Monday, March 22, 1999
today's calendar
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S P O R T | Monday, March 22, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Shukla set to make debut |
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Agassi falls; Sampras, Moya advance |
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Elworthy puts SA on road to victory Kenya
beat B'desh by 8 wickets Gopi
Chand, Aparna enter final Fernando
flays travel arrangements Salgaocar
whip JCT Assam
in q-final league Islam
Bangladesh skipper Excisemen
in last eight |
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Shukla set to make debut NAGPUR, March 21 (PTI) — The Indian batting strength without the imposing presence of Sachin Tendulkar will be put to a severe test of character and composure when the home team begin their campaign against World Cup champions Sri Lanka in the limited overs triangular cricket series here tomorrow. The genius of Tendulkar fetched India most of their wins in trying circumstances last year and his absence due to back injury provides the ideal chance for skipper Mohd Azharuddin and other top-order batsmen to show that India is not a one-man squad in batting. India, thus, would be looking up to Bengal stylist Saurav Ganguly to give a blistering start to the innings in the company of either fellow lefthander Sadagopalan Ramesh, yet to play in a one-dayer, or seasoned Ajay Jadeja. Team coach Anshuman Gaekwad told reporters after net practice that choice for the second opener would be between newcomer Ramesh, confident after a rousing Test performance, and seasoned Jadeja, dropped after a poor run in New Zealand and aiming to make an impression before the World Cup team is finalised by April 4. Gaekwad said left-handers Amay Khurasia and Gyanendra Pandey would be in the reserves for tomorrow’s clash at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium. Ramesh has come into the series with a century and three half centuries to his credit in seven Test innings while Jadeja was not considered for the two-Test series against Pakistan and the subsequent Asian Test Championship. The match against Sri Lanka, who lost to Pakistan by nine runs in the opener at Jamshedpur, also provides a golden chance for flamboyant left-hander Vinod Kambli and all-rounder Ajit Agarkar, both staging a comeback after leg injuries. Kambli is expected to bat one-down and with the fight for one middle-order spot in the 15-man World Cup squad, to be announced on April 5, reportedly between him and Khurasia should keep the Mumbai bat on his toes. Kambli injured his ankle in April last year while fielding against Zimbabwe at Cuttack in a triangular series. Also returning from a lengthy layoff due to a stress fracture on his landing leg, speedster Ajit Agarkar would also be eager to have a go at the Sri Lankans. Young Bengal all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla looks set to make his debut for India, a distinction he missed out in the Asian Test championship at Colombo last month when the team management in a last-minute change of mind provided Delhi left arm seamer Ashish Nehra his first cap. India are hoping that their batting plays to potential against a Lankan attack not exactly brimming with confidence and sorely missing injured off-spinner Muthiah Muralitharan. Gaekwad said if everything went well in the first two matches of the series (the hosts play Pakistan on March 24 at Jaipur) then the others (in the World Cup probables list) may be tried out in the subsequent matches. But he also made it clear there would be no more mixing up of openers in middle-order and vice-versa. Sri Lanka, hit by injuries and lack of form in recent times, will be desperate to get their act together ahead of their World Cup title defence in May. The Lankans are scheduled to arrive here only in the evening and have reportedly had nets this morning at Calcutta. The World Cup holders are obviously missing the presence of explosive opener Sanath Jayasuriya, who is injured, but might be even more worried the way they lost at Jamshedpur from a seemingly winning position. The islanders may replace the flashy Avishka Gunawardena, who made only 19 against Pakistan, as opener and include left hander Russel Arnold to partner Marvan Atapattu. The form of talented Mahela Jayawardene — who notched up a Test double hundred at Colombo against India — in the Jamshedpur tie should be pleasing. However, the classy Aravinda de Silva is the man they