Tuesday, June 8, 1999
today's calendar
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S P O R T | Tuesday, June 8, 1999 |
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Zimbabwe sure of berth in
semis Battle of survival for India
against Pak Stay away from actress, Shoaib told |
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 The pitch at Old Trafford cricket club in Manchester lies under large puddles of water, after heavy overnight rain prevented net practice for both Pakistan and India on Monday before their World Cup Super Six clash. — AFP World
Cup exposes Indian frailties
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Akram renews plea to fans Debate over Sachin’s batting
order rages Azhar erred in opting to field:
Waugh I can’t hang around, says
Moin Khan Waugh unlikely to bowl again Orders to check tax returns of
Lankans Cricket in Zimbabwe looking up:
Houghton Ganguly’s injury not serious Indian duo aims at No 1 slot Woods wins PGA memorial title Laad upsets Ghouse, enters 2nd
round Agassi joins most exclusive club "Only 5 WI players played
well" Hockey team leaves for Germany |
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Zimbabwe sure of berth in semis LEEDS, June 7 (PTI) — Unheralded Zimbabwe virtually booked their World Cup semifinal berth after their Super Six tie against New Zealand was washed out today, throwing semifinal calculations haywire and rendering Indian hopes more remote. In the first abandoned game of the tournament, the tie had to be called off after persistent rain prevented any resumption of play on the reserve day today after it could not be completed yesterday due to rain and eventually bad light. Both teams were awarded one point each as New Zealand had not faced 25 overs to bring the Duckworth-Lewis rain rule into effect and look for a possible win. New Zealand were 70 for 3 in 15 overs chasing Zimbabwe’s modest 175 in the rain-interrupted tie yesterday when play was stopped due to badlight. The result left Zimbabwe thrilled as they now have five points, after carrying forward four from the league stage, and group equations make it simply impossible for more than three teams to gain five or more points. But it will be a major setback for New Zealand, who have only three points and meet India and South Africa. The result has further diminished India’s faint hopes for a semifinal berth. With no points, their only chance till now hinged on beating Pakistan and New Zealand and at least two other teams finishing with four points. Such a situation would have resulted in a three way tie and a better net run rate would have seen India through. The result came as a big blow for New Zealand, who looked good to clinch victory after setting off a whirlwind chase last evening to be in an advantageous position if the manage to complete 25 overs and the cumbersome rain rule comes into play. Umpires S. Venkatraghavan and Dave Orchard called for an early lunch and made an inspection around 2 p.m. local time and then carried out another visit at 3.45 p.m. local time before finally abandoning the game as there was no sign of the drizzle stopping. Zimbabwe, who shocked South Africa after upsetting India in group ‘A’, are virtually through to the semifinals while New Zealand with three points after today’s abandoned game will be disappointed as they would have expected to take full two points. While the African side went on top of the Super Six table, both India and Australia faced uncertainty. Australia will have to beat both South Africa and Zimbabwe to ensure they make the last four without any hitches. But India, with no points in their kitty, now will not only have to beat Pakistan and New Zealand by handsome margins but will also have to hope that an improbable three way tie occurs and net run rate comes into play. India currently have the poorest net run rate of -0.51. Australia also can finish with four points, but a two way tie would see them through as they beat India in their Super Six clash. Zimbabwe take on Australia on June 9 and Pakistan on June 11. Even defeats in both ties should see them through. It is a grand improvement by the African side who have since making their World Cup debut in 1983 only scored the occasional inconsequential upsets. But Zimbabwe, who had only won three matches out of 25 till this tournament, have risen in stature in the last two seasons and with a bunch of talented players have shown great confidence in taking on the established countries. New Zealand were hoping that weather would relent to enable at least 10 overs to be bowled to bring the rain rule and force a result. The nearest the hopes of the Kiwis came to be fulfilled was when rain once relented in the afternoon to encourage the groundstaff to take off some of the covers. New Zealand skipper
Stephen Fleming (9) and Roger Twose (0) were together
when play was stopped last evening. Openers Matt Horne
(35) and Nathan Astle (20) put on 58 runs for the first
wicket before Zimbabwe came back to claim three wickets
in the space of seven runs to even the contest. |
Battle of survival for India
against Pak MANCHESTER, June 7 — The big day is here. Not of the World Cup itself which will crown its winner only on June 20 but it is the biggest day in the World Cup for the sub continent. It will be a day of passionate support for the great rivals of Asia and a day of tension for those present at Old Trafford, be they spectators, players, umpires or members of the security forces. This might be the first occasion on which the tensions on the field may be somewhat less as compared to the heat being built up outside an India-Pakistan encounter. The players always dismiss claims of any of their meetings being more than just a game of cricket. They point to the frequency with which they play each other these days. That they meet again with the shadow of Kashmir looming may lend this match more than an ordinary significance. The teams meet on somewhat unequal terms with Pakistan being in possession of four points and a place in the semifinal all but guaranteed while India have nil points and exit certain if they were to lose this match. But winning the match might give India the slightest ray of hope. The mathematical equations of the competition are such that none of the six teams are out yet and still India are the worst place because they have no points at all and have lost to three of five rivals either in the Super Six or in the preliminary league. So, if it comes to a straight tie for one place with any of those three, India will be first out. Hope does remain for the side if they win both games against Pakistan and New Zealand by reasonable margins and hope to squeeze in on the net run rate in a three-way tie for