Saturday, February 20, 1999
today's calendar
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S P O R T | Saturday, February 20, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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India
take on Pak today
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Advantage South Korea India
surrender initiative |
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No ICC plan for drug
testing JCT
hold Mohun Bagan Punjab
3rd in medal tally
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India take
on Pak today PESHAWAR, Feb 19 — Redeeming lost prestige and building match temperament for tougher engagements ahead is now on the priority list of hockey coach Vasudevan Baskaran as the beleagured Indians prepare to take on Pakistan in the third Test at the sprawling Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium here tomorrow. Having surrendered the series to Pakistan with a 4-2 defeat at Karachi yesterday, India will have to pull up their socks if they really want to make the contest lively. Although key deficiencies like improvement in penalty corner conversion cannot be overcome overnight, yet the Indians have enough lessons to learn from the two matches that they have played so far in the Pakistan leg. Lack of confidence displayed by some members of the Indian team has been alarming. Goalkeeper Jagdish Ponnappa committed umpardonable follies at Karachi by failing to react at the right moments. In fact, two of the goals that India conceded were the result of poor anticipation by Ponnappa. Outside-left Rajesh Chauhan was also a bundle of nerves, missing two clear chances in the second half. Promising centre-forward Gagan Ajit Singh also failed to break himself free in tight situations. However, what was most alarming was that India failed to convert any of the 13 penalty corners which they were awarded. For the records, this was the highest number earned by India against Pakistan in the 96 matches that the two countries have played so far. Nevertheless, every dark cloud has a silver lining. India are experimenting with a new set of players after six of the seniors, including skipper Dhanraj Pillay and outside-right Mukesh Kumar, were rested after the historic Asian Games victory at Bangkok. This, as coach Baskaran feels, is the right time to try out new faces. The current series will go a long way in toughening up the youngsters mentally. Both Baljit Singh Dhillon and Gagan Ajit are promising forwards but the duo is yet to strike an effective combination. Perhaps with some more exposure while playing alongside in international matches, they will emerge as a major strike force. Baljit Singh Saini and Mohammed Riaz are dependable in the half line while skipper Anil Aldrin and Dilip Tirkey have been defending well against formidable opponents. Pakistan, on the other hand, are also a new team after experienced players like Shahbaz Ahmed and Tahir Zaman were sidelined. So far the team under the watchful eyes of Shahnaz Sheikh has done an excellent job. Pakistan wrapped up the first leg in India 3-1 and have already won the Lahore and Karachi Tests in the Pakistan leg which commenced on February 16. For Pakistan, skipper Atif Bashir has been outstanding. In the Indian leg, he scored four goals while at Karachi yesterday he was again on target once. Penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas is also emerging as an asset for the Pakistan team. In the Indian leg he scored five goals. According to Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh, the series has given his boys the type of experience and practice which they could not have gained while playing in Europe or elsewhere. In the forward line Atif Bashir, Navid Asim, Mohammed Sarwar and Mohammed Irfan have been striking form at the right moments. The half line comprising Irfan Yousaf, Mohammed Saqlain, Wasim Ahmed and Asad Qureshi has been lending valuable support to the attack. Sohail Abbas, who usually comes to take penalty corner hits, and Danish Kalim have so far done a good job in the defence. Second choice goalkeeper Mohammed Qasim has also measured up the expectations of coach Shahnaz Sheikh. The series win notwithstanding, it remains to be seen whether the Indians can prove Shahnaz Sheikh’s prediction of Pakistan making a clean sweep on home soil wrong. Peshawar is known for hockey and in fact, has been a happy hunting ground for Pakistan. Last year in the series opener, they had beaten India 4-1. But with Indian coach Baskaran adopting a change in strategy India might come up with a surprise tomorrow. Meanwhile, the two teams
arrived from Karachi today to a warm welcome, the hockey
stadium named after hockey star Lala Ayub, who
represented Pakistan in the 1928 Olympics, is all set to
explode into action tomorrow. |
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CJEKI (South Korea), Feb 19 (pti) — Leander Paes, conqurer of many a magic victory over top players, committed virtual harakiri as he stumbled at the door of victory to put India in an embarrassing 0-2 position on the first day of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zonal qualifying round against South Korea here. India number one Paes, once again squandered his best chance of winning the second singles after being on match point to hand over victory to Korea’s Asian Games doubles gold medallist, Yong-Il Yoon, in a marathon five-setter 4-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. India’s number two player Mahesh Bhupathi, short of singles practice, lost to the Korean number one Hyung-Taek Lee in straight sets 6-1, 7-5, 6-2 in the opening singles encounter early this morning in chilly-cold conditions. The first tie, putting Bhupathi against a much-improved Lee and a local