are dependent on to prop up the middle order with skipper Arjuna Ranatunga short on runs. Left-arm paceman Chaminda Vaas proved expensive against the rampaging Pakistan openers Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi though his new-ball partner Pramodaya Wickramasinghe made up with a splendid second spell to bowl Sri Lanka back into contention in the opening match. For India, pace spearhead Javagal Srinath has had a welcome break from the international grind and has said he has completely recovered from his shin soreness. He and Agarkar, with support from Shukla, followed by the spin of Anil Kumble and Nikhil Chopra form the core of the Indian attack. India have played six matches here and have lost three of them. India also conceded their highest 50-over total at this venue in 1995 when New Zealand batsmen belted 348 runs. The two rivals have played each other 57 times in limited overs contests with India emerging on top on 30 occasions, Lanka winning 22 times with five tie ending in ‘no results’. The teams: India: (from): Mohd Azharuddin (capt), Saurav Ganguly, Sadagopan Ramesh, Ajay Jadeja, Vinod Kambli, Rahul Dravid, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Nayan Mongia, Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, Javagal Srinath and Nikhil Chopra. Sri Lanka: (from): Arjuna Ranatunga (capt), Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Avishka Gunawardene, Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillekeretne, Chandika Hathurasinghe, Prasanna Jayawardene, Eric Upashantha, Chaminda Vaas, Ruwan Kalpage, Hemantha Boteju, Pramodaya Wickramasinghe and Upul Chandana. Umpires: K.S. Giridharan and V.M. Gupte. Third umpire: S. Banerjee. Hours of play: 9
a.m. to 12.30 p.m., 1.15 p.m. to 4.45 p.m. |
Anand struggles to find form MONTE CARLO, March 21 (PTI) — Vladimir Kramnik of Russia leads an impressive field at the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament while India’s Viswanathan Anand is still fighting hard to re-discover his winning form and style. After four rounds, world number two Anand, is lying in the eighth position with 3.5 points from a maximum of eight possible. Leader Kramnik is sitting pretty on six points. Last night was the first rest day of this 12-player all-play-all rapid and blindfold tournament. Kramnik, who has shown excellent form in blindfold chess looks in good position to win this title, which even while not being conventional chess evokes a lot of interest in the fraternity. World number three Kramnik has 3.5 points from blindfold and 2.5 points from rapid chess. Latvia-born Spanish Alexei Shirov though lying on fourth position overall, jointly leads with Kramnik in the blindfold section with 3.5 points. Anand surprisingly is at low in his favourite blitz chess this year. The Indian is on eighth position overall, but is shade better in rapid standings — on second spot with 2.5 points. Russia’s Anatoly Karpov leads the pack in rapid with three points. In blindfold, Anand is languishing way down on 10th position managing to earn only a point. FIDE world champion Karpov, who shared the lead with Kramnik till the third round, slipped in the fourth after a poor round against France’s former world junior champion Joel Lautier. The Russian, who had 4.5 points from a maximum possible of six after three rounds, managed just half a point against Lautier, who in the process moved ahead of Karpov into the second position. With seven more rounds to go in the tournament, the fight for the honours is still wide open. Blindfold standings: (after four rounds): 1-2 Kramnik, Shirov - 3.5 each; 3 Lautier - 3; 4-5 Nikolic, Topalov; 6-7 Ivanchuk, Karpov - 2 each; 8-9 Piket, Ljubojevic - 1.5 each; 10-11 Anand, Gelfand - 1 each; 12 Van Wely - 0. Rapid standings: (after four rounds): 1 Karpov - 3; 2-6 Anand, Ivanchuk, Kramnik, Lautier, Van Wely - 2.5 each; 7 Topalov - 2; 8-10 Piket, Nikolic, Ljubojevic - 1.5 each; 11-12 Gelfand, Shirov - 1 each. Overall standings: (after
four rounds): 1 Kramnik - 6; 2 Lautier - 5.5; 3 Karpov -
5; 4 Ivanchuk, Shirov, Topalov - 4.5 each; 5 Nikolic - 4;
6 Anand - 3.5; 7 Ljubojevic, Piket - 3 each; 8 Van Wely -
2.5; 9 Gelfand - 2. |