the fourth spot which is all India can aspire for now. The biggest stumbling block to even the birth of hope is their rivals for the day — Pakistan. Given the psychological hold the Pakistanis have had on the Indians since visiting India last January and winning virtually everything, it is safe to surmise that India go in as the distinct underdogs. It is fashionable in sport to say that the tag underdog suits them since the expectations are less. Not so in the case of India in any match with Pakistan, since the expectations are always huge in terms of numbers. In strict cricket terms, the contest will be a match only if India chooses to go in without any inhibitions and in an absolute positive frame of mind. They have remained on the back foot for too long, overwhelmed as they have been by the pace of Shoaib Akhtar and the guile of Wasim Akram. Why, Akram made the final in Sharjah a won contest with two great opening balls that left the Indians two down and gasping. Unless the batsmen go on the offensive they are not going to be able to dictate terms to these Pakistani bowlers. To attempt to do that against the swinging new ball may be fraught with risk as even the South Africans found out. But what else can a side do except to attack, even do so like Don Quixote against the windmills? The alternative is defeat and ignominy. There is always the other approach which is to play out the new ball without taking risks and hope the Indian batting will come good in the lake overs when not even Shoaib is a great force unless he finds reverse swing. On a known slow wicket at Old Trafford which has this tendency to favour batsmen and slow bowlers, this can turn out to be a closer contest because Indian batting can come good. There is the terrible conclusion to be drawn that India’s batting is best on flat and slow wickets. But if the conditions are good for batting, the bowling will suffer the same dip that has been the bane of India in this World Cup. The Pakistan batsmen have always done enough to win matches and brought their team to this happy position within a sight of semifinal slot. They can hope to fare better against a stingless Indian bowling attack. The injury scare to Saurav Ganguly can put pressure on team composition if at all the Bengal all rounder pulls out. But once again it is not a matter of whether he plays and whether Sachin Tendulkar opens with him. This is really the final countdown for India and they know it. There will be no room for excuses. The problem is even a win in such an emotional match will not fetch a place in the semifinals but at least it will kickstart the World Cup campaign all over again for India. With Zimbabwe likely to have caused considerable damage to its net run rate and likely to lose its top position in the Super Six, there may be an outside chance for India to squeeze through to the semis and hope for the best on the next two days of cricket. But that is a long way from here. Today is D-Day. Recent one-day meetings.
March 24 (Jaipur) Pakistan won by 143 runs, April 1:
Pakistan won by seven wickets, April 4 (Bangalore)
Pakistan won by 123 runs. April 8 (Sharjah) Pakistan won
by 116 runs, April 13 (Sharjah) India won by six wickets
and April 16 (Sharjah) Pakistan won by eight wickets. |
‘Play
Agarkar if wicket suits’ OLD TRAFFORD, June 7 — The Indians should pass all their pressures on to their opponents by acknowledging their superiority at the start of the game. But they should believe they have enough talent in their ranks and that on a good day they have the ability to upset the favourites. A truth even Wasim Akram is aware of. India have played Pakistan twice in the last two World Cups and beat them on both occasions. Now it is vital the Indians decide to concentrate only on this fact as they go into Old Trafford to play their arch rivals in the World Cup. If the Indian team chose to look around and beyond this World Cup statistics, they will find very little that would motivate them for tomorrow. Ajit Wadekar and Azharuddin combined together to form a winning partnership in the early ’90s that saw Indian cricket write a happy chapter. This was the period when India established their supremacy over most teams that toured. By beating the Australians in 1998 the Indians were ready to wear the crown of "unbeatable at home", until Pakistan decided to tour India last winter and spoiled the party. They beat India twice in Tests and the one-day results were not any better. The seemingly impregnable Indians of home found their match in the neighbours. What happens to India when they play against Pakistan? This question started to surface once again. It is fair to accept now that Pakistan over the years have generally held the upper hand in an India-Pakistan clash. Wasim Akram and his boys will again stand taller than Azhar and his team when they face each other tomorrow. This time for two reasons, one on form and second on points. Pakistan have enhanced their reputation on this trip unlike their rivals. They are clearly the favourites in the second match of the super sixes for both teams. India have arrived bruised from The Oval and face a difficult task of getting their act together to play another strong side. In all probability the same eleven might or should play from the last game except for one. Debashish Mohanty by his performances in the last four matches has confirmed that he is an excellent option that India has, but only in certain conditions. If the wicket at Old Trafford is anything like The Oval, it would be wise to rest Mohanty and reinstate Ajit Agarkar purely for his wicket-taking ability. One will realise during the course of the match that the only way to contain the Pakistan line-up is by picking up wickets. The rest of the squad pick themselves. Indians have another slight advantage unlike the earlier Pakistani opponents and that is the attack led by Shoaib Akhtar and company does not hold as much of a novelty unlike other teams. Talking of novelties, it is for the hosts as well, as they see India play Pakistan for the first time in an official international in their own country. I remember being part of this encounter in this very country twice before in exhibition matches. There was no result to these matches for on both occasions we had the crowd deciding when the match should end. I am sure the authorities have taken cognisance of this fact. The crowd behaviour will be yet another point of interest in this match which always has a special agenda. Coming back to cricket, if India keep it simple and constantly tell themselves they are going to make it three in a row in the World Cup, they would have done their cause no damage at all. While they are at it, they should also remember the last two instances when they beat Pakistan in the World Cup they batted first. Coincidence, I don’t think so. Sachin Tendulkar as always will look to dominate the bowlers. He may have a fair chance of success against Shoaib Akhtar as compared to Glenn McGrath purely because of the inexperience of Pakistan’s fastest bowler. It will not be a bad strategy to attack Akhtar since he is still largely an inexperienced bowler. It might be a good idea to push Azhar himself down the batting order and think on lines of using Robin Singh more as a batsman in the team. More responsibility as a
