than any other batsman in that tournament, and he prepares for the England challenge determined to show the world that he is the world’s master batsman, despite Brian Lara’s bid to prove otherwise," Pearce-Day said.

India, bracketed in group ‘A’ with holders Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, can be world beaters on their day, the authors say but with a little caution: "Unfortunately, cricket history reveals that India have tended to under-achieve when put to the ultimate test."

They further add that since the lottery of World Cup action makes forecasting a precarious occupation, "India’s record in Tests and one-day internationals enhances the belief that a punter can soon be parted from his money if he relies on hunch and formbook to second guess the team Mohammed Azharuddin leads".

But they hasten to add: "One day internationals have become the staple diet of Indian cricket. No country competing at England 99 has more experience of the cut and thrust of this form of cricket, be it in daylight or under floodlight."

"India have everything in their favour to win the World Cup a second time," the authors conclude but query "Can they deliver?"

Pak cricket probe may be delayed

KARACHI, April 28 (AFP) A judicial commission investigating match-fixing allegations in Pakistan cricket postponed hearings today and its findings may now be delayed until after the World Cup, officials said.

Former captains — Rashid Latif, Aamir Sohail and Javed Miandad — sought adjournment citing personal reasons, the Registrar of Lahore High Court, Mr Abdus Salam Khawar, told AFP.

No proceedings were held and the Judge, Mr Malik Gayyum, adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed later, Mr Khawar said.

"Apparently it seems difficult to complete the findings until the World Cup is over," he added.

Wasim Akram led 15-member squad left for England yesterday to participate in the World Cup.

Miandad, who resigned as coach, requested the commission for the postponement saying his mother was sick. Latif also cited similar reasons, the Registrar said. Only former manager Intikhab Alam was present.

"Now it is for the Judge to decide whether he thinks the commission has enough substance to finalise its findings or it should cross-examine more witnesses," Mr Khawar said.

PCP legal advisor Sibtain Fazli said if the proceedings were held during the World Cup, the Judge would hold the hearings "in camera" so that performance of the players was not affected.

Sources said the commission wanted to wrap up the inquiry quickly but the busy schedule of the Judge and the cricket team’s hectic tours delayed the final findings.

Crowd trouble: talks in May

ST JOHN'S (Antigua), April 28 (Reuters) — West Indies cricket chiefs are to meet for talks on how to avoid a repetition of the crowd trouble in the one-day series against Australia that ended on Sunday.

Spectators invaded the pitch in the final moments of the fifth match last Wednesday, preventing Australia’s last pair scoring a third run to level the scores.

On Sunday, spectators angered by the controversial run-out of West Indies opener Sherwin Campbell in the seventh and last game in Bridgetown threw bottles onto the outfield in an ugly incident that stopped play for 45 minutes.

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Chief Executive Officer Steve Camacho said a discussion on security would be a key item on the agenda for their board meeting next month.

Some of the measures already raised were high fences, public education and only allowing the use of plastic bottles at all grounds.

Mr Camacho, the former West Indies opener, described the bottle-throwing incident at Kensington Oval as part of a very sad chapter in West Indies cricket that marred an extremely successful tour by Australia.

He said the public should realise that the two incidents in Guyana and Barbados had caused immeasurable world-wide damage to the reputation of West Indies cricket.

Mr Camacho said that while the trouble in Bridgetown had been resolved by the Australians allowing local hero Campbell to be reinstated, this precedent could have far reaching repercussions in the future.

The board would seek ways of ensuring the course of future matches was not influenced by the wishes of the crowd.

Mr Camacho said that on the field of play the umpire’s decision was final and there were avenues off the field for lodging protests and complaints.

He appealed to the public to avoid actions that could in the long term limit their opportunities to enjoy the sport they love.

BRIDGETOWN (Barbados) (AP): Barbados’ Prime Minister apologised to the cricketing world for a crowd bottle-throwing incident that disrupted a one-day international between Australia and the West Indies.

"I want to say I am sorry on behalf of the children and particularly young people in Barbados," Owen Arthur was quoted as saying in media reports on Tuesday.

Sunday’s melee is not the type of example we would want our young people to emulate. ... it was simply not the kind of image that I would like to see mature adults projecting of Barbados in this technological age."

The Prime Minister, who made his comments while visiting a cricket project at a primary school, was at the game but left before an angry crowd, estimated 14,000, reacted to a controversial run out of West Indies batsman Sherwin Campbell, a Barbadian, by throwing bottles onto the outfield.