Agassi falls; Sampras, Moya advance KEY BISCAYNE (USA), March 21 (Reuters) — It was double trouble for Andre Agassi at the Lipton Championships last night as the American star ended his opening match with a pair of double faults to hand the win to Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty. The ninth-seeded Agassi, who finished runner-up to Chilean Marcelo Rios last year here, wasted a strong start by falling 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Hrbaty. Eighth seed Rios, making a comeback from a back injury, enjoyed a solid start to his title defence with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Australian Scott Draper, while Spaniard Carlos Moya was successful in his first match as the number one player in the world. But Agassi, playing his first match since suffering a hamstring injury in the semifinals at Scottsdale three weeks ago, showed his rust against the 40th-ranked Hrbaty. "The idea is to play matches. When you don’t have them, it’s tough," said Agassi, who dropped his serve three times in the third set. While Agassi was sent home without getting a sniff at a return to the final, second seed Pete Sampras opened with a 6-3, 7-6 second-round win over former number one Jim Courier. Sampras, who lost his top ranking to Moya after suffering early exits at Scottsdale and Indian Wells, was satisfied with his play, especially in the tie-break. Moya was extended but came on strong at the end to win his first match as king of the tennis world, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 over Italian Davide Sanguinetti. "I think he’s a very good player," Sampras said of Moya. "But it’s a whole new experience for him, being number one. It’s not easy to stay there. "It’s a long year. A lot of guys could touch number one this year. It comes down to the last day of the year," added Sampras, who finished atop the ATP rankings the past six years. Women’s defending champion Venus Williams posted a routine 6-3 6-4 victory over fellow American Tara Snyder in the opening match of the day, but felt her performance was not up to her exacting standards. Second-ranked Lindsay Davenport opened her quest for a first Lipton title with a decisive 6-3, 6-0 win over Belgian Sabine Appelmans. But two-time former champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the women’s fifth seed, was upended 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 by Anne Kremer of Luxembourg. Hrbaty’s win over Agassi marked his second top-10 scalp collected this year following a victory over third-ranked Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov in Marseille. Apparently, it takes more than that to get a rise out of Hrbaty, who seemed rather nonchalant about his success. "It was just another win for me," the Slovak said. German tennis legend Boris Becker probably played his last match on the US soil, losing 7-5, 6-0 to Russian teenager Marat Safin in the second round last night. Serena Williams, sister of defending champion Venus — the hottest player on the WTA Tour, extended her match winning streak to 12 with a 6-2, 6-3 pasting of Australian Alicia Molik. "I definitely know that I’m playing great tennis right now," said the 16th-seeded Serena, who is coming off back-to-back titles at Paris and Indian Wells.
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Agassi vows never to play Davis Cup again KEY BISCAYNE, March 21 (Reuters) — Angry American tennis star Andre Agassi has vowed never to play Davis Cup for the USA again. Already at odds with US Tennis Association officials because they refused to stage last year’s semifinal at a site convenient to him, Agassi was fuming over news of the dismissal of the popular US Davis cup team physician. "They just fired George Fareed and told him he’s not part of the Davis Cup team anymore," Agassi said after losing his opening match at the Lipton Championships to Dominik Hrbaty last night. "That’s the last straw for me. I’m done with it. I never say never, but I’m never playing again." US Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson was hoping Agassi’s rant was an impulsive reaction to his early Lipton defeat. "I would like to think Andre would want to reconsider and play in the future," Gullikson said. "Maybe ‘never’ is a strong word. It might be an emotional reaction to the loss." Agassi had already taken himself out of the running for the first-round tie against Britain. But Gullikson would hate to permanently lose the former Davis Cup stalwart who owns an impressive 26-5 singles record in the competition. Agassi’s latest gripe came over word that Fareed, who followed in his father Omar’s footsteps as the team physician, was about to be replaced. Rick Ferman, Executive Director of the USTA, insisted that saying Fareed was fired was "grossly overstated." Ferman said that although Fareed was disappointed, he understood the USTA was looking for someone better versed in current sports science medicine and he added that Fareed was helping with the transition. Jim Courier, who is expected to play for the USA in England next month, spoke up in support of Fareed but did not threaten to withhold his services. Pete Sampras, who has said he is passing up Davis Cup to concentrate on personal goals, called Fareed, "one of the nicest people I’ve met in tennis". "He seemed very