batsman must be put on Robin Singh and he must be played
as a batsman pure and pure. Anything else is a
bonus.— PTI |
World Cup exposes Indian frailties MANCHESTER, June 7 (PTI) — Greater professionalism, better fielding, fitness and strategy are emerging as key factors in one-day cricket, but India are way behind the rest of the top nations as their struggle at the World Cup has shown. While teams are looking to seize advantage not for a match or series, but looking for long term gains, India is found wanting in all factors that go into making a crack one-day outfit. They regularly concede extra runs on their throws, their shies at the stumps rarely connect and running between the wickets remains atrocious compared to top teams like South Africa, Australia and even Zimbabwe. On wides and no-balls, less said the better. Before the Super Six stage, India had conceded 814 dot balls, or 135.4 overs, which means runs were not scored off almost 55 per cent of the 245 overs they faced in the league. They have struggled to rotate the strike because they are not confident to take on fleet-footed fielders of other teams. Despite employing the services of a coach (Anshuman Gaekwad), consultant (Bob Simpson), physical trainer (Andrew Kokinos) and doctor (Ravinder Chadha), their tactical acumen and fitness levels have not shown any drastic improvement in the last two years. Despite giving some leeway for the relentless grind the Indian team goes through in terms of matches, the support staff has not brought about any sharpness in their approach which has stood exposed in the tournament. South Africa’s highly successful English coach Bob Woolmer describes his basic philosophy thus: "Players must enjoy the game. I don’t think otherwise I can do much". Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan concurs when he says how he became one of the world’s best fast bowlers when many advised him to be a medium pacer. "I was not playing for a career. I was playing because I was enjoying the game." The Indian cricketers are by and large surviving and not winning matches for the country, which has brought them to the verge of elimination at this mega event. Meanwhile, the team is again caught in the dilemma over star Sachin Tendulkar’s batting order, unsure whether he should open again or drop to number four. If he does not open tomorrow against Pakistan, it might be seen as backing out of Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and company. But if he returns to number four influenced by his failure against Australia, it would only show the confusion in the Indian ranks. The dilemma over Tendulkar has arisen because of the unbelievably long Indian tail, that seldom wags. Skipper Mohd Azharuddin has turned out to be a major liability as his regular batting failures have added to his listless leadership. There have been past instances of captains like Mike Atherton of England and Australia’s captain Mark Taylor voluntarily stepping down because they were not helping their teams. Azhar has shown no such willingness and it perhaps is too late for any such decision. The Indian team management is also guilty of not treating the youngsters in the side well. Amay Khurasia, a talented left-hander, has not only been ignored but he is hardly given any nets. To top it, word is deliberately spread he is avoiding nets and he is afraid of real match play. Nothing can be far from truth as Khurasia has showed his mettle with a fifty on debut against Sri Lanka at home in a recent triangular series. To accuse him of running away smacks of a conspiracy, perhaps to protect those with whom he is in direct competition for a place in the team. Similar suggestions were made when former batsman Pravin Amre was beginning to settle down. Swing bowler Debashish Mohanty was simply lucky to get a break because of Ajit Agarkar’s poor form, and he came up with creditable performances. The Indian think tank
has rarely thrown youngsters into the thick of action
unlike Pakistan. One look at Abdul Razzaq, Yousuf
Youhana, Azhar Mehmood and Shoaib Akhtar would show such
an approach has paid rich dividends and kept the seniors
on their toes. |
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MANCHESTER, June 7 (UNI) — Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was relishing a return to his adopted Old Trafford home and has renewed his plea to fans to behave in the showdown with arch-rivals India here tomorrow. The organisers are concerned that the already intense rivalry may be inflamed by the current political situation and have mounted ‘one of the biggest security operations ever for a cricket match in this country’. The biggest fear is that the players could be in danger by end-of-match pitch invasion which have become a trade mark during this World Cup. But Akram, who is battling to overcome a blood sugar problem to lead his side onto the field, believes the partisan crowd will respect the players’ views and will not disrupt the match. "I do ask all the fans to cooperate and not run onto the field-let’s make it a day to remember for the right reasons" stressed Akram, who played 10 years for Lancashire until being released at the end of the last season. Akram said: "We are here to play cricket, it’s just a game and hopefully the fans will take it in the right spirit and enjoy it." He was hopeful because the previous two occasions when the two sides met in one day tournaments in Toronto and Sharjah passed off peacefully without any trouble although neither event attracted big crowds. "I have spoken to the Lancashire chairman Jack Simmons about security and he has assured me everything is in place so I am not worried," he added. "In fact, I don’t think there will be any trouble because we have played India in recent tournaments without any problem," Akram said. Lancashire have kept
their security arrangements secret after talks with the
police and local authorities and Chief Executive Jim
Cumbes stressed: "We’re not being complacent
and are planning accordingly. Our objective is for all
fans to enjoy what potentially is a wonderful day’s
cricket between two fine sides and to ensure safety for
all concerned".
