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Monday,
December 3, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
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Lara only hurdle for
Lanka Daniel Vettori’s spin keeps New Zealand on top
Punjab, Chandigarh
score easy wins Delhi seamers wrest
initiative Himachal takes Ist innings
lead Punjab Police in
semifinals
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Can India’s raw pace attack deliver? Chandigarh, December 2 Never in recent times have India gone into a Test match with uncapped new ball bowlers operating from both ends. True, the forced absence of Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Asish Nehra (who all suffered some injury or the other in the tour of South Africa) made the job of the national selectors difficult. But the way they have gone about the job of sacking both Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar from the team gives one the impression that it is only the bowlers who have been blamed for the debacle in South Africa. Why the batsmen have been left untouched in spite of a string of miserable performances (barring of course a sparkle here and there) is a question only Chandu Borde and him team can answer. Javagal Srinath was hit on his left hand by a Shaun Pollock delivery in the first innings of the third Test against South Africa while Prasad pulled his back muscle in the same match. Initially, there was no word on Asish Nehra’s fitness problems but later coach John Wright informed the media after the team returned to India that the Delhi left-arm medium pacer was also nursing an injury and would take some time to recover. But when the team for the Test was decided at Jaipur, no word was given out that Nehra had been sidelines due to injury or for cricketing reasons. Skipper Saurav Ganguly is not very happy over the fact that the national selectors did not think it worthwhile to consult him before naming the squad for the match. In these days where communication is just a fingertip away it does not seem logical why Borde did not consult the skipper, specially since it is he who will take the flak if thing do not go India’s way. Maybe, it is time that board President Jagmohan Dalmiya sorted out this issue. The captain might not have a vote in selection committee meetings but he must be consulted before picking any squad. Just by naming the 14 (or 15 in the case of this match now that Virender Sehwag will continue to be with the team) the selectors should not think that their job is complete. India will have to look around for fresh talent in the fast bowling department with both Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad well past their prime. But then can the likes of Mumbai’s Iqbal Siddiqui, Tinu Yohannan from Kerala or Railways’ Sanjay Bangar alone deliver the goods. The first match of any Test series is tension ridden with the two contesting sides sizing up the opposition, and by giving only rookie fast bowlers the work of the Indian captain has only been made more difficult. But now that they have been included in the squad it is up to Sanjay Bangar, Iqbal Siddiqui and Tinu Yohannan to prove that they deserve to be members of the national team. Of the three it is Sanjay Bangar who should be keenly watched since the Railways player with an average of 37.8 with the ball and 35.77 with the bat can well try to become the allrounder that India is desperately looking for. Since Bangar can also open the innings (he does so for the Railways squad) it is quite likely that he might get the nod of the selectors ahead of the other uncapped players in the team while the playing eleven is selected. In any case India are looking for a partner for Shiv Sunder Das and it in this slot that Sanjay can be tried. But if this happens Connors Williams will have to cool his heels in the dressing room for yet another Test. One single performance against the tourists at Jaipur probably helped Siddiqui earn a place in the squad. Although England went ahead to register a morale-boosting win against India A at Jaipur, Siddiqui with his four for 53 did show glimpses of his ability to generate pace and bounce even if there is a little juice in the wicket. And the PCA Stadium strip, with a fair amount of grass, should suit his style of bowling. Bred in the very competitive world of Mumbai cricket, this right arm bowler who has been around for 10 seasons during which he has bagged 230 plus wickets has the experience under his belt to come good in the highest grade of the game. The logic of selecting Kerala’s Tinu Yohannan, who has so far played only eight first class games (24 wickets at an average of 31.37) for the Test is difficult to understand. In the nets this morning he did generate a fair amount of pace but it remains to be seen how he does in a match situation. He has to maintain line and length and with some help from the strip can well pose problems for the visitors. India will have to bank a lot on Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh but these two spinners might find the going tough in the initial stages of the match given the state of the wicket which in more green than brown. Whether India play with four regular bowlers or five will only be known after the selectors have had a meeting with Saurav Ganguly and John Wright. England, even without the services of their star batsman Mike Atherton, should not be considered an easy side. With series wins against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Pakistan their record in the subcontinent is noteworthy and given that wee bit of luck every team needs can well pose problems for the hosts. Teams (from): India: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Shiv Sunder Das, Connor Williams, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Deep Dasgupta, Jacob Martin, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Virender Sahwag, Sharandeep Singh, Tinu Yohannan, Sanjay Bangar, Iqbal Siddiqui. England: Nasser Hussain (capt), Usman Afazal, Martyn Ball, Mark Butcher, Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash, Richard Dawson, James Foster, Ashley Giles, Warren Hegg, Richard Johnson, Mattew Hoggard, James Ormand, Craig White, Andrew
