Tuesday, June 15, 1999
today's calendar
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S P O R T | Tuesday, June 15, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Great
individuals, poor team Dravid,
Srinath lead averages Youhanna
ruled out Shane
Warne(d) of hasty decision Defiant
Waugh slams critics
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Sampras
prevails over Henman, lifts title Ashok
emerges champ in golf
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Support to Azhar ‘baffling’ MUMBAI, June 14 (PTI) — Skipper Mohammad Azharuddin seems to mock at the adage uneasy lies the head that wears a crown consistently over the years. Despite a spate of reversals and public outcry over his insipid way of leading the team, combined with woeful personal batting touch, the Indian captain surprisingly still has quite a few influential backers in the Indian cricket board. Azhar once again failed to lead from the front, this time in the all-important World Cup, and the team crashed out of the mega event by not even qualifying for the semi-finals to the dismay of the millions of fans at home and elsewhere. Team coach Anshuman Gaekwad has blamed all and sundry, including the format of the tournament, for the squad's dismal show but has kept mum on the captain's own poor form and lack of runs which was one of the major reasons for the campaign to have come to an end prematurely. Azhar also seems to have
the unstinted support of board chief Raj Singh Dungarpur
whose statement Dungarpur's faith in the leadership qualities of Azhar seems to be at total variance with the public disillusionment with his style of captaincy. A look at Steve Waugh's performance yesterday against South Africa when he brilliantly led the Aussies' fightback from a hopeless situation to pilot his team into the semi-finals at Headingley shows what the Indian team lacked. Contrast Waugh's display with that of Azhar and the difference is palpable. Azhar had a lone half century effort, against arch-rivals Pakistan, to show for all his talent and looked so bereft of confidence that he sent deputy Ajay Jadeja at his favourite number four spot in the last two matches. Azhar's poor run with the bat has continued for quite some time now, ever since Pakistan's tour to India. At 36 his reflexes are not what they used to be and he has become more a slogger than the polished wristy magician he was in his prime. Gone are the silken smooth drives and deft flicks to the legside to balls pitched well outside the off-stump. What is seen more often now is only a caricature of the erstwhile touch-artist supreme. Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi is among those who feel it is the end of the road for Azhar even as a batsman. "Well, it seems it is the end of the road for Azhar even if he believes there is still some cricket left in him. Maybe for his personal benefit. But surely, not for the Indian cause", were Bedi's caustic comments in his column in a newspaper yesterday. The first question the national cricket selectors would address themselves when they meet next to choose the captain for the August 22-31 tri-series in Sri Lanka is whether Azhar is still an automatic choice in the team before deciding whether to repose faith in him or not. Their response to the
query would decide Azhar's fate. |
Kiwis closing in on World Cup dream LONDON, June 14 (UNI) — Coach Steve Rixon is closing in on a dream which has been three years in the making, after guiding a New Zealand side, accused of lacking stars and character, to the brink of a World Cup success. While other teams have star appeal, New Zealand have quietly but efficiently progressed to the semifinals where they take on Pakistan on June 16. They have disturbed the organisers’ hopes of a last four comprising the major sides of world cricket. But as the Australian-born Rixon begins preparations for a week which could result in the greatest triumph for New Zealand in cricket history, he is anxious to refute the suggestion that their progress has been achieved through boring and uninspiring cricket. They may not have an explosive batsman capable of changing the course of a match in just a few overs, while few of their bowlers are likely to excite supporters to the same degree as Shoaib Akhtar, Glenn McGrath or Allan Donald, yet there is a growing evidence to suggest New Zealand’s band of relative unknowns are improving fast with Geoff Allott currently the leading wicket-taker in the Cup with 20 victims while Adam Parore’s explosive 26 off 14 balls clinched the five wicket victory over India. "No body really rated us in the early stages and that suited us fine, we weren’t really bothered about a huge amount of Press and people putting extra pressure on us," admitted Rixon. Rixon said: "All the comments that were made about us were fairly bland and they were obviously from people who really haven’t been watching New Zealand recently because if anything we err on recklessness and not boring cricket". The coach, who forged his reputation at New South Wales where he guided them to three Sheffield Shield titles and three one-day trophies in five years after they had suffered seven years without any success, believes New Zealand’s lower order in particular is the envy of other sides in the tournament. "We have the likes of Nathan Astle at the top of the order and Gavin Larsen and Chris Harris, who all have a role to play. It’s vital role and I’d be very surprised if a few sides wouldn’t trade a few of our guys for that middle area", he said. "We have worked for three hard years, getting an attitude together with these guys and basically everyone understands the team needs must come first and then the individual needs follow it." "It is something which has moulded this side together and they are very comfortable with the environment we have built and that is showing in our performances out in the field." "We began planning for this tournament months ago and now we are in a situation where the final goal is to lift the world cup and return to New Zealand", he added. One of the key figures in their preparation has been former Warwickshire batsman Roger Twose, whose unbeaten 60 off 77 balls earned him the man-of-the-match award against India. Twose, who quit Edgbaston in 1995 having won six trophies in the previous three seasons, currently lies fourth in the World Cup averages with an impressive 70.66 having utilised all his experience of one-day cricket gained with Warwickshire. "Roger has been such a fantastic asset for us," Rixon said. "He has helped to hold our batting together on many occasions and I am sure his experience of batting over here has helped — he is so much in control of his game. He is a very confident player and every time he goes out to the crease he thinks he will score runs, which is a huge bonus for us and rubs off on the other players." "When we first brought him back to New Zealand he was probably looking for a spot between one and five, but it would be silly to move our batting order around because Roger is such a good finisher of an innings".