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Stay away from actress, Shoaib told ISLAMABAD, June 7 (PTI) — Young Shoaib Akhtar may not be too worried how Sachin Tendulkar would treat his express pace tomorrow, but his family is certainly concerned about a possible ‘encounter’ between the Pakistan fast bowler and a Hindi film actress. The 23-year-old nicknamed "Rawalpindi Express" has been told by his family not to go ahead with any meeting with the actress and warned he will not be allowed to enter his house on return, the widely circulated Urdu daily "Jung" has reported quoting family sources. The fastest bowler in the world who has emerged a major star at the World Cup in England, was called up by his mother after media reports appeared that he was planning to oblige the actress who wanted to meet him, the paper said. The Pakistani speedster, a bachelor, reportedly assured his mother he was serving his country in the tournament and would not get into any such tangles. India take on Pakistan
in a high-voltage super six encounter tomorrow at Old
Trafford in Manchester. |
Debate over Sachin’s batting order rages MANCHESTER, June 7 (PTI) — Tendulkar plays like god, said the former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe recently, but he didn’t add that the Indian batting maestro is treated like the almighty by some 500 million Indians. But it appears that even the God fails sometimes, judging by the poor run of scores by Tendulkar in the current World Cup, except for a solitary knock of 140 not out against lowly Kenya. What could be the reason for the master’s failures in the most prestigious tournament of the game? The death of his father after the tournament had begun would most certainly have affected him, but he showed enough character in knocking off a brilliant century against Kenya. However, otherwise Tendulkar has not been Tendulkar in the tournament. With scores of 28, 2, 20 and 0, apart from the knock against Kenya, Tendulkar averages only 12.50. He has failed both at number four and in the opening slot, adding to the confusion on the question about his batting slot. Admittedly, the ball swings in the English conditions, but a master player like Tendulkar should be able to cope with it. That is what separates the great players from nearly good players. Tendulkar was expectedly cautious making 28 as opener against the formidable South Africa, missed the Zimbabwe tie, and was imperious in flaying the hapless Kenyan attack under grief after returning from his father’s funeral hours earlier. This knock came as the star batsman went in at number four for the first time in almost five years and the move was hailed a tactical success. It also gave opener Saurav Ganguly and number three Rahul Dravid the additional psychological boost to play freely, resulting in brilliant centuries from the two batsmen. But surprisingly, Tendulkar himself looked totally out of sorts. Against Sri Lanka, he came into the slog overs after Ganguly and Dravid had decimated the attack and managed only two runs, bowled by the left-arm slow stuff from Sanath Jayasuriya. Against England too he looked completely subdued at number four and fell for 20, made in 42 balls, frustrated by the tight English seam attack before holing out to the deep. The debate over Tendulkar’s batting order raged before The Oval tie, overshadowing discussion on the desperate situation of the team itself squaring up against Australia. The master batsman’s duel with Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne never rose, as he was dismissed by the lanky paceman in the very first over without scoring. Tendulkar’s failures have only accentuated the inability of the Indians to come together as a team which has left their World Cup campaign flickering. He faces an acid test in the high-tension match against Pakistan here tomorrow, when he will renew his battle against pacemen Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and company. Akhtar got him first ball in the dramatic Asian Test tie in Calcutta in February when the two last met and Tendulkar will be keen to renew his duel against the Pakistanis, who would also be keyed up. Australian paceman Glen McGrath said he cherished taking Tendulkar’s wicket much more than that of West Indian star Brian Lara, just one indication of the esteem in which Tendulkar is held by his opponents. The popularity of Tendulkar, who pops out of the television screen scores of times every day selling soft drinks and credit cards, is so immense that nobody even talks about his batting failures, not even the hard-boiled media critics. For, India’s cricket crazy public would not even want to think that their icon is failing. Being a great batsman, Tendulkar will undoubtedly come good. There is no better occasion than the match against Pakistan tomorrow. Millions of Indians continue to treat Tendulkar as God, but when he walks out to the batting crease to face Shoaib and Wasim Akram, he would be conscious that the aspirations of a whole nation lie on his shoulders. And the people would not
like their God to fail. |
Azhar erred in opting to field: Waugh LONDON, June 7 (PTI) — Australian skipper Steve Waugh said his Indian counterpart Mohd Azharuddin blundered in opting to field in the crucial World Cup Super Six match between the two teams and also in sending Sachin Tendulkar as an opener. "I was pleased to see Tendulkar opening to take on McGrath and the new ball on a pitch that was always going to be difficult," Waugh wrote in The Times. "We took control of the match after 15 overs of our innings. It was an important toss to lose and I was surprised when Azhar asked us to bat," he said. Waugh said the fact that Australians had not lost a wicket after 15 overs psychologically affected the Indians. "You could see this in their body language as they desperately tried to take early wickets." The comfortable victory over India gave Australia the confidence that "our race to summit is on in earnest" he said, adding: "Our climb to the second stage has now begun with increased fervour and commitment, signalling prosperous times assuming we stay focussed and hungry." Waugh said the tussle with the "much heralded" Indian batting line-up turned up to be a one-sided affair after Glen McGrarth "stamped his authority and class with a decisive opening spell that ruthlessly disposed of Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid." "We felt if we