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No decision yet on the opening pair SAS Nagar, December 2 “Das is certain to open,” stated skipper Saurav Ganguly, on the eve of the Test. About Das’s partner Ganguly said: “Bangar opens the innings for the Railways. Williams Connors is also there.” The left-handed batsman declined to elaborate when asked whether wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, who opened the innings in South Africa with a fair degree of success, would open the innings in this Test also. About his alleged criticism of the new pace trio selected for the Test, Ganguly stated he had said nothing of the sort. “It is not true. I did not meet anybody and have been quoted wrongly,” was his terse reply. He emphasised that all he said was that he was not consulted on team selection. Asked whether he had spoken to the selectors as he had said earlier, he replied: “Only three of the five selectors have turned up as yet. I will talk to them as soon as they reach here.” He, however, said that he was satisfied with the team given to him. The skipper, who spoke to media persons after a gruelling session at the nets, revealed that he had recovered from the neck spasm which forced him to miss the last Test in South Africa. Ganguly did not think that the controversy involving match referee Mike Dennes who punished six Indian players on various charges would have any adverse fallout on the performance of the Indians in the Test. He stated that Virender Sehwag would be there with the team during the entire duration of the match. He admitted that the recent tour of South Africa was tough. “They are a tough side and they played well.”
About the current home series he said this was a new series. “India have always played well at home and we hope to continue the trend.” He said that he was happy to see the young seamers bowl at the nets. But he cautioned that playing in a Test was a different ball-game altogether. This, he said, was a good opportunity for them to grab the chance. About the rival pace attack which had been weakened considerably in the absence of Darren Gough and Andy Caddick, he replied that similar was the case with India. Indian team coach John Wright speaking about the team’s failure to do well abroad said on foreign surfaces most of the time shot selection of the Indian players was faulty. Besides, these players were used to playing on pitches which had a low bounce. He said there was need to develop bouncy tracks. The former New Zealand opener said pace spearhead Srinath was injured. Apart from him he made a mention of the wiry Ajit Agarkar and left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, saying that they were very talented. England captain Nasser Hussain, revealed that spinner Ashley Giles, who had been suffering from an injury, would not be fit for the match. He revealed that to play in the Indian sub-continent one needed to stick to a specific gameplan and the team would like to do it. “Without doubt India is the best side at home as Australia found out earlier in the year. Indian boys know how to play at home.” He revealed that Flintoff’s inclusion in the squad was very important. “We need a balanced attack for all eventualities. Having Andrew Flintoff and Craig White in the side gives room to do a lot of things.” About the recent controversy involving the Indian players he said: “We always presumed this game will go on. We will be focussing on cricket only during the series. People here love the game. Cricket will always be the winner. Fans in this part are fanatic. It’ll be an eye-opener for the boys.” It was the responsibility of both the sides to play the game hard and fair. And he was expecting only this during the next three weeks. |
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Saurav Ganguly writes The wicket that welcomes India home from South Africa is a green one. The groundsman at Mohali has left a fair bit of grass on the surface and like previous wickets at this venue, this one should give the fast bowlers some assistance in the first three days of the Test. Spin will become a factor only on the fourth and fifth days. It is a new look pace attack that will make use of these conditions for India. I feel a mix of youth and experience in the pace attack would have helped. While I have seen Siddiqui in action in the past, I have never seen Youhanan or Bangar bowl before today. All three looked pretty lively at the nets, and I hope they will be able to transfer their net practice form onto the middle. On Monday, Youhanan will be the first Kerala player to don India colours. Siddiqui will open the bowling with him, while the 11th spot is a toss-up between Connor Williams and Bangar. As soon as I returned, I was asked by reporters whether I was consulted by the selectors before they announced the team. I merely replied in the negative, and the media was quick to conjure up a rift between the selection committee and myself. I did not use the strong language attributed to me in connection with the selectors. All I can say is that there is enough happening in the world of cricket without the press creating such controversies. The England team is also short on experience in the bowling department. However, they have done extremely well in the subcontinent in the last couple of years and we are not going to be complacent. Their batting line-up looks good even though they are going to miss Atherton at the top. Also, none of their batsman have any experience of playing in India. I’m sure the youngsters will be looking to cement their place in the side while Fletcher would like to add India to their list of away series wins. Plenty of controversy surrounded Virender Sehwag in the last fortnight. Fortunately he looks like he has emerged from the situation stronger. He is disappointed about not playing in Mohali, but he is very much part of the squad and being among the boys will only help him focus better when he gets back into the team. He is part of the team drills, practices and meetings and everybody is with him as he copes with the fact that he will not be playing in the Test. Another good sign was that the boys were looking sharp and enthusiastic at the nets today. We have just returned from an exhausting and disheartening tour of South Africa. However, there are no signs of fatigue even among the senior players. Everybody looks determined to maintain our formidable record at home. We are not taking Nasser Hussain’s men lightly, but are sure that we will be more than a handful for them.