One bottle narrowly missed Australia captain Steve Waugh’s head as he walked towards the pavilion.

Play resumed after 45 minutes when Campbell was reinstated. The West Indies won by eight wickets.

"I hope that it does not forever stand as a stigma against the good name of cricket in Barbados," Mr Arthur said.

Doubts over Sydney Olympics security

CANBERRA, April 28 (AP) — Australian intelligence authorities yesterday said they may not have time to carry out full terrorist checks on all workers and volunteers expected to help run the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

The Australian security intelligence organisation would be asked to provide security clearances for up to 80,000 people who will be working on various aspects of the games, the organisation’s Director-General Dennis Richardson said.

But doing full background checks on them all would not be possible in that time, because of the volume of work we will be faced with in the lead-up to the Olympics,’’ he said.

Most requests for security clearances would be made in the final three months before the games began, Mr Richardson told a Parliamentary committee.

The security assessment relates not so much to overseas visitors as there is a process there anyway. It relates more to people being accredited to work in different parts of the games,’’ he said.

The Parliamentary committee is considering changes to the organisation governing legislation.

Mr Richardson said one amendment being considered would speed up the security process by eliminating the need for New South Wales state police to vet requests for security checks.

Overall responsibility for Olympic security resides with the New South Wales Police Commissioner Peter Ryan, he said.

Our major role is the provision of security intelligence and the coordination of the Federal Government’s intelligence input into the games,’’ he said.

A federal Olympic security intelligence centre will be established in Canberra, he said.

The centre would coordinate the collection and assessment by federal agencies of intelligence that might be relevant to the games,’’ he said.

Rain forces Indians to train indoors

LONDON, April 28 (PTI) — Inclement weather over most of Britain’s Midlands has hampered the Indian cricket team's preparations for the World Cup, forcing the former champions to train indoors.

The Indian cricket team, which reached England three weeks in advance on Saturday, has had little outdoor practice and net sessions because of the rains.

"We could only get one four-hour session outdoors," coach Anshuman Gaekwad said from Leicester yesterday. "These unseasonal rains have forced us indoors."

"Except for a short session on Sunday, the downpour has forced us to keep the training session indoors," he said adding that all members of the squad were fit and turning up for the eight-hour training session daily.

The players were going through their paces daily. "We are spending the long afternoons going through video clips of our opponents, with captain Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Jadeja and others chalking out strategy to be adopted against each team," Gaekwad said.

"The morale in the camp is high. There have been no medical complaints and the players are all eager to have a go at this coveted world trophy," he added. The team has been cutting down on social engagements, turning down invitations to a number of receptions at Leicester, which has a sizeable Indian population.

The Indians will be putting up in Leicester for the next three weeks of the acclimatisation period and will also play few warm-up matches against local sides, including one against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

ICC to take up Calcutta incident

LONDON, April 28 (PTI) — The International Cricket Council (ICC) will discuss at a two-day meeting starting on May 12 the disturbance by the crowd at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, during the Asian Test Championship match between India and Pakistan.

An ICC committee will also discuss the recent crowd trouble in Guyana and Barbados, where crowd violence disrupted the seventh and final one-day international between West Indies and Australia, during the same meeting, ICC chief executive Davis Richards told reporters yesterday.

Crowd disrupted play after the controversial run out of Indian batting ace Sachin Tendulkar on the fourth day of the February 16-20 match, forcing the organisers to complete the match in an empty stadium.

The Calcutta and Bridgetown incidents will again figure prominently at the ICC executive meeting scheduled to be held on June 23 and 24, the ICC chief executive said.

Mr Richards expressed alarm at the Bridgetown violence saying "there has been real threat to the security to the players and officials which is very serious affair."

Mr Richards said it would be more constructive to implement measures to prevent such problems arising at source and added that the meetings would discuss such measures.

Meanwhile, the incidents in West Indies, the recent racial attacks by neo-Nazi groups in England and the ICC meeting two days before the start of the World Cup has shifted the focus towards security during the mega event.

World Cup organisers have, however, said they had made elaborate arrangements to tackle any such incidents during the month-long mega event starting on May 14.

Ronaldo bitter after fans assault

ROME, April 28 (Reuters)— Ronaldo has hinted he might consider leaving Inter Milan if the club's angry fans repeat attacks against him and other players.