could take early wickets we could dominate the rest as we
did," the Aussie skipper wrote. "For us it was
a match in which we played our best cricket in the
tournament so far and one that has filled with a lot of
confidence for our future games." |
I can’t hang around, says Moin Khan MANCHESTER, June 7 (AFP) — Moin Khan has scored his World Cup runs faster than any other player in the tournament. The wicket-keeper-batsman is averaging more than 47 and set up Pakistan’s key first-round win over Australia. He has also taken 10 catches and two stumpings. Yet he has been totally overshadowed, first by his team-mates, then by his opponents. On Saturday, coming in at number seven, he scored 63 off 56 deliveries, yet found Lance Klusener stealing the limelight with 46 off 41 as South Africa snatched an unlikely victory. Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram, however, is well aware of Moin’s contribution. "I can only congratulate him," he said. "He is playing so well at the moment and having a big influence." Moin’s success in front of the stumps has been based not so much on weight of runs — he has scored 189 — as on speed. His most remarkable innings saw him swing two sixes off Australia’s Glenn McGrath on his way to 31 off 12 balls against Australia as Pakistan won by 10 runs at Headingley. His effort at Trent Bridge against South Africa was almost as explosive - Allan Donald, vying with McGrath for the mantle of the world’s best pace bowler, disappeared for two sixes and a string of boundaries. The 1999 World Cup has been seen as a bowlers’ tournament but Moin appears not to have heard. He said: "These wickets in England have been very good for batting. This World Cup has been quite good for me." The 27-year-old from Rawalpindi, in and out of the side since his 1991 debut, only made the World Cup squad after Rashid Latif lost both form and the captaincy last year. Several wicket-keeper-batsmen were expected to make a mark here, including Australia’s Adam Gilchrist, England’s Alec Stewart and South Africa’s Mark Boucher. Moin has emerged from the pack. He admits, however, that his batting is based more on instinct than science. Against Donald, he collected one ball outside the off stump and flat-batted it into the midwicket stands. He stepped inside another delivery and, using the momentum of the ball, flicked it high over fine leg into the Trent Bridge car park. "How many batsmen think of a particular stroke after the ball has been bowled by a fast bowler? I can’t," he said. "Many times it’s instinctive, I just have a feeling it will work. "I took my chances against Donald and it worked, but it won’t everytime. My game is based on attack." "I can’t hang
around without playing a shot." |
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LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) — Australian captain Steve Waugh is likely to be forced out of his side’s bowling attack for the rest of the World Cup through injury. Waugh took a useful two for eight from two overs at The Oval in Friday’s 77-run victory over India in the Super Six but aggravated a groin strain. Coach Geoff Marsh said: "Steve will probably ease off on the bowling. He’s such a competitor. He gets the ball in his hand and he’s got to be the best." "He gives it more than his body these days is telling him to. He got a spasm in there (his groin) against India, which was a warning sign." Waugh (34) said on Saturday: "The old body can’t take the bowling these days." Australia look to have settled on a line-up of four specialist bowlers — Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne — along with all-rounder Tom Moody. Reiffel was brought back into the side against India to replace all-rounder Brendon Julian and had figures of nought for 30 from 10 overs. Julian has struggled with the ball in winning sides in his two matches in the Cup, taking 0-44 from 10 overs against Bangladesh and 0-36 from seven against the West Indies. "Paul Reiffel bowled very well for us against India and we’ll take that into consideration," said Marsh, a selector on this tour along with Waugh and vice-captain Shane Warne. Moody has shone since being brought into the side against Bangladesh. He won ‘Man of the Match’ honours in that game with 3-25 from 10 overs and 56 off 29 balls. "Tom’s come back and bowled really well — He’s done a great job," Marsh said. Australia still need to
win on Wednesday at Lord’s against Zimbabwe and
against South Africa at Headingley next Sunday to be in
with a chance of making the semifinals. |
Orders to check tax returns of Lankans COLOMBO, June 7 (PTI) — Knives were out for the Sri Lankan cricketers after their inglorious exit from the World Cup with a newspaper report saying that the government had given fresh instructions to check the tax returns of the super stars. The weekend Sunday Times reported this in its business gossip column and said: "No one knows exactly where the orders come from, but everything appears to be related to the cool captain’s (Arjuna Ranatunga) fall from grace at the highest level." The paper said instructions have been given to check the tax returns of some of the players to ensure the state has not been cheated. "We love our heroes. But when we do not like them, we sure hate them, don’t we ?" the paper asked. There was no official confirmation yet on the veracity of the report, but the Sri Lankan media and the cricket-crazy public have given a cold reception to the team members on their arrival from England where they were eliminated in the preliminary stage. The Sunday Times carried a large picture of an angry Sanath Jayasuriya passing through a row of policemen at the airport with a caption "zero welcome for hero". Other newspapers carried pictures of a tired-looking Ranatunga wiping his face after his team’s massive defeat to India at Taunton. Ranatunga has refused to
relinquish captaincy despite a media outcry, saying he
still had a few years of cricket left in him. |