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Dravid, Srinath lead averages LONDON, June 14 (PTI) — Rahul Dravid, who smashed two hundreds and three fifties to amass 461 runs in eight innings lead the Indian batting honours at the World Cup. The 25-year-old, who struck an unbeaten 104 in a grand 237-run unfinished third wicket stand with master batsman Sachin Tendulkar against Kenya, finished with an excellent average of 65.85 after completing a grand transformation into a complete one-day batsman. Dravid and Tendulkar hoisted the best World Cup stand for any wicket in that run-plunder against Kenya, subsequently obliterated by the massive 318-run second wicket stand between Sourav Ganguly and Dravid against Sri Lanka. Left-hander Ganguly finished second to Dravid, amassing 379 runs from seven innings for an average of 54.14. Ganguly decimated the Lankan attacked in piling up the second highest World Cup knock of 183, which was the fourth best one-day knock as well a new Indian record, bettering Kapil Dev’s 175 not out against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. Vice-captain Ajay Jadeja aggregated 272, with a century and half-century, while Sachin Tendulkar had a surprisingly subdued tournament. The star batsman who hit 140 not out against Kenya returning a day after his father’s funeral, managed only 253 from seven innings for an average of 36.14, his second highest score was 45 made against Pakistan. Tendulkar crossed two personal milestones however during his innings of 45 against Pakistan, completing 8000 one-day runs as well as 1000 runs in World Cups. The 26-year-old finished his third World Cup with 1057 runs, second behind Pakistani Javed Miandad’s record of 1083. Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin became the first player to cross 9000 runs during the World Cup. He already holds the record for playing the most number of one-day ties. Pace spearhead Javagal Srinath was the most successful Indian bowler, claiming 12 wickets for an average of 26.00 with a best effort of three for 37 against Pakistan. Debashish Mohanty, the 24-year-old Orissa swing bowler proved the surprise packet, capturing a second highest effort of 10 wickets for 26.00 from six matches. Mohanty was included for the erratic Ajit Agarkar from the third match and kept up an impressive show after starting with a haul of four for 56 against Kenya. Seasoned paceman Venkatesh Prasad, who was the bowling hero in India’s 47-run victory over Pakistan in the Super Six by claiming five for 27, emerged the third most successful with nine wickets. All-rounder Robin Singh
came up with the other five wicket haul, claiming five
for 31 in India’s massive win over Sri Lanka. |
Great individuals, poor team CHANDIGARH, June 14 — Now that India have finally ended their campaign in the last World Cup of the current millennium, the authorities who control the game in the country — the Board of Control for Cricket in India — will have to answer a lot of questions, the foremost being: why should captain Mohammad Azharuddin be allowed to continue to lead the squad ? The President of the board, Mr Raj Singh Dungarpur, came to Azharuddin’s aid immediately after India bowed out of the tournament by saying that the Indian captain has always been an introvert and that this should not go against him. But in making such a statement Mr Dungarpur has missed the vital issue. The sacking of Azharuddin is being sought not because he is an introvert but because he failed, both as a cricketer as well as a leader of men, in the World Cup. His string of poor scores, barring of course his half century, 59 to be precise, against Pakistan, as well as his lacklustre leadership is the reason why pressure is mounting on him to quit the top job. The only time he was actually leading was in the match against England when India were in a "must win" situation. But in the very next match he was back to his old self allowing the game to drift along. One is willing to give the Indian skipper some more time to regain his wanton touch but it is his leadership which has come in for sharp criticism. Although the Indian team could not reach the semifinals of the World Cup it did manage to create a string of records, giving credence to the fact that the national squad is a group of highly individualistic and class players who unfortunately could not work together as a team. For the record books Rahul Dravid scored a maximum of 461 runs and placed himself fourth among all batsmen with maximum runs in a single World Cup. Only Sachin Tendulkar (523 runs in the 1996 edition), Australian Mark Waugh (484 runs in 1996) and England’s Graham Gooch (471 runs in 1987) have scored more runs than Rahul Dravid in a single World Cup. And this high aggregate has come from a player who was all but written off by the national selectors of "not having one-day temperament." A maximum of five centuries were scored by Indian batsmen in the World Cup, including two by Rahul Dravid (104 not out against Kenya and 145 against Sri Lanka) and one each by Sachin Tendulkar (140 not out against Kenya), Saurav Ganguly (183 not out against Sri Lanka) and Ajay Jadeja (100 not out against Australia). Not only this. Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly shared a partnership of 318 for the second wicket against Sri Lanka in the group league matches — an all-time record. In fact one-day cricket saw its first triple century stand in this partnership. The way batsmen like Saurav Ganguly, who while scoring 183 overhauled India’s best World Cup individual score of 175 not out by Kapil Dev way back in 1983, and Rahul Dravid batted throughout the tournament it is a pity that India could win only four of the eight matches it played in the World Cup. But what is more galling is the fact that India lost to teams like Zimbabwe and New Zealand whose talent bank is far less than India’s. From the Indian team’s point of view Sachin Tendulkar could not attain the high standards he himself has set . May be, the death of his father (for which he was forced to miss the match against Zimbabwe) did not allow him to get back into the correct frame of mind although his knock against Kenya immediately after his return from India after performing the last rites of his father had class written all over. But more than the batsmen it were the bowlers who let India down on more than one occasion. The Indian bowlers did bowl well in patches, like say Venkatesh Prasad, who grabbed five for 27 against Pakistan, or Debashis Mohanty, who had a haul of 10 wickets in six matches and of course Srinath who was the highest wicket-taker from India with 12 scalps under his belt, but overall the Indian bowlers could not adjust themselves to English conditions. The fact that the Indians bowled so many wides and no balls in every match is a clear indication of the fact that though they landed in England with enough time to get acclimatised to the conditions they failed to do so. Like bowling the Indian
fielding also left much to be desired . And with the
bowling and fielding going to pieces the pressure was
always on the batsmen and whenever they failed, India
failed. |
Robin, Srinath deny receiving instructions LONDON, June 14 (PTI) — All-rounder Robin Singh and Javagal Srinath, the two who were out in the dramatic penultimate over sent down by paceman Henry Olonga in India's three-run defeat to Zimbabwe in the World Cup today denied they received any instruction to complete the run chase in the 45th over itself. Expressing surprise at the controversy raised after former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar's remarks live of TV saying the person responsible for giving such an instruction should be taken to task, Robin Singh when contacted by PTI said there were no instructions from the dressing room that the game should be completed in the penultimate over itself. "I was given no such instructions," he said. Robin Singh and Srinath came to the crease with India 219-7 and added 27 runs for the eighth wicket and it seemed India were on course for victory before Olonga scalped three wickets in the 45th over to end the Indian innings short. Srinath, who was bowled second ball after Robin Singh was out, said: "There was no question of any instructions from the dressing room. We battled as we saw it fit at that juncture," he said. Robin Singh said he had
no idea of what transpired between Sunil Gavaskar and Raj
Singh Dungarpur after the former India captain demanded
an inquiry into the whole affair. |
India paid price for
inconsistency LONDON, June 14 — "When the chips were down, we were really inconsistent," skipper Mohd Azharuddin stated the obvious after India’s World Cup campaign ended with a whimper, the unpredictable team knocked out ahead of the semifinals. Promising the sky as the team began its campaign amid much hype and hoopla, the Indians never got their act together, barring flashes of top order brilliance from the trio of Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. An average bowling effort despite ideal conditions, pathetic fielding, a non-existent tail and the absence of fighting spirit, not to mention poor leadership and rank bad decisions at crucial moments completed India’s misery at the mega event. India’s campaign suffered a serious setback the moment they threw away their league tie against Zimbabwe by three