The Brazilian former world player of the year said yesterday that he accepted being heckled after last Sunday's 3-1 home defeat by Udinese but that the violence which followed the match in Milan was intolerable.

Ronaldo's car was hit by a bottle thrown by a fan as he was leaving the San Siro stadium. His parents, sister and nephew were also in the car but no-one was hurt.

"I can accept the whistles. They may have even been justified on that occasion...since I and the whole team played horribly against Udinese," The Brazilian said.

"But what really hurt was the attempted assault as I was leaving the stadium," he told the Gazzetta Dello sport daily.

In this climate of tension and fear, somebody could decide to leave Inter," he added.

Inter issued a statement last evening, deploring the fans who threw stones and bottles at players' cars.

"Violence is absolutely unacceptable. The club points out that a few hooligans fortunately are not representative in any way of Inter fans as a whole. "

"We share and understand Ronaldo's bitterness. He , as captain and leader, represents the starting point for Inter's future," the club said in the statement.

Lillee attacks ICC over crowd trouble

PERTH, April 28 (AFP) — Australian cricket legend Dennis Lillee today attacked the International Cricket Council (ICC) over its failure to act on crowd violence in the West Indies.

"The ICC can count itself damn lucky it doesn’t have blood on its hands," the former fast bowler said in a West Australian newspaper column following violent disruption during the recent Australian tour of the West Indies.

Play in the final one-day match at Bridgetown was interrupted when spectators threw bottles at Australian players. In Georgetown four days earlier spectators invaded the pitch preventing the game from being completed.

Recalling similar crowd control problems 20 years ago, when he toured the West Indies with Ian Chappell’s world series cricket team, Lillee said "It was beyond his comprehension that the ICC could be still sitting on its hands".

Lillee said that despite all the assurance after the incidents in 1979, what he saw on television this month was a mirror image of what had happened two decades ago.

"We all know the West Indies board has a budget already stretched to the limit," Lillee said.

"But the ICC, with its coffers bursting at the seams, has a vested interest in West Indies cricket. Despite the ugly scenes last weekend, cricket lovers around the world desperately want West Indies cricket to survive. The ICC must get more involved to ensure that happens," he said.

Rafter loses; Tauziat survives

ATLANTA (Georgia), April 28 (AFP) — Australia’s Patrick Rafter was upset by unheralded Argentinian Martin Rodriguez here yesterday in an opening-round match at the rain-plagued $ 350,000 ATP challenge.

Rodriguez, who was only 2-6 in singles play last year, won 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), overcoming six double faults by winning 27 return points and converting three of the six break chances.

Rafter’s first-round exit at this clay-court tuneup for the French Open continued a recent slide. The two-time defending US Open champion has dropped five of his six last matches and is only 5-8 this year.

Rain halted two matches in progress and delayed the finish of Rafter’s match with the first-set tie-breaker at 5-5. When play resumed, Rodriguez held serve on his two points to win the set.

Rafter used a break in the fourth game of the first set to go up 3-1, but lost his serve in the ninth game as Rodriguez pulled within 4-5. Another break by Rodriguez pushed him ahead 6-5, but Rafter broke back to force the tie-breaker.

In the second set, Rafter again used an early break, taking a 2-1 lead. Rodriguez did not level until the 10th game, then reeled off five straight points to start the second tie-breaker.

Fifth seed Sebastian Grosjean of France beat former US college champion Cecil Mamiit 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, 6-1 and Argentina’s Guillermo Canas, fresh off a finals appearance last week in Orlando, Florida, upset sixth seed Scott Draper of Australia, 6-4, 6-3.

HAMBURG: Nathalie Tauziat and Dominique Van Roost had to survive tough first sets before advancing to the second round of the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg yesterday.

Fifth seeded Tauziat of France, who had won just three matches in her five previous tournaments this year, fell behind 2-4 against Russia’s Eena Likhovtseva before rallying to take the first set.

In the second set, she dropped her serve in the opening game but then swept the next six to win 6-4, 6-1.

Tauziat spent the beginning of the year practising instead of playing in Australia, but instead of feeling fresh when she returned to match play she felt drained and uninspired.

Van Roost of Belgium also struggled to gain the upper hand against Germany’s Barbara Rittner, but the sixth seed then took control to earn a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

Van Roost broke serve to lead Rittner 4-3, but then had to hold off seven break points in the next game. Having emerged from that test, Van Roost went on to take the first set and then allowed the dejected Rittner just two game points in the second.