crowd in this resort island egging on their home player, the Indian never reached his top form. After losing the first set 1-6, the 23-year-old Bhupathi started with renewed vigour but after 5-5 in the second, Lee held the whiphand to break him and serve out the set. It was a formality in the third as Lee crushed a demoralised Bhupathi to put his country 1-0 up. Paes had the best chance to sqaure the tie on the first day today, but after taking a two set lead and going strong at 5-5 in the third, and on match point, he suddenly found Yoon forcing his way back into the game. Yoon won the third 7-5 and went on to win next 6-2 and the decider was even a smoother ride for the Korean who won 6-1 and to give his country a stranglehold over the five-match rubber. It revived the memories of his loss to Britain’s Greg Rusedski in a cliff-hanger five-setter in the September world group qualifying round when he lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-11. India will now have to win tomorrow’s doubles tie featuring Paes/Bhupathi against Yoon/Lee to keep itself in contention. To win the tie they will have to win both the reverse singles on Sunday, a no mean task. The victors will meet New Zealand, who beat China in the first week of February, in September. Korea lead India 3-2 in an all-time Davis Cup record and have never lost on home soil. The Indians, not averse to putting themselves on a tricky situation, were themselves to blame for the 0-2 scoreline. "We expected to win at least one match and Leander was well on course. He was on a matchpoint and then squandered all the chances," India’s non-playing captain, Jaideep Mukherjee, told PTI. "He was on top before fading out," Mukherjee said. What Paes lacked was the crowd support that usually fires his adrenaline. Playing at Seogwipo tennis centre, set amidst scenic landscapes with biting cold conditions, and a hostile crowd, Paes lost his concentration while on a matchpoint. "He (Yoon) served well and employed his groundstrokes to telling effect," Mukherjee quoted Paes as saying after the loss. "Yoon came up with fantastic range of winners and Paes unfortunately had no answers," he said. When asked about the Indian camp’s strategy, Mukherjee said: "We are now concentrating on tomorrow’s doubleie." The world beating combination of Paes-Bhupathi, who were top seeded in the Australian Open Championships finishing runners-up, will have to win the tie to keep hopes alive. On paper, the Indians look
superior, but it will be a tough fight as during Davis
Cup ties, where national pride is on stake, Yoon-Lee pair
may turn out to be tough contenders. |
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CALCUTTA, Feb 19 (PTI) — On a day of high drama resulting from the controversial run out of Sachin Tendulkar, India once again surrendered the initiative, leaving Pakistan with a decided advantage in the inaugural match of the tri-Nation Series here today. With only one recognised batsman, Saurav Ganguly (batting 23) left, India still need 65 runs for a win with four wickets intact when play resumes on the fifth and final day tomorrow. For the record, chasing a none-too-difficult victory target of 279, India finished the penultimate day at 214 for six. Play was suspended for 48 minutes after Tendulkar was run out under highly controversial circumstances as he collided with Shoaib Akhtar only to find his grounded bat back in the air and himself out of the crease when a direct throw by substitute Nadeem Khan hit the stumps at the bowler’s end. The infuriated crowd, that was banking on the star batsman to take India to victory, began to throw plastic bottles on to the field which resulted in the umpires and players returning to the pavilion. Only after Tendulkar himself, accompanied by International Cricket Council President Jagmohan Dalmiya and team coach Anshuman Gaekwad took a round of the ground appealing to the 100,000 spectators to calm down that the game began again. The Indian middle order, which has failed to live up to its awesome reputation in the Test series against Pakistan, put up a dismal show once again to undo all the good work done by the opening pair of S. Ramesh (40) and V.V.S. Laxman (67) who put on 108 excellent runs. The pathetic display by the middle order saw India collapse from a comfortable 134 for one at one stage to a precarious 190 for six to make the run chase more difficult for themselves. Left-handed Ramesh was the first to depart falling prey to wily off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq as he tried to play across the line and was trapped leg before for a composed 40, occupying the crease for 145 minutes. The breakthrough served as a tonic for the visitors as they bowled a much better line and length in the post-lunch session and tilted the game in their favour by sending back Laxman (67), Dravid (13), Sachin Tendulkar (9), captain Mohd Azharuddin (20) and Nayan Mongia (1) in quick succession much to the dismay of the vociferous home crowd. Laxman followed soon after with Mushtaq plotting his downfall. The stylish Hyderabad batsman tried to play the off-spinner on the leg side, but failed to keep the ball along the ground as it ballooned to Yousuf Youhana at forward short leg who held on to the catch. Tendulkar, who joined Dravid at the middle amidst thunderous applause, also could not hang around for long and returned to the pavilion under unfortunate circumstances. But his departure seemed to rejuvenate the Pakistanis who made the hosts fight for every run. Dravid fell to a rather poor shot in the second over after tea as fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was re-introduced into the attack and again managed to get some swing with the old ball as in the first innings. Captain Azharuddin, who has had a poor run in the series, once again fell cheaply (for 20) when his team needed him most. He will be best remembered for dropping Saeed Anwar when on two and allowing him to score another 186 runs. The Indians lost five