runs to eventually reach the super six with no points. Azhar then made the ill-advised move to invite Australia to bat in the first Super Six tie at the Oval which India had to win to stay in the reckoning, and a total mess up in the match left their campaign in a shambles. The lone spark that ignited the millions of Indian fans was the superb 47-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, but that only kept their diminishing hopes alive for a while, till Zimbabwe went down to Pakistan as expected. The only area in which the Indians revealed their class was the batting of Rahul Dravid — his aggregate of 461 runs with two centuries remains the highest in the tournament — Saurav Ganguly (aggregate 379) and Sachin Tendulkar (253), but it failed and undid the team against Zimbabwe and Australia. The seventh World Cup fully favoured the consistent teams and India finally had to pay the penalty for their wild swings in form and performance, dashing hopes of their repeating the high of 1983 when Kapil Dev and his men accomplished the unexpected. India scored five of the 10 centuries scored till the end of the Super Six stage, but Azharuddin was a liability as a batting failure, barring his 59 against Pakistan, and a leader with his remarks time to time only adding to the gloom. But bowling proved India’s biggest letdown with not a single bowler figuring in the top 10 reflecting it. Pace spearhead Javagal Srinath claimed 12 wickets, but he cracked whenever under pressure despite entering the World Cup with 160 one-dayers and 220 wickets to his credit. Both against South Africa and New Zealand, not to speak of Australia, Srinath frittered away chances with poor length and lack of imagination in his attack. The only match in which the Indian bowling came on top was against Pakistan, when Venkatesh Prasad came up with a five wicket haul. Leg spinner Anil Kumble also completed a forgettable World Cup though he had his moments. The early English summer was never expected to help spinners anyway, but the seam bowling department and inadequate fifth bowlers compounded India’s problems. Only unheralded Debashish Mohanty, who replaced an erratic Ajit Agarkar from the third tie, made his mark as he used the conditions well to finish with 10 wickets for an average of 26.00. Ganguly and Robin Singh largely shouldered the job of the fifth bowler, but they struggled to keep the runs down. Professional sides like South Africa and Australia cashed in fully on India’s inadequacy and pushed them on the defensive. Another major factor where India stood thoroughly exposed was lack of fitness, and the World Cup failure has already seen Aussie physical trainer Andrew Kokinos being shown the door. Against the ever-consistent fielding of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and even Zimbabwe, Indian efforts in the field are an apology. India’s running between the wickets was also poor, barring the likes of Jadeja and Robin Singh. Both Azharuddin and coach Anshuman Gaekwad had no excuses to offer, though the usual reasoning of player fatigue, too much pressure of expectation, poor format and awarding of points were all expectedly trouted out. Amidst individual performances, none marked a total transformation more than Rahul Dravid, once considered not good enough for one-dayers, the 25-year-old showed the virtues of technique in cracking two centuries and three fifties in the most consistent effort from an Indian. Dravid and Ganguly, who made their mark in India’s 1996 tour of England, renewed their association with the conditions which had perfectly suited their style of play. Ganguly, who surpassed Kapil Dev’s Indian record of 175 not out with a majestic 183 for the second highest World Cup score in decimating Sri Lanka, was part of one of the few great moments for India in the World Cup. His 318-run second wicket stand with Dravid against Sri Lanka was the world one-day record for any wicket. This erased the World Cup record for any wicket, an unfinished 237-run association between Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar against Kenya. Tendulkar, however, was a failure by his own lofty standards. He smashed 140 not out against Kenya, grieving the death of his father, but failed to make even a fifty in any of the other innings to end a quiet World Cup. Jadeja, on the other hand, showed his value as a one-day cricketer. His unbeaten 100 against Australia was in a losing cause, but he played a few other fine knocks to accelerate the scoring in the slog overs. India wound up their
World Cup campaign in controversy after former skipper
Sunil Gavaskar attributed motives behind the way India
lost three wickets in the penultimate over to lose to