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New sponsor for series Chandigarh, December 2 The second Test will be played at Ahmedabad from December 11 to 15 while the last Test will be at Bangalore from December 19 to 23. |
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Lara only hurdle for Lanka Colombo, December 2 Trailing by 237 runs in the first innings, the West Indies recovered from losing two early wickets to reach 145 for two at the close with Brian Lara unbeaten on 76 and Ramnaresh Sarwan on 57. The pair have so far added 125 for the third wicket. Sri lanka, who lead 2-0 in the series, earlier declared on 627 for nine, their second highest total in Test cricket, with Hashan Tillakaratne cracking an unbeaten 204. Lara, the leading run-maker in the series with over 600 runs, survived a confident caught behind appeal at 42 off Muttiah Muralitharan to hit eight fours and a six in his innings which has so far lasted 153 minutes. The West Indies made a bad start to their second innings with Chaminda Vaas following up his seven wickets in the first innings by removing Chris Gayle for nought and Darren Ganga for 10 to reduce the tourists to 20 for two in the fifth over. Tillakaratne completed his first Test double century shortly before the declaration and batted for 538 minutes and faced 343 balls. Tillakaratne lost his overnight partner Tilan Samaraweera for 87 when he called him for a single and changed his mind leaving Samaraweera short of his crease as Gayle hit the stumps with a direct throw from mid-off. Samaraweera helped Tillakaratne add 165 for the sixth wicket which is a record for Sri Lanka against the West Indies. Scoreboard West Indies (Ist innings): 390 Sri Lanka (Ist innings): Atapattu c Gayle b Collins 4 Jayasuriya c Ramnarine b Black 85 Sangakkara c Gayle b Dillon 55 Jayawardene lbw b Dillon 39 Arnold c Jacobs b Hooper 65 Tillakaratne not out 204 Samaraweera run out 87 Vaas c Samuels b Collins 23 Zoysa b Hooper 10 Bandaratillake c Jacobs b Collins 25 Muralitharan not out 4 Extras (b-5 lb-14 nb-5 w-2) 26 Total (for 9 wkts, decl) 627 FOW: 1-5, 2-104, 3-179, 4-204, 5-345, 6-510, 7-550, 8-569, 9-611. Bowling: Dillon 46-9-131-2, Collins 47-4-156-3, Black 32-6-123-1, Ramnarine 17-3-51-0, Hooper 43-7-112-2, Gayle 10-1-28-0, Sarwan 2-0-7-0 West Indies (2nd innings): Ganga lbw b Vaas 10 Gayle c Jayawardene b Vaas 0 Sarwan not out 57 Lara not out 76 Extras (lb-1 nb-1) 2 Total (for 2 wickets) 145 FOW: 1-1, 2-20 Bowling: Vaas 10-1-32-2, Zoysa 7-1-32-0, Muralitharan 19-2-57-0, Samaraweera 7-2-21-0, Bandaratillake 2-0-2-0.