knowledgeable," Sampras said. "I’m very
shocked to hear he was let go." |
Elworthy puts SA on road to victory WELLINGTON (New Zealand), March 21 (AP) — A brilliant spell of seam and swing bowling by Steve Elworthy and two late wickets by left-arm spinner Paul Adams left New Zealand facing defeat in the third and decisive Test. When bad light stopped play an over early on day four, New Zealand were 217 for seven in its second innings, needing another 59 to make South Africa bat again. Skipper Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori were together on four and 12, respectively. Elworthy, playing in the absence of ace speedster Allan Donald, rocked the New Zealand second innings with 4-58 as the home side battled to stop South Africa from taking the three-match series 1-0. The first two Tests ended in draws in Auckland and Christchurch. On a wicket producing uneven bounce, Elworthy reduced New Zealand to 35 for three, and after some spirited middle order batting claimed the prized wickets of Nathan Astle (62) and Gary Stead (33) either side of tea. Just when left-hander Chris Harris and Adam Parore looked like saving the day for the home side, Adams produced two viciously turning deliveries in the space of seven balls to have the innings in tatters. Adams, who has struggled for control throughout the three Test series, had Parore caught at silly point and then bowled Harris behind his legs as New Zealand stumbled to 199 for seven. New Zealand’s hopes of saving the Test was compounded by two contentious leg before decisions by Indian umpire S Venkataraghavan. After opener Matthew Horne was given out before lunch, a fourth wicket 65-run fightback was put to rest when Stead became Elworthy’s third wicket. Astle and Stead, who followed up his first innings 68 with 33 in almost two hours, took the score from 35 for three to 100 before disaster struck. Stead fell lbw to Elworthy. Shaun Pollock, who shot through the New Zealand first innings with a 4-1 in 20 balls, once again made the early breakthrough, forcing an out-of-form Bryan Young to edge a catch behind. Elworthy, whose first innings 4-66 was overshadowed by Pollock’s 5-33, ran into the wind to take the next four wickets. Playing in his second Test, Elworthy has so far claimed a match haul of 8-124. "It was a combination of all the guys bowling together and keeping the pressure up," Elworthy, 34, said. "We built the pressure up and it worked at the end. I think also it was my day". Elworthy, who has been bowling his short balls effectively throughout the Test, said it was always good to have it as a shock ball. "As long as you keep
it for that aggressive outlook it is fine," Elworthy
said. He also produced an outstanding delivery to bowl Astle after the right hander had defied the Proteas for three hours and 20 minutes. Adams finished the day with 2-35 in 18 overs. New Zealand (1st
innings): 222 |
Kenya beat B'desh by 8 wickets DHAKA, March 20 (DPA) — Stephen Tikolo hit an unbeaten century yesterday enabling Kenya to sail to an eight-wicket victory against hosts Bangladesh in the three-nation day and night international cricket tournament played at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Stadium. Bangladesh were all out for 213 in the limited 50-over match. Kenya were 215 for two in 43.5 overs. Tikolo’s unbeaten 106, which came of 111 balls with 13 hits to the fence, charted the course of a brilliant victory for the Kenyans. Tikolo and team-mate Maurice Odumbe, who scored 58 not out, pummelled the Bangladeshi bowlers who slogged hard but failed to make any dent in the Kenyan batting line. (SCOREBOARD) Kenya: |