Zimbabwe. — PTI |
Focus on Waugh’s ton, Gibbs’ blunder LONDON, June 14 (AFP) — Steve Waugh's match-winning century and Herschelle Gibbs match-losing blunder during Australia"s momentous World Cup victory over South Africa shared the headlines here today. Most British newspapers focussed equally on Waugh's 120 not out and Gibbs missed catch at Headingley yesterday. Second coming for hero Waugh,"said The Mirror, while The Sun's headlines read: "Ton-wizard Waugh a drop of brilliance." Gibbs, who earlier made a century himself, put down an absolute sitter off Waugh at short mid-wicket after the Australian had made 56. He dropped the ball only because he tried to throw it up in the air too quickly in celebration. Waugh took full advantage of the slip as Australia won by five wickets, with two balls to spare. Had Australia lost the game, they would not have made the last four. The result, crucially, also meant that South Africa were condemned to play the Australians again in the semifinals on Thursday, rather than taking on the less daunting Zimbabweans. The Guardian said: "... Herchelle Gibbs dropped catch at Headingley will haunt him for the rest of his days... it will certainly keep him awake at nights until vengeance is possible." "He obviously decided to consider the manner of the celebrations and self-acclaim that might ice the cake before he had actually pouched the leather." The Daily Mail, under the headline "Aussies go through thanks to Waugh and a drop of brilliance", said of Waugh: "His superbly-judged, 110-ball innings ... will go down as one of the great tours de force of this or any World Cup and the premature celebration of his would-be captor Herschelle Gibbs one of its great gaffes." The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, said Waugh played his innings "with such staggering conviction and to such effect that he may have even eclipsed any other of his own remarkable achievements." "It was an innings that few cricketers could possibly have played. It may well now lead to Waugh's beloved country winning the World Cup." It added: "Gibbs
memory from the match should have been his impressive
hundred. Instead, it will forever be of this ghastly
mistake." |
Youhanna ruled out OLD TRAFFORD, June 14 (AFP) — Pakistan's in-form batsman Yousuf Youhanna has been ruled out of the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday with a hamstring injury. The 24 year-old, who has averaged 53.66 in four matches, batted in the nets today but coach Mushtaq Mohammad said he was unlikely to be risked. "I feel we can manage with the same combination that beat Zimbabwe last week," Mushtaq said, "But we may have to play him if we reach the final." Mushtaq hinted that Youhanna might have been asked to play if Pakistan had faced South Africa or Australia, rather than the New Zealanders. "I don't want to sound complacent, but it is obvious to everyone we have an easier game than the other one, "he said. "Youhanna was in great touch before the injury, he now has time to recover for the final." Mushtaq, however, confirmed that three other players on the injured list, Ijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan and Inzamam-ul Haq, had recovered.
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Shane Warne(d) of hasty decision LEEDS, June 14 (Reuters) — Australian paceman Glenn McGrath has urged leg spinner Shane Warne not to make any rash decisions on his international future after the World Cup. Warne, dropped for the final Test of the recent series in the Caribbean, looked innocuous in Australia’s first two games of the Super Six round and on Wednesday was treated with something approaching disdain by Zimbabwe opener Neil Johnson. While captain Steve Waugh has said there was nothing significantly wrong with his leg spinner, McGrath said Warne would "take some time to consider his future in the international game" once the cup ended. "I certainly hope he does not make any rash decisions as, I can assure you, he has the full backing of his team mates," McGrath wrote in The Mail on Sunday newspaper. "From a professional and personal perspective I will be disappointed if Shane decides to retire. He has been a great part of Australia’s success over the years. "...We have bowled a lot in tandem over the years and I’m certain that we have helped each other to be successful." Warne, who regained his place in the Australian international set-up after major shoulder surgery last year, said in his own column in The Times on Saturday that he planned to keep playing. "Even between 1992
and 1996, my golden years, I copped the odd (bad) time in
one-day cricket. I know there are more golden years