"I had to win that game because I knew she can always fight. "That’s what happened at Indian Wells last month. I was leading by a set and 3-1 and she came back and won."

Van Roost explained that she first had to find her feet on what is not her favourite surface.

"It was the first tournament for me on clay and I had to adjust my game," she said. "I’m not a real clay court specialist. I tried to be patient and be aggressive at the right time and I kept to my plan well, and in the second set I was very consistent and it was hard for her mentally."

Magui Serna of Spain earned the right to meet second seed Venus Williams when she defeated Austria’s Sylvia Plischke 6-0. 6-3.

Two of the longest names in women’s tennis will meet in the second round after Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo set up a meeting with fellow Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez Vicario with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 win over Alexandra Fusai of France.

Bhupathi dedicates success to Paes

MUMBAI, April 28 (PTI) — World number one doubles tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi today said he owed his success to his partner and Davis Cup mate Leander Paes and that their next goal was to become the leading pair.

"Our partnership is as strong as ever. It was very kind of Paes to point out a few mistakes in our relationship which we have overcome lately and the differences we had is now a closed chapter," Bhupathi, who is here on personal work told PTI.

He said: "the question of changing my (doubles) partner does not arise at all and our sole aim is to get to the top."

"Paes has helped me to acquire the present status and I owe him a lot. Whatever I have achieved in my career so far is due to him and my parents, who have sacrificed a lot for my success."

Bhupathi, who topped the doubles list last Wednesday and became the first ever Indian to do so, said he was very happy to hear the news.

"I was in Monte Carlo when I got the news about topping the doubles’ list (individually). To be number one in any sport is a thrilling experience."

Bhupathi was also the first Indian to win a Grand Slam event when he won the French Open mixed doubles partnering Japan’s Rika Haraki in 1997.

The tennis star from Bangalore said "my perseverance and hard work has paid off at last but I will not be content to rest on my laurels. My immediate aim is to top the doubles ranking along with Paes."

Top seeds sail through

MUMBAI, April 28 (PTI) — The top eight seeds in the boys under-14 singles, including Rohit Raju of Delhi, sailed through to the last eight stage of the Rs 65,000 prize money AITA Subjunior and Mini Junior National Ranking Tennis Tournament here today.

Top seeded Raju needed just 35 minutes to oust unseeded citymate Varun Walia 6-1, 6-1 while second seeded local player Saurabh Kohli took 20 minutes more to sideline unseeded Arun Kartik 6-3, 6-2.

Among the other seeds, third seeded Karan Rastogi of Tamil Nadu, fourth seeded Krishna Tanna of Maharashtra, fifth seeded Surya Sitapathy and eighth seeded P Vikas (both from Andhra Pradesh) were stretched to the limit.

Sixth seeded Sujay Mahadevan of Maharashtra and seventh seeded Vikram A Menon of Tamil Nadu recorded straight set wins on way to the quarterfinals.

In the girls under-14 singles quarterfinals top seeded Lata Asudani and eighth seed Krushmi Chheda (both from Maharashtra), fifth seeded Nivedita Venkatesh of Tamil Nadu and sixth seeded Deepa Chakraborty of Gujarat recorded wins.

Lata beat seventh seeded M. Asheldimi of Tamil Nadu 6-4, 6-4 in one hour while Deepa shocked second seeded Ankita Bhambri of Delhi 6-1, 6-2.

Krushmi Chheda subdued fourth seeded Saana Bhambri of Delhi 6-2, 6-2 in 45 minutes while Niveditan dropped the second set before piping unseeded local girl Anuja Parikh 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

MCC unveils media centre at Lords

LONDON, April 28 (AP) — The traditional hub of world cricket yesterday took on a futuristic look when Lord’s officials launched the modern media centre, dubbed the 'spaceship'.

The £ 5.8 million ($ 9.3 million) facility was unveiled by Marylebone Cricket Club President Tony Lewis less than two weeks before the World Cup opens at the ground with a match between England and defending champions Sri Lanka.

The oval-shaped building stands 15 metres above the pitch at the nursery end and supplants the existing facility in a unique mix with the more stately architecture at St John’s Wood.

Lord’s will also be the venue for the World Cup final on June 20, the fourth time the championship final has been held at the ground.

The usually ultra-conservative MCC, which broke more than a century of tradition by admitting women after a landmark vote of its 17,000 members this year, built the new facility in conjunction with Natwest Bank.

"Some people may not like something of such distinctive style,’’ Lewis said. "But we love it.’’