Gopi Chand, Aparna enter final BANGALORE, March 21 (PTI) — National champions P Gopi Chand and Aparna Popat have stormed into the men’s and women’s singles finals of the French Open grand prix badminton in Paris. Gopi Chand had smooth sailing into the final with a facile 15-5, 15-6 victory over Spanish champion Arturo Ruiz in the semifinal after getting the better of Martin Hagberg of Sweden in the last eight at 15-9, 15-13. Gopi will take on Chen Gang of China in the title clash while Popat has a tough match on her hand against world number four Zhou Mi of China, a Badminton Association of India press note here said. Defending champion Aparna Popat, ranked 49 in the world, downed second seed Ella Karachkova of Russia 11-7, 11-8 in the semifinal after rallying brilliantly to topple top-ranked Hong Kong girl Ling Wan Ting 7-11, 11-8, 11-5 in the last eight stage. In fact, Popat lost the opening game against Wan Ting after taking a commanding 7-1 lead. But she recovered to win the next two games and then put up a sterling show in the last four clash which was played only a few hours after her tough encounter against the Hong Kong girl. Abhinn Shyam Gupta and Nikhil Kanetkar went down fighting at the quarter-final stage to their far superior opponents, but not before extending them to three games. Gupta put up a gallant fight against top seed Gang and won the first game 15-13 after being down 5-12 at one stage. It was 10-all in the second game and the match could have gone either way but Gupta buckled under pressure and lost 10-15. He lost the third game rather tamely at 3-15, and the match. In a similar fashion, Kanetkar threw away the match against Hong Kong number one NG Wei after holding a match point to lose at 15-8, 6-15, 14-17. Kanetkar got upset over a
bad decision at the match point and lost his
concentration and the match. |
Fernando flays travel arrangements CALCUTTA, March 21 (UNI) — Sri Lankan star batsman Arvind D’Silva today said unless the reigning world champions returned to their winning ways they would have to face difficulties in the forthcoming World Cup championship. Before their departure for Nagpur to play against hosts India tomorrow in the second match of the three-nation limited over tournament, the Sri Lankan vice - captain said: "However, I hope things will take a turn for the good once team regulars like opener Sanath Jayasurya, spinner Muthiah Muralitharan and wicket keeper Kaluwitharna are back in the squad". He said it was because of pain in groin region that he was run out in their last match against Pakistan while they were very close to victory. After the World Cup win in early 1996, Sri Lanka have played 78 one-dayers, with 42 wins and 32 losses. Sri Lanka has lost 13 of their last fifteen one day internationals. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan manager Ranjit Fernando has criticised the travel arrangements made by Board of Control for Cricket in India for participating teams. "We came here on Saturday morning from Jamshedpur and were forced to unnecessarily waste a day here. By the time we would be reaching Nagpur, there might not be enough time to have a look at the pitch, leave aside practice at the net there," he complained. Pakistan, which would be
playing their next match against India at Jaipur on March
24, yesterday left for Delhi from airport itself. |
Salgaocar whip JCT CALCUTTA, March 21 (PTI) — Salgaocar, Goa, who have already crowned themselves National Football League champions, celebrated their maiden title triumph by whipping JCT 2-0 in their last match of the league’s super six competition at the Salt Lake Stadium here today. The Goans showed they were in mood to relax as they struck once in each session to complete their engagements on a winning note in a fast-paced match. The hard-working Shabbir Ali Mondal put Salgaocar in the lead in the 37th minute of the contest while star striker Bruno Coutinho pumped in the second in the 80th minute, capitalising on a defence lapse. Eager to finish off the league with their heads high, Salgaocar launched into the offensive from the word go but had to wait till the 37th minute to open their account. The first goal was the result of a fast counter attack which saw Shabbir Ali Mondal tap the ball in from close to the goalmouth following a measured centre from striker Bruno Coutinho who again took a lot of load. Leading by a solitary goal
at the interval, the Goans attacked with renewed vigour
and managed to increase their lead ten minutes before the
long whistle with Coutinho finding the target following a
cross from Jules Alberto from the left flank. |