ahead," he wrote. |
Defiant Waugh slams critics HEADINGLEY, June 14 (AFP) — Defiant Australian skipper Steve Waugh, fresh from leading his side into the cricket World Cup semifinals here yesterday, slammed critics for writing off his his team too soon. "We kept out heads," he said, after scoring a match-winning unbeaten 120 as Australian claimed the tournament’s last semifinals slot with a five-wicket win over South Africa. He said his team, who would have been out of the tournament had they lost, intended to mark their win with a party but warned: "This win does not count for too much." "We had a big win in the semifinals of the last World Cup but lost the final. So we are not going overboard." "Next game you lose you are out, so this one really does not count. But psychologically it is very good for us." "We can chase any target. We chased 316 against Pakistan last year and we can do it again." "Sometimes teams get written off too early, sometimes took much is written about some sides — but it does not matter as long as you have the confidence." "Other teams should
be more concerned about us," he said. |
World Cup format ‘needs fine-tuning’ NOTTINGHAM, June 14 (AP) — Former Test stars have joined calls for changes to the World Cup format, which could allow Zimbabwe to qualify for the final four without winning a second-round match. Former South African opener Barry Richards and ex-England captain Mike Brearley said even though the format is a big improvement over previous methods, it requires fine tuning to allow for awarding teams that perform well in the Super Six round rather than punishing them for a bad day or two in the preliminary league. Under the current system, the leading three teams from each preliminary group move to the Super Six stage, carrying forward points earned against the two group rivals that also move up from the preliminary league. Four top-placed teams from the Super Six round go into the knockout semifinals. The system has meant that despite finishing third in group A behind South Africa and India, Zimbabwe advanced to the Super Six with the maximum four points after preliminary round shock wins over co-qualifiers India and South Africa. In the second-round, the Zimbabweans, who were on the verge of losing their opening match to New Zealand, grabbed an additional point when the game was abandoned due to rain. The Africans then slumped to successive losses to Australia and Pakistan. By Saturday, Zimbabwe’s semifinal berth hinged on the results of last two games of the Super Six: New Zealand vs India, which was already out of the tournament, and Australia vs South Africa today. But after the Kiwi victory, Zimbabwe’s fate depends on the last result. If Steve Waugh’s men win, Australia will end up with six points along with South Africa and Pakistan. New Zealand and Zimbabwe will be tied in the fourth place with five points each, but Zimbabwe will not qualify because of an inferior run rate. Had India won yesterday, New Zealand would have been out of the tournament with three points and Zimbabwe would have qualified for the semifinals with its five points. Richards, who became a cricket administrator after quitting first-class cricket and is now a television commentator, said "a review should set the tone for the future, but there is no going back." Brearley, a psychotherapist and cricket columnist, said the format modifications should distinguish between points carried forward and the ones earned in the Super Six matches. "A win in the Super Six ought to count more than (a win) in the preliminary league," Brearley said. "Perhaps, we need to give an additional point for a win in the Super Six round." He said the system should allow teams making the Super Six "to make for one or two bad days." Richards said there was a flaw in giving one point each for an abandoned match. "A win should be worth three points, at least in the Super Six," he said. "It might be a smart idea to give an additional point to the team topping the preliminary group." The format has changed four times in seven World Cups. For the first four tournaments from 1975 to 1987, eight teams played in two leagues and the top two teams in each group qualified for the semifinals. In 1992, when the World Cup went to Australia and New Zealand, there was a round-robin league between nine nations, including late entrant South Africa, whose readmission into the international cricket family forced a revision of the draw. The top four teams then played the semifinals. With the draw being expanded to 12 nations for the 1996 World Cup, a further revision took place where the top four teams from each of the six-nation pools made the quarterfinals.