Cricket in Zimbabwe looking up: Houghton LEEDS, June 7 (AP) — Cricket in Zimbabwe remains an expensive sport for most people, hampering efforts to make the game popular, coach Dave Houghton said yesterday, adding that things may change after his team’s good run in the World Cup. There’s an unbounding enthusiasm for cricket, Houghton said. "The difficult part is to provide facilities as cricket remains a very, very expensive sport." "Almost all the equipment in Zimbabwe is imported but the Zimbabwe Cricket Union is now looking at producing some at home to reduce costs and making it available to young players," said the former Zimbabwean captain, who will turn 42 in a fortnight. The lack of facilities has meant that Zimbabwe has only two teams from Matabeleland and Mashonaland provinces in the domestic first-class competition and a pool of only 35 top-grade cricketers from which to choose national players. Houghton said the Zimbabwe Cricket Union also is making efforts to provide a career-structure for selected youths but efforts to expand domestic first-class cricket to four teams by including Midlands and Manicaland provinces is expected to take three more years. "Cricket in Zimbabwe is looking up ... It’s moving one way, but the expansion is still taking a lot of time,’’ Houghton said. "Once we have more provinces playing first-class cricket, there will be no looking back." He said the good run in the World Cup will evoke more interest. "People usually back any team that performs well," said Houghton who was Zimbabwe’s most successful cricketer despite being denied Test place until the age of 35. When he left international cricket at the age of 40, Houghton was the oldest player on the circuit and was still the most dependable batsman in the squad. "With good results being produced by the cricket squad, the nation has come to back us," he said. "The World Cup will bring more support for cricket in Zimbabwe. This is the first time Zimbabwe has progressed to the second round of a World Cup tournament and has a good chance of making it to the semifinal. Houghton said he was looking at the Super Six league as an opportunity to beat some leading cricket-playing nations. "That’s our main aim. A semifinal place will be an icing on the cake," he said. "We’re well perched for a place in the semifinals but I’ve told the boys to go out and win a Super Six league match." I’m sure there
won’t be much work done in offices back home on the
days Zimbabwe plays its Super Six matches,’’ he
said. |
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MANCHESTER, June 7 (PTI) — India had a major injury scare ahead of their cricket World Cup Super Six clash with Pakistan at Old Trafford tomorrow, after opener Saurav Ganguly twisted his left knee while bowling at the nets yesterday. However, coach Anshuman Gaekwad and manager Brijesh Patel said he had not suffered any major injury and was expected to play tomorrow. Precautionary x-rays were taken which revealed no serious damage, but the player was experiencing some pain. Ganguly, who smashed 183 against Sri Lanka and has the second best aggregate of 350 runs in the tournament behind only Rahul Dravid (371), will be vital to India’s hopes as he has come on well as the fifth bowler. Meanwhile, heavy rain in the city and surroundings ruled out nets for the Indian team. Pakistan, who lost to South Africa on Saturday, have not held any nets for the past two days. Rain delayed resumption
of play on the second day of the World Cup Super Six
match between New Zealand and Zimbabwe at Headingley
today. New Zealand need 106 to win with seven wickets in
hand. The match was carried over from yesterday after two
lengthy interruptions for rain. |
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PARIS, June 7 (AFP) — Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, after their historic Grand Slam title win at French Open yesterday said their immediate aim would be to win as many "Slams" and end the year as number one in the world. The Indian pair defeated Goran Ivanisevic (Croatia) and Jeff Tarango (USA) 6-2, 7-5 to clinch the men's doubles title, first by an Indian pair together. "All the hard work paid off, the belief we had in each other," said Paes. "It's not just 2-3 weeks of work, it's 3-4 years. We had a very tough match in Australia in the final, that match really egged us on." It was a dream birthday present for Bhupathi, who turns 25 today. Paes also has a birthday coming up — he will be 26 on June 17. Bhupathi said they were both determined to go one better than their Australian loss to Pat Rafter and Jonas Bjorkman and make India proud of them. "I saw a picture of both of us in the paper next day in India and it was pretty depressing. To come out with this title is very heartening for us," Bhupathi said. Both men said they took their inspiration from legendary Australian doubles pair Todd Woodridge and Mark Woodford. "We've learned from the way they dominated doubles. That's what we hope to do — win as many tournaments and Grand Slams as we can," said Paes. Chennai born Bhupathi and Paes, who hails from Calcutta, won six ATP Tour doubles titles together last year, but had just one title with this year — at Gold Flake Open in Chennai before yesterday's win. "I'm still in shock," said Bhupathi after their win. Paes said: "I think it's fantastic — tennis is the number two sport after cricket in India. It's a special moment for us — it gives us great pride giving our country things to be happy about." Paes said the news of their win had brought an immediate flood of calls to the locker room from well-wishers. "The phone hasn't stopped ringing. It's just non-stop," he said. Asked if they might force World Cup cricket off the back page of Indian newspapers after their moment of glory Paes said that was highly unlikely. "We might get a
small headline — if we're lucky," he said. |