Assam in q-final league CHENNAI, March 21 (PTI) — Assam qualified to play Maharashtra in the quarterfinal league with a 4-1 win over Sikkim, while Delhi and Manipur scored identical 2-0 wins over Gujarat and Haryana in their league matches of the National Football Championship at three different venues in Tamil Nadu. In Coimbatore, Assam, who beat Pondicherry 5-0, showed authority in ousting Sikkim today to top cluster ‘G’. Mirinal Doro (21st), Dridibkhoynd (35th), Dipen Teron (67th) and Nabheyoti (77th) scored for Assam. Indra Tradhan netted the lone goal for Sikkim in the 81st minute. Bhupender Thakur (24th) and Dharmender Kharola (69th) scored for Delhi against Gujarat at Chennai. Striker Mohammed Azizur (60th) and Momocha Singh (89th) netted for Manipur against Haryana in a cluster ‘F’ league tie at Udhagamandalam. The second match at Chennai in cluster ‘D’ between Orissa and Himachal Pradesh did not evoke interest as the rivals indulged in mispasses. However, Mohd Imtiaz broke the monotony with a solo effort following a pass from Sajjad in the 88th minute. Delhi did not impress much in their 2-0 win against Gujarat. They have to defeat Gujarat again before making it to the quarterfinal league due to the withdrawal of Meghalaya, which forced both teams to play a double league format. Delhi manager N.K. Bhatia expressed confidence that they would perform better next time. Playing their first match after reaching here yesterday, Delhi could not adjust to the humidity. Delhi could have won by at least three more goals, but for Sanjeev Sharma, who missed the target four times. A formidable Manipur outfit began their outing impressively with a 2-0 win over Haryana in a pre-quarterfinal league match in group ‘F’. Manipur drew first blood through striker Mohammed Azizur Rahman in the 60th minute. Substitute Momocha Singh sealed the fate of the match in Manipur’s favour scoring the second goal a few minute before the final whistle. The youngsters from Manipur, with three junior India players in their ranks, looked quite adept with their movements and tackles. Their interceptions were perfect and the strikers showed enough speed. Though Haryana matched them quite competently in the first half, the northern side could not maintain the same tempo in the second as Manipur rode to victory. The Manipur boys, whose average age is 18 to 21, played a pleasing game with short passes. However, the Haryana defence stood firm, not allowing Manipur forwards much leeway inside the box. Though Haryana goalkeeper Machhender conceded two goals, he also effected quite a few brilliant saves. In a match where both teams opted for defensive tactics, Delhi defeated Gujarat 2-0 to win the first of their double leg cluster ‘C’ league tie. With Meghalaya opting out at the last moment, the All India Football Federation has asked Delhi and Gujarat to play each other twice. Bhupender Thakur and Dharmender Kharola scored for Delhi. Though Delhi played with three forwards, they could not make a dent in the Gujarat citadel for about 24 minutes. The Delhi frontline combined well with medio Dondiyal prominent in attack. He often wriggled out of tight situations, intercepted the ball and supplied to his forwards. Though Bhupender and Dharmender often took shots at the Gujarat goal, they lacked venom. In the 12th minute, Dharmender crossed from the left and showed control in receiving the ball, but hit wide. Delhi went into the lead in the 24th minute when a weak cross from inside the box by Abhijoy Basu at the far extreme was slotted in by Bhupender, beating goalkeeper Pious Abraham and defender Sonu George. Delhi could have been up by at least three more goals, but muffed up their chances. The second half saw Gujarat take the upper hand for the first 15 minutes. However, their efforts came to nought as the Delhi defenders, with the help of their medios, kept their goal intact. Delhi custodian Biswanath Deb was once at the mercy of his rivals, but Gujarat’s Vimal Mall headed out. Though Gujarat increased the frequency of attacks, they could not find the equaliser. Sanjeev Sharma, substituting for Abhijoy Basu in the dying minutes of the first half, muffed his fourth chance to score when he sent the ball over the cross piece in the 68th minute. Delhi scored the second goal in the 69th minute when Dharmender headed in a high lob from Bhupender, beating goalkeeper Pious Abraham all ends up. Though Delhi continued to
enjoy superiority, their attempts to increase the margin
thrice failed and they had to be content with a two-goal
win. |