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Champions Trophy Australia stun title holders Holland BRISBANE, June 14 (AFP) — Australia beat the Netherlands 2-1 to end their chances of reaching the Champions Trophy final and their monopoly of top men's hockey titles. The world, Olympic and defending trophy champions are marooned on one point after three games at the Brisbane top-six ranked tournament, six points behind second-placed Korea with just two games and a maximum of six points left. The Dutch have dominated world hockey winning the 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medal, last year's World Cup in their country and the last Champions Trophy in Lahore in 1998. "There's no fun, the thrill is not there, we are not playing up to our highest level," said Dutch coach Maurits Hendriks. Long-serving captain Stefan Veen was more to the point. "It hurts to lose." Prolific marksman Jacques Brinkman, who scored the goal against Australia, quipped: "It's maybe good for hockey that another team wins the tournament." The Dutch dominated possession, but a combination of gritty defence and the effects of the contentious experimental foot-contact rule, stopped them from breaking down the Australians, who remain unbeaten after three games, a point ahead of Korea, with two preliminary matches to decide Sunday's finalists. The Netherlands seethed over a couple of decisions against them. Eight Dutch players rushed to the umpire after he refused to award them a potentially equalising penalty stroke when the ball struck Australian defender Jason Duff Flush on the shin while standing on the goal-line. "It hit his foot 100 per cent," said Remco Van Wijk. "It was a clear stroke (penalty)." Veen said: "The shot was blocked by a foot on the line, it was clearly a penalty stroke... it looks like Holland is not allowed to win this tournament." But the Dutch acclaimed two goals, Australia scored in the opening half which decided the issue and made the host team favourites to win the tournament. Troy Elder scored his second goal of the series off a variation at a penalty corner in the 13th minute and Stephen Davies flummoxed the Dutch with an impossible strike from a sharp angle that eluded goalkeeper Guus Vogels. "Davies has some magic in the circle," said Hendriks, "When he's fit he's one of the best scoring forwards in the world." Australian coach Terry Walsh praised the persistence of his players against Holland. "Holland played one of their best games of the tournament and after coming into the game with only one point they threw everything at us," said Walsh. "There's a lot of
rivalry between us and the Dutch, but I feel for them
now. To find themselves with just one point after three
rounds in real hard to shallow." |
Sampras prevails over Henman, LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) — Pete Sampras beat an inspired Tim Henman and a partisan British crowd to clinch the Queens grasscourt championship title. The American second seed, who had not won a tournament since Vienna last October, regains his world number one ranking on Monday and is guaranteed to keep it until at least after Wimbledon, ensuring he matches Ivan Lendl’s record of 270 week at the top. Despite losing the final, Henman will move up to number five, a career high. "My year didn’t get off to a great start, so it is good to be back on grass and back playing well," Sampras said. Both players started the final in near perfect form on a sun-drenched centre court at Queen’s Club. For Henman it was a second visit of the day to the court-the third seed took 11 minutes in the morning to complete his rain-delayed semifinal with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Armenia’s Sargis Sargsian. But Sampras was a different proposition altogether. The opening set was classic grasscourt fare, with both men holding serve comfortably, and it went to a tie-break. Sampras won the first point with a volley into an open court but then Henman took control. Two clean winners, a Sampras double fault, an exquisite backhand passing shot, a service winner and a wild backhand lashed wide by Sampras gave Henman six set points at 6-1. He needed only one as Sampras dumped a backhand drop shot into the net. But a characteristic lapse in concentration by Henman in the third game of the second set allowed Sampras to break and that was the only chance he needed as he levelled the match 6-4 after an hour and 41 minutes. Henman, who had not beaten Sampras in their four previous meetings, spurned a host of break points in the decider. Sampras saved three in the fourth game and one in the fifth as Henman failed to capitalise on his supremacy. The set, almost inevitably, slid into a tie-break and this time Sampras made no mistake. A dramatic backhand lob off a chased smash landed right on the baseline and gave Sampras match point, which he duly converted with a service winner. HALLE (Germany): Nicolas Kiefer delighted his home fans by crushing Swede Nicklas Kulti 6-3, 6-2 in the Gerry Weber Open final on Sunday. German Kiefer, the seventh seed, put up an impressive performance to take his third ATP tour title after Toulouse in 1997 and Tokyo earlier this year. Unseeded Kulti, who entered the tournament only after French Open champion Andre Agassi pulled out with a hip muscle injury, lost in just 75 minutes. Blistering returns and aggressive baseline play kept Kiefer on top of his opponent throughout a one-sided final. Kiefer, who sealed victory with an ace