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Daniel Vettori’s spin keeps New Zealand on top Perth, December 2 But another champion slow bowler, Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, also shone - though with the bat - to block the Kiwis’ path to an easy victory in an enthralling encounter. Australia were all out right on stumps for 351, 183 runs behind New Zealand’s huge 534 for 9 declared, with two days left. In a thrilling finale to the innings, Warne was out for 99 - the sixth time a player has fallen just one run short of a century in a Perth Test. He fell when he lofted a ball from Vettori high to mid-wicket, where Mark Richardson held a spectacular catch. It would have been Warne’s first century in any form of first-class cricket. If there was disappointment for Warne, there was nothing but joy for Vettori, who finished with six for 87 from 34.4 overs, leaving his side with a real chance of forcing victory. New Zealand paid a substantial price for errors in the field which cost them the chance of forcing the follow-on. The first came early in the day when skipper Stephen Fleming, at first slip, failed to hang on to an overhead chance offered by Mark Waugh, then five, off Chris Martin. Waugh went on to complete a useful 42 before becoming the first of Vettori’s victims, with Shane Bond snapping up a smart catch just behind point. Then Warne was given two “lives” — at 10 and 51. Nathan Astle muffed a shoulder-high chance at second slip off paceman Bond, and fast bowler Chris Cairns put down a catch off his own bowling. Australia’s little left-hander Justin Langer, seeking a rare fourth century in successive Tests, was the only high-order batsman to hit his straps. He promised to reach his target as he moved to 75 before his luck ran out. He gloved a ball from Cairns to wicketkeeper Adam Parore, who made no mistake. Langer walked off without waiting for a verdict from Zimbabwe umpire Ian Robinson. New Zealand (1st innings): 534 for 9 decl Australia (1st innings) Hayden c Vincent b Bond 0 Langer c Parore b Cairns 75 Ponting c Parore b Martin 31 M. Waugh c Bond b Vettori 42 S. Waugh c Parore b Vettori 8 Martyn c Fleming b Cairns 60 Gilchrist c Richardson b Vettori 0 Warne c Richardson b Vettori 99 Lee c McMillan b Vettori 17 Gillespie c Parore b Vettori 0 McGrath not out 0 Extras (lb-2 nb-16 w-1) 19 Total 351 FOW: 1-3, 2-61, 3-122, 4-137, 5-191, 6-192, 7-270, 8-342, 9-346. Bowling: Cairns 23-5-86-2, Martin 23-4-88-1, Bond 18-2-74-1, Vettori 34.4-6-87-6, Astle 5-1-14-0.
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Viewers complain about Warne’s language
Perth, December 2 Leg-spinner Warne (32) who is the fifth-leading wicket-taker in Test history with 412 victims, was frustrated as New Zealand scored 534 for nine declared in their first innings. Cricket fan Chris rang a Melbourne newspaper to voice his disgust at Warne’s behaviour, Perth newspaper The Sunday Times said today. “He (Warne) had bowled the last ball of the over to (Adam) Parore and it beat the bat,” Chris was quoted as saying. “He was obviously frustrated and, when walking off, he left fly with ‘for f...’s sake’. “I think they kept the camera on him too long.” Four Kiwis, Stephen Fleming (105), Lou Vincent (104), Nathan Astle (156 not out) and wicketkeeper Parore (110) made centuries.