wickets for the addition of just 66 runs to throw the
match wide open, but with only the tailenders to follow,
the visitors seem to enjoy a slight edge on the morrow. |
Tendulkar averts ugly situation CALCUTTA, Feb 19 (PTI) — The controversial run out of Sachin Tendulkar created a near explosive situation at the Eden Gardens this afternoon till the star batsman himself went round pacifying the more than 100,000 spectators. Looking grim and escorted by International Cricket Council President Jagmohan Dalmiya and team coach Anshuman Gaekwad, Tendulkar brought the situation under control after play was suspended and early tea taken to avoid trouble from the crowd which had been incensed over what they thought was an unfair verdict. Out for a first ball duck in the first knock of the Asian Test Championship match against Pakistan, Tendulkar was just getting into his groove when he ondrove Wasim Akram and when completing his third run, collided with Shoaib Akhtar who was backing up at the bowler’s end to recieve substitute Nadeem Khan’s throw. Nadeem Khan, however, achieved a direct hit while Tendulkar, who had grounded his bat inside the crease, found his bat deflected up and himself still out. Third umpire K.T. Francis of Sri Lanka ruled Tendulkar, on whom the Indian hopes of victory rested, out. This incensed the crowd waiting to watch the little man in full bloom. The umpires and players
returned to the dressing room as the crowd kept throwing
plastic bottles onto the field and it was only after the
peace appeal by Tendulkar that the spectators were
pacified and play could resume. |
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MARGAO, Feb 19 (PTI) — Goalkeeper Virender Singh’s heroic performance under the bar helped JCT hold defending champion Mohun Bagan to a goalless draw and split points in the opening game of the first leg of the super league edition of the National Football League here today. Virender was simply unstoppable as he twice denied Cheema Okerie from scoring in the first half and again denied Adebayo and Jo Paul AncherI from scoring in the second half. The first half was lively with both teams making goal bound moves and had equal chances of scoring. Bagan controlled first quarter of the match with more of the ball in possession. Medio Satyajit Chatterjee created chances spraying passes to his strikers Cheema Okeri and Jo Paul Ancheri. Bagan could have taken the lead in the 10th minute when a lob from Satyajit Chaterjee to Jo Paul Ancheri landed into the box. Ancheri who was sandwiched between defender Deepak and Sukhdev Singh fumbled in taking the shot, which was later cleared by Deepak. Five minutes later, Adebayo header missed the target narrowly off a flag kick taken by Satyajit. JCT slowly settled down and held the edge in the midfield midway through the first half for a brief period and came near scoring twice. Hardworking Hardip Saini worked his way on the right and sent a low cross into the box but Hardeep Gill failed to tap the ball in from close range. Bagan made the counter move and JCT citadel nearly fell. Ancheri split the defence with a forward pass to Cheema, whose shot was parried by Virender Singh. JCT medio Hardeep Saini kept the attack moving by trying to prod the ball into vacant gaps. He made two goal-mouth moves but alert keeper Hemant Dora denied him the chance. First in the 43rd minute Saini put Surjit Singh through and the rival failed to put off the off-side trap. Surjit on entering the box took a rasping shot which was saved by the keeper by diving to his left. Later, Saini, who found himself free in the rival box, took a shot at the goal which was saved by keeper Dora. Adebayo had two scoring
chances but could not find the mark as the woodwork came
to the rescue of JCT when his header hit the cross bar
off a flag kick taken by Satyajit Chaterjee. Later his 30
yards long ranger was well saved by Virender. |
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CALCUTTA, Feb 19 (ANI) — Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Khalid Mahmood said here on Thursday that the media trial of the cricketers accused of betting and match-fixing should come to an end. He said the board would implement any recommendations emanating from a judicial inquiry into the charges against the members of the national team. "We will not spare anyone. But this trial by media must stop. This is affecting the players,’’ he said. Lahore High Court Judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum began investigating corruption in the Pakistani cricket team when Australia’s Mark Waugh and Shane Warne alleged they had been offered money by a Pakistani cricketer to play badly during the 1994 Pakistan tour. The investigations are not complete and the judge has yet to make any recommendations. "We will implement the recommendations of the Qayyum Inquiry Committee swiftly. No other board has taken such allegations more seriously than us," Mahmood said. Mahmood is here watching the inaugural match of the Asian Test Championship being played between India and Pakistan. Mahmood criticised the wide media coverage the betting scandal had generated and the speculation that went along with it. Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) bigwigs have decided to meet in Dhaka during the Asian Test Championship final next month to finalise the independent commission to look into match-fixing and betting charges. Jagmohan Dalmiya, ICC President, said that the groundwork for the formation of the special commission had been completed and it would be announced during the final in Dhaka, which is to be held from March 12. "In Dhaka, all the modalities regarding how the commission will work and what would be its area of responsibility would be worked out," Dalmiya hinted that though the names for the commission had not been finalised, the selection would be made from amongst respected persons from the legal profession, who have nothing to do with cricket. Former Test cricketers like Ian Chappell, Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, Kapil Dev, Rameez Raja, Asif Iqbal, Tony Greg, Sunil Gavaskar, Bevan Congdon etc will meet here later to discuss and formalise a proposal for the holding of the World Test Championship. They will discuss the