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DUBLIN (Ohio), June 7 (AFP) — Tiger Woods established himself as the man to beat in two weeks at the US Open, capturing his second title in as many tries by outlasting a reigning major champion down the stretch. Woods outdueled PGA Championship winner Vijay Singh of Fiji here yesterday, capturing the $ 2.55 million (about Rs 10.72 crore) memorial with a three-under par 69 final round and an impressive par-saving chip. "I was in match-play mode most of the time, especially on the back nine when it was basically Vijay and me," Woods said. "The great thing is my game is coming around. I’m learning how to play the game of golf. I’m learning from trial and error." Woods finished at 15-under par 273, two strokes ahead of Singh, the 1997 winner here. He also fired a 69 but could not close his deficit to Woods over the final five holes. "It was tough trying to catch him," Vijay Singh said. "He had control of the shots all the time and his putter was working." When long drives led to inaccurate results, Woods relied upon his short irons and wedges to win. Woods played the par-five holes here at 11-under par. "Everybody has a different way of playing, but I’ve never seen it played like this," said Jack Nicklaus, who designed the course here. "His short game was amazing." The 23-year-old American star began tuning his game for the Open at the Deutsche Open in Germany two weeks ago. "I’ve always loved the short game shots — chipping, putting, scrambling," Woods said. "It’s the way I grew up. I was so wild I always played like that and I loved the challenge of it." Woods won $ 459,000 to move into second place on the PGA money list with $ 1,899,198 million nearly one million less than David Duval, who shared third at 279 with Paraguay’s Carlos Franco and American Olin Browne. A key moment came at the 14th hole, when Woods sent his approach over the green and Vijay Singh, trailing by a shot, found a front bunker guarding the green. After Vijay Singh’s third shot kicked off the green and rolled across to the fringe, Woods courted disaster by mis-hitting a flop shot that went barely five feet. Still away, Woods chipped his fourth shot and watched it curl into the cup, sparking one of Woods’ famed pumps of the right arm as the gallery cheered. "It was sitting perfect after I completely flubbed the first one," he said. "It came off perfect." Vijay Singh could not match Woods’ success, settling for a tap-in bogey that left him two shots off the pace to stay. "The 14th hole was the hardest thing," Vijay Singh said. "I thought we’d both bogey. He did what he had to do." Woods’ lone failure to save par came after a long bunker shot at the final hole, but Vijay Singh also bogeyed. "I played the way I
wanted to, really good," Vijay Singh said. "If
I had putted half-decent it would have been a different
story." |
Laad upsets Ghouse, enters 2nd round NEW DELHI, June 7 (PTI) — Promising Vijayendra Laad scored a come-from-behind win to upset Mustafa Ghouse in three sets while the Kirtane cousins also joined him in the second round of the ITF Men’s Satellite Masters Tennis Tournament here today. Laad, who lost to better rated Ghouse in the Bangalore leg, avenged his defeat after Ghouse had dominated the first set on the opening day of the Masters here. Laad prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in over two hours to set up second round clash with eighth seed Shivshankar Kambargimath. National hardcourt champion Nitin Kirtane fought mild chest pain and scorching heat to down volatile Rohan Bopanna 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Bopanna was clearly upset by some debatable line calls and argued furiously with the chair umpire but escaped warning and Nitin kept his cool despite interruptions. Nitin runs into American Mihn Le, the seventh seed, in the second round and should he progress further, Nitin will have possible a quarterfinal match with top seed Prahlad Srinath. On the side court, Sandeep Kirtane scripted the easiest win of the day — a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Ravi Kiran Bhat. In the second round, Sandeep faces Srinath, who along with eight seeds received first round byes in the 32-player draw. Two Australian players — Ashley Ford and Steven Bourke — provided the best tennis action of the day battling in energy-sapping conditions for over three hours with Ford eventually emerging winner with a 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) verdict. Ford and Bourke contested the first set fiercely and after holding their own serves to take the set into tie-breaker, Bourke clinched it with a narrow 8-6 win. Ford, who has failed to impress in the three legs collecting just five points, raised his game fighting intense heat and heavy balls to win the second set 6-3. In the decider, both battled till the end before Ford smashed a winner for 10-8 score in the tie-break. The Australian meets third seeded Indian Syed Fazaluddin here tomorrow. In other first round action, Vishal Uppal edged past Shailesh Dhoble 7-5, 6-1 while former national hardcourt champion Vasudeva Reddy defeated volatile Andrei Youznyi of Russia 6-3, 6-4. Uppal runs into fourth seed Harsh Mankad and Reddy faces Vinod Sridhar, the fifth seed. Youznyi earned ire of the tournament referee Hany el-Khafief when he argued over the conditions of the balls. A ball burst while in play and Reddy called for re-play of the point, which Youznyi objected to. While Reddy dispatched off Youznyi, another Russian Dimitri Mazur quelled a spirited challenge of Manoj Mahadevan to win 6-4, 5-7, 6-0. Mahadevan, after losing the first set, made amends to his game hitting some good passing winners to win the second set 7-5 but the heat and Mazur’s tenacity caught up with the Indian as he was blanked in the decider. Mazur meets Uzbek Anton Kokurin in the second round. Top junior Vijay Kannan
wasted three matchpoints in the second set against Anand
Radhakrishnan before winning 6-3, 6-7, (8/10), 6-1 to set
up last 16 tie against the dangerous third seed Artem
Derepasko of Russia. |