on his first match point, will break into the top 20 for the first time in his career when the latest ATP tour rankings are released on Monday. The 21-year-old German will move to 18th spot and stands a chance of being seeded at Wimbledon. The 10,000 fans cheering Kiefer had a minor scare when their hero started limping in the fourth game of the second set. Kiefer needed treatment on a big toe but was soon back in action to complete his demolition. BIRMINGHAM, (AP): Julie Halard-Decugis finished off Cara Black in the semifinal and then outlasted defending titlist and top seed Nathalie Tauziat 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the final on Sunday to win the DFS Classic Grasscourt Championship. Leading her rain-delayed semifinal 6-4, 1-0 overnight, Halard-Decugis squandered two match points against Black before advancing 6-4, 6-4 to meet countrywoman Tauziat in the final two hours later. Tauziat was unbeaten in 12 singles matches at this Wimbledon warm-up competition stretching back to 1996. But she was slow to find her rhythm in the final and Halard-Decugis (28), very experienced on grass, made her pay. She broke Tauziat’s serve for the third time in the match to clinch a nailbiting final set after almost one hour 40 minutes. "I am very sore," said Halard-Decugis. "It was a very tough week and I want to be able to play at Wimbledon. I am looking forward to it and hope to do well because I am playing better than ever." "I feel good on grass and enjoy it. Hopefully I will have a better draw at Wimbledon than in the past," said Halard-Decugis, who was knocked out by Tauziat in the third round at the All England Club while her countrywoman went on to reach the final only to lose to Jana Novotna. TASHKENT (Uzbekistan): Top-seeded Anna Smashnova of Israel used her consistent serve and powerful backhand to defeat third-seeded Laurence Courtois of Belgium 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the President’s Cup on Sunday. The Israeli (22) kept
Courtois on the defensive throughout the match. |
Ashok emerges champ in golf NEW DELHI, June 14 — Ashok Kumar and Shiv Kapur emerged champion and runner-up, respectively, in the Singapore Junior Golf Championship. Ashok Kumar tallied over 221 in the three-day competition, while Shiv finished second at 10 over 223 in the 15-17 age group. It was a tremendous performance, according to experts. The Indian boys won five of the seven prizes among 25 participants from nine Asian countries. Apart from winner and runner-up titles, Kapur won the best gross prizes of the first two days with rounds of level-par 71, while Ashok bagged the best gross prize on the final day. The best nett and second best nett prizes were bagged by Taiwan’s Hong Wei ad Chang Che-Chi, who finished third and fourth respectively at 11 over 224. Ashok was seven strokes behind Shiv when the final round began. But he played an aggressive brand of gold and that saw him win the title. "I am happy that I won the title while lying so much behind", said Ashok. Shiv blamed himself for not winning the title though he said that luck deserted him at crucial moments. Both Ashok and Shiv will
stay as amateur until they gain enough experience. May
be, when they are about 21 before they turn pros. |
H
Patiala restrict Jalandhar PATIALA, June 14 (FOC) — The Patiala spin duo of young Guatam Mandora and Ranji Trophy cricketer Harman Harry enabled the hosts to restrict Jalandhar to 204 all out on the first day of the Katoch Shield inter-district cricket tournament at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium here yesterday. In reply, the hosts had rattled up 34 for no loss, with Reetinder Sodhi (29 n.o.) and Gaganinder Garry (5 n.o.) at the crease when stumps (Ist innings): 204 all out in 78 overs (Nakur Sondhi 61, Vikram 40, Vivek Mahajan 31; Guatum Mandora 4 for 47. H. Harry 4 for 49, Amit Kakria 2 for 45). Patiala (ist innings): 34 for no loss in 8 overs (R.Sodhi 29 n.o). Ludhiana win LUDHIANA, June 14 (FOSR) — Punjab Ranji player Rakesh Saini (122) and Ankur Kakkar (93) excelled as Ludhiana defeated Mohali by virtue of their first innings lead of 210 runs in the two-day match of the Punjab State Inter-District (summer league) Cricket Tournament at the SD Government College grounds here today. Resuming their first innings at 78 for 1, Ludhiana were all out for 281 after 77.1 overs. Mohali, in their second essay made 85 for 3 in 25 overs at close of second day's play. Brief scores — Mohali (first innings) 71 all out. Ludhiana (first innings) 281 all out (Ankur Kakkar 93, Rakesh Saini 122, Manav Dhuppar 36, Kailash Chander 5 for 76, Navdeep Singh 2 for 83). Mohali (second innings) 85 for 3 (Jatidner 47, Mohit Khanna 1 for 22, Amit Sharma 1 for 35). Report sought for promoting hockey ROPAR, June 14 (TNS) — Col Raminder Singh, Director, Sports, Punjab, has asked the authorities of the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Academy here to prepare a project report for the promotion of hockey and badminton in the academy so that steps in this direction could be taken. He was addressing boarders at the academy's annual function on Saturday night. The Director further said the Punjab Sports Department would provide sports goods and technical knowhow after examining the proposed project report. Mr Sukhjinder Singh,
Director of the academy, said they wanted to make the
academy a nursery for hockey players and produce
national-level players. |
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