Islam Bangladesh skipper DHAKA, March 21 (Reuters) — All-rounder Aminul Islam will lead Bangladesh in the cricket World Cup which starts in England on May 14. The 15-man Bangladeshi squad announced today is: Aminul Islam (captain), Shahriar Hossain, Mehrab Hossain, Khaled Mahmud, Faruque Ahmed, Akram Khan, Naimur Rahman, Khaled Masood, Enamul Hoque, Mohammad Rafiq, Nayemur Rahman, Khaled Masood, Manjurul Islam, Shafiuddin Ahmed, Hasibul Hossain. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Saber Hossain Chowdhury said the team would leave Dhaka for London on April 15. They will play three warm-up matches against Essex at Chelmsford on May 8, Middlesex at Lord’s on May 10 and Northamptonshire at Northampton on May 12. Bangladesh are in group
‘B’ with Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, New
Zealand and Scotland. |
Excisemen in last eight HYDERABAD, March 21 (PTI) — Central Excise thrashed Madhya Bharat 4-1 to top group-G with an all-win record and move into the quarter-finals of the 59th Senior National Hockey (Men) Championship for the Rangaswamy Cup here today. Central Excise, who had beaten Tata Sports (2-1), Karnataka (1-0), Chandigarh (2-1) and Delhi (3-1) topped the group with their fifth straight win and will take on winners of the Air India-Punjab and Sindh Bank (PSB) match in group-I to be played on march 23. In group-J, Manipur defeated Patiala by 2-1 to register their first win after they lost to Bhopal in their first tie. In the morning, Sandeep Singh of PSB scored a hat-trick in his team’s 20-0 walloping of Madhya Pradesh in group-I. Sandeep scored in the 58th, 59th and 60th minutes. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) crushed Assam 20-0 in group-H while last year’s runners-up Tamil Nadu were held to a 3-all draw by Bhopal in a group-J match in the morning. In the pool G deciding tie between Central Excise and Madhya Bharat, the latter took the lead in the eighth minute when their skipper Hasrat Qureshi converted a penalty corner. Excise equalised through Rajinder in the 23rd minute before Suresh (30th), Adolf (43rd) and Skipper Rahul (51st) consolidated the lead. The Central Excise and Madhya Bharat tie was confined to a midfield tussle for the first fifteen minutes before Madhya Bharat went ahead in the 18th minute after earning their first penalty corner. Defender Manoj Parihar’s powerful hit from the top of the circle was well defended by international goalkeeper B.C. Poonacha. But the ball deflected towards Hasrat Qureshi, who scooped the ball into the net to provide the lead. But their joy was shortlived as Central Excise equalised five minutes later through penalty corner conversion. Rajinder found the target with a direct conversion after forward Errol stopped the ball neatly on top of the circle. Just before half time, a long pass from skipper Rahul from the centre line to Suresh was well trapped inside the danger zone. Madhya Bharath custodian Narendra Upadhya rushed out to intercept but Suresh did well to push the ball home and give his team a 2-1 lead. Adolf consolidated the lead by scoring the third goal for Excisemen by taking a rasping shot from the edge of the circle off a Daljit Singh pass in the 43rd minute before Rahul rounded off with a penalty corner conversion. In the four-team group-J league, Manipur defeated Patiala 2-1 after leading 2-0 at half time. Manipur slammed both their goals through penalty corners converted by Hemantha Singh in the 11th minute and by Sanjit Singh in the 34th minute. Patiala reduced the margin through a field goal by Kamaldeep Singh three minutes into the second half. Results: Group-G: Central Excise 4 (Rajinder (23rd), Suresh (30th), Adolf (43rd), Rahul (51st) beat Madhya Bharath 1 (Hasrat Qureshi (18th). Half time: 2-1. Group-J: Manipur 2 (Hemantha Singh (11th), Sanjit Singh (34th) beat Patiala 1 (Kamaldeep Singh (38th). Half time: 2-0. Group-H: CRPF 20 (Jolen Topno 2nd, 3rd, 29th, 33rd, 63rd; Tanveer Jamal 6th, 27th, 39th, 48th, 53rd; Mukesh Kumar 20th, 22nd, 43rd, 45th; Karan Raj 29th, 41st, 53rd; Toper Kujur 31st, 62nd; Prabhati Saini 61st) beat Assam 0. (Half-time: 10-0). Group-I: Punjab and Sind Bank 20 (Bikramjit Singh 4th 44th, 45th, 54th; Sandeep Singh Seep 8th, 51st, 58th, 59th, 60th, 69th; Parminder Singh 24th, 33rd, 48th, 62nd, 63rd; Baljit Singh Saini 25th, 55th; Sanjeev Kumar Dang 50th; Sandeep Singh Ghuman 2nd; Rajinder Singh-Jr 38th) beat Madhya Pradesh 0. (Half-time: 6-0). Group-J: Tamil Nadu 3
(Radhakrishnan 13th, 59th, Thirumalavalavan 24th) drew
with Bhopal 3 (Athar Khan 8th, Farzan 41st, Hameedul Haq
57th). (Half-time:2-1) TN. |
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