Agassi joins most exclusive club PARIS, June 7 (Reuters) — After a small handshake and a big hug from Rod Laver, Andre Agassi was handed the key to the most exclusive club in tennis yesterday. With his gritty 1-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 comeback victory over determined Andrei Medvedev, Agassi claimed the French Open title, completing his collection of Grand Slam event victories and achieving one of the toughest feats in sport. The 29-year-old American’s victory unlocked the door to a fraternity that includes just five players and had not welcomed a new member in more than 30 years. Balding and dressed in traditional tennis whites, Agassi yesterday looked much more like a person ready to join one of the world’s most prestigious clubs than the renegade teenager with scraggly bleach blond hair and garish attire, who failed twice in French finals in 1990 and 1991. Agassi, who won Wimbledon in 1992, the US Open in 1994 and the Australian in 1995, joins Fred Perry, Don Budge, Roy Emerson and Laver as the only men to pull off one of sport’s more difficult feats. But even among the other tennis immortals, Agassi’s accomplishment holds special distinction as the first player to win on four different surfaces. "To be assigned a place among the game’s greatest players is an honour I get to live with the rest of my life," said Agassi. "It’s not possible to explain what was going through my mind." Agassi said: "The accomplishment of winning every Slam speaks for itself, then there’s the importance of accomplishing it on clay. "There I was being ranked 140 a couple of years ago and people believing that if I just tried hard enough some good things were still waiting for me.... There are so many reasons I have to be overwhelmed at this particular moment." Medvedev, who also made a bit of Grand Slam history by becoming the lowest ranked player at number 100 to reach the French final, says Agassi can now make the argument that he, and not Pete Sampras, is the greatest player of his generation. Certainly Agassi could present a strong case. For many of his contemporaries, including Sampras, considered by many to be the greatest player ever to pick up a racket, the French Open remains an obsession. Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg recently retired without realising their Grand Slam dreams because of their failure to come to grips with the Paris clay. Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Guillermo Vilas, Arthur Ashe, Mats Wilander, John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall, tennis legends all, finished their remarkable careers without winning all four Grand Slam tournaments. "He has a right to say now that he’s a greater player than let’s say, Pete by winning all four Grand Slams," said Medvedev. "It’s an argument that he can make." Agassi’s place among the tennis legends is even more remarkable considering that just two years ago he looked more at home among the game’s has-beens. Agassi’s ranking having slumped to 141 the Las Vegas showman was reduced to playing in challenger tournaments as he began the long road back. "I had other things going on in my life that were very important to me," said the former world number one. "I wasn’t putting the same intensity, focus or work into my tennis. It’s not something I’m proud of. "It got to a point where I was just embarrassed to be on the court. It got to the point where — was I going to get back and continue to play or was I going to stop?" Last season, a rejuvenated Agassi disproved his many doubters, making the biggest one season jump in the history of the ATP Tour rankings, going from 121 back into the top 10. Battered physically and emotionally, Agassi’s presence at Roland Garros was in doubt right up to the opening day. Just weeks earlier, the 13th seed was forced to pull out of the Monte Carlo Open with a nagging shoulder injury. But Agassi’s recent split with movie star Brooke Shields which ended in him filing for divorce in April, also seems to have unburdened the American, allowing him to focus all his energy on his career. "He put a lot of ghosts to rest today," said Agassi’s long-time coach and friend Brad Gilbert. "A lot of people said Andre can’t win from two sets down, he can’t win the big one, he can’t win a five-set match, he can’t win on clay. "There were a lot of demons put to rest. I think sometimes when things are down you need tennis more than you think you do. Tennis was there for him.... Sometimes when everything is right you don’t want it as much. Then sometimes when you’re down you need it more." "Only 5 WI players played well" KINGSTON, St Vincent, June 7 (Reuters) — Only five members of West Indies’ World Cup squad lived up to expectations, a leading official said. Mike Findlay, chairman of West Indies’ selection panel, yesterday said he was disappointed with the performance of the team, except for wicketkeeper batsman Ridley Jacobs and fast bowlers Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Reon King and Mervyn Dillon. "None of the other players really lived up to expectations," he said. West Indies failed to qualify for the second round of the tournament after losing to Australia in their final group game. Findlay said he was keen to see team manager Clive Lloyd’s report to find out what went wrong. "I am still to hear
from the management the reasons for the poor
performance," Findlay said, adding that it was clear
there was a need for more quality, all-round players for
the limited overs game. |
Hockey team leaves for Germany NEW DELHI, June 7 (PTI) — An 18-member Indian hockey team left for Germany late last night to embark on its twin four-Test series on the continent starting tomorrow. The team led by Mohammad Riaz will play a four-Test series against Germany from tomorrow to June 13 and against Belgium from June 15 to 20, according to information received from Indian Hockey Federation. The Indian team which faced reverses against Pakistan in the eight-match Test series after the stupendous gold medal winning performance in the Bangkok Asian Games, will have a chance to get into winning ways in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. India will play Germany in Frankfurt (June 8), Bad Kreuzoach (June 10), Mayen (June 12), Mainz (June 13). They then travel to Brussels for the next part of the tour against Belgium with matches scheduled on June 15, June 17, June 19 and June 20. The series will be played on a water based field. Team: Mohammed Riaz (captain), Edward Aloysius, B.C. Poonacha, Dilip Tirkey, Dinesh Naik, Anurag Raghuvanshi, Baljit Singh Saini, S.S. Gill, Thirumal Valavan, Ramandeep Singh, Navsher Singh, Bimal Lakra, Kamal Horo, Gagan Ajit Singh, Deepak Sonkhla, Sameer Dad, Baljeet Singh Dhillon, Daljeet Singh Dhillon. Officials: Harcharan
Singh (coach), C.R. Kumar, M.R. Negi, both assistant
coaches, Shivcharan Singh (doctor), G.A. Siddique
(manager), J.N. Tyagi (head of delegation). |
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