proposal in the light of the rules applied for the Asian
Championship and will then send it to the ICC President
who will put it before the main cricket committee for
further study. |
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LONDON, Feb 19 (AFP) — England Chairman of Selectors David Graveney has led the call for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to introduce drug testing. But the sport’s world governing body has no plans to introduce testing in time for the World Cup this summer. Michele Verokken, Director of UK Sports Council’s anti-doping programme, has warned ICC chiefs they are being naive if they think the sport does not have a drug problem. Graveney, speaking in his role as Chief Executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, told BBC Radio five: "There are other sports where you have world championships and where all the competitors are tested to ensure that fair play exists. "I don’t think cricket should be any different. The question of role models is a crucial one. "Sponsors are not exactly queuing up to pump money into cricket — domestically or internationally — so it’s crucial the image is as you would want it to be." Verokken believes international cricket will not fully comprehend the extent of drugs in sport unless the ICC bring in standard testing worldwide. Independent national bodies, such as the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Australian Cricket Board, operate their own schemes. But Verokken warned the
ICC, saying "It is unfair for any sport to be naive
in the view that it does not have drug problem". You
don’t know you have a problem until you actually try
and assess whether the problem exists." |
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IMPHAL, Feb 19 (PTI) — Karnataka lass Nisha Millet kept up her golden splash in the pool to snatch her seventh gold and Delhi pistol ace Jaspal Rana bagged his fourth with one games' mark while Kerala maintained their strong overall lead on the fifth day of the National Games here today. The 17-year-old Bangalore-based Nisha continued with her grand show bagging a double gold as she powered away towards the nine gold medals she snapped at the last games for the most spectacular show of the day. The 23-year-old Jaspal Rana, who did better than the world mark in gunning down the centrefire pistol gold yesterday, made the standard pistol gold his own with 578 points which put to shade Madhya Pradesh shooter Surender Kumar’s mark of 570 registered in the 1985 New Delhi games. On the fifth day of competitions when 31 medals were up for grabs, top placed Kerala claimed five from badminton, swimming (2) and athletics to be perched on top with 30-23-10 while hosts Manipur kept up their relentless hunt to be second with a total haul of 20-13-26, claiming four today. Punjab won two more golds from the track and field to lie third with a haul of 17-13-24 while Karnataka, with Millet doing the major medal reaping, were fourth (13-13-10) and Delhi were fifth (13-8-11). National champion P. Gopi Chand, world number 23, warmed up for his all-England campaign as he and India number two P.V.V. Lakshmi led Andhra Pradesh to a near sweep at the badminton hall. Andhra Pradesh snapped up three of the four individual finals decided today to claim five of the six titles decided, only Kerala managing to deny them the men’s doubles. Women archers Chokrovolu Swuro claimed a splendid triple gold by winning the individual Olympic round today as Bihar ruled supreme at Khuman Lampak archery field to emerge with a brilliant haul of seven gold, five silver and three bronze. Honours in track and field were shared evenly with among the top contenders with Kerala, Manipur, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Services claiming two gold medals each to account for the 10 medals settled on the penultimate day of competitions. Punjab high hurdler Jungjit Singh and Manipur woman walker Bala Devi accounted for the two meet marks to fall today while young Punjab woman distance runner Sunita Rani and her Manipur counterpart Gojen Singh completed a double. Gojen Singh added the 5000m title to the longer distance he won two days ago, while Sunita Rani added the 1500 m to the 1000m title and declared her intention to go for the third in 5000m tomorrow. Jungjit Singh clocked
14.59 seconds to erase the old mark set by Shish Mondal
in 1985 by 0.1 second while Bala Devi won the 10 km walk
in 51.56.0 to erase the old mark by a long way. |
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Powerlifters win 7 gold medals CHANDIGARH, Feb 19 — The masters powerlifting team of the city bagged seven gold medals and one bronze medal in the just concluded National Powerlifting Championship at Ranigunj (West Bengal) on February 15, according to a press note of the Chandigarh Powerlifting Association. The medal winners include
Jagdish Singh of Public Sports Club, SAS Nagar, Nirmaljit
Singh, an international powerlifter and of Bon Sante,
Sector 17. |
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