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Escude leads outsiders France to victory Melbourne, December 2 Nicolas Escude clinched the tie for France when he beat Wayne Arthurs — deputising for the injured Pat Rafter — 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the fifth match after Lleyton Hewitt had beaten Sebastien Grosjean in straight sets to square the tie at 2-2 and set up the decider. The French had gone into the final as rank outsiders on the specially-laid grass court at Melbourne Park, but played magnificently over the three days. However, their cause was helped by a bizarre gamble from the Australians that backfired on the hosts in the most spectacular fashion. Captain John Fitzgerald teamed Hewitt with Rafter for yesterday’s doubles in a last-minute switch, dropping established doubles pairing Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge. But the makeshift pair lost to Cedric Pioline and Fabrice Santoro, leaving the hosts trailing 1-2 and facing deep trouble. To compound Australia’s misery, former world No 1 Rafter, who had been due to play Escude in the deciding singles, had to pull out an hour before the start of the decider after aggravating an arm injury in that doubles, leaving journeyman Arthurs to carry Australia’s hopes. Escude, ranked 27th in the world, had never been beaten in Davis Cup singles coming into the final and continued his perfect record by beating world No 1 Hewitt in Friday’s opening match. The first two sets were decided by tie-breaks, after neither player was able to break their opponent’s serve, with Escude drawing first blood to win the first 7-3 and Arthurs taking the second 7-5 to draw level. Escude broke Arthurs for the first time in the fourth game of the third set and held his remaining service games to take a 2-1 lead. Both players had chances to break in the fourth set but again it was Escude who seized his opportunities, breaking an inconsolable Arthurs twice to win the last three games and seal a famous victory for France. Escude’s win gave France their ninth Davis Cup title, joining Britain in third place on the all-time list, behind the USA with 31 and Australia with 27. It also condemned Australia to their first defeat in a Davis Cup final at home since they lost to the USA at Adelaide in 1968. Australia beat France in the 1999 Davis Cup final in Nice and lost last year’s decider to Spain in Barcelona and were strong favourites to win this time. But history was against them after Friday’s singles were split 1-1 and they lost Saturday’s doubles, with only five teams having ever come back from 1-2 behind to win. Hewitt gave the home supporters some hope with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win over Grosjean to ensure the tie would at least come down to a decider.
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Punjab, Chandigarh
score easy wins Jalandhar, December 2 Punjab girls outclassed Himachal Pradesh 8-0. Punjab took an early lead as centre forward Mohan Davinder sounded the board from a beautiful pass by Rajwinder Kaur in the eighth minute. The duo of Rajwinder and Mohan Davinder once again struck, scoring in the 17th minute making it 2-0. Rajwinder consolidated the lead in the 19th minute, taking the score to 3-0. In the 22nd minute, Rajni Sanger converted a penalty corner to make it 4-0. The score kept increasing with regular attempts. The rest of the contributors were, Mohan Davinder in the 26th minute. Rajni Sanger in the 44th minute, Mohan Davinder again in the 51st minute and the final came from Rajwinder Kaur in the last minute. Jammu and Kashmir girls had a tough time defending their boundary against Chandigarh girls, who won 11-0 in the second match. The ball hardly entered Chandigarh’s half as Jammu and Kashmir got none while Chandigarh were awarded 13 penalty corners. Chandigarh opened their account in the second minute of the game through centre forward Parkash. Captain Anu Sonkar converted a penalty corner in the sixth minute to make it 2-0 for her team. In the very next minute Parkash once again scored from the right flank. The third penalty corner in the 14th minute was converted by right-in Nishi Chauhan to make it 4-0. In the 18th minute Ashrita Toppo scored followed by Parkash in the 37th minute and Sadhana in the 46th minute, Parkash again scored two in a row in 48th and 49 minutes taking the score to 9-0. Saba Anjum took advantage of the penalty corner in the 55th minute, while Nishi Chauhan scored in the dying minutes to complete the score line. |
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Delhi seamers wrest
initiative Amritsar, December 2 Technically correst Ravneet along with dashing Yuvraj Singh carried on their good works from the overnight score of 72 for one and added 114 runs to the total. Yuvraj was in punishing mood and attacked the Delhi bowlers. In one over of T.Anand, Yuvraj hit five fours and was eventually out at the stroke of lunch for 102 including 17 fours and one towering six with Ravneet giving him admirable support on the other end. Mongia joined Ravneet playing a watchful innings, both added 64 runs with later scoring his hundred with 17 fours. Dinesh Mongia and Pankaj Dharmani consolidated the good work done by Ravneet and Yuvraj. Delhi (I innings): 499 for 9 declared Punjab: Munish c Dhaiya b Bhandari 0, Ravneet Ricky lbw Bhandari 100, Yuvraj c Dhaiya b Bhandari 102, Mongia c Minhas b Arun 102, Dharmani c Dhaiya b Arun 47, Kakkar lbw Bhandari 0, Mahajan not out 5, Uniyal c Dhaiya b Bhandari 0, Gagandeep not out 3. Extras:
(23 no balls 2 leg byes) 25. Total: 385 for 7. Fall of wickets: 1/5, 2/186, 3/250, 4/371, 5/373, 6/379, 7/380. Bowling: Amit Bhandari 34-11-74-5, Arun Singh 36-9-103-2, T Anand 12-2-57-0, S. Rauf 3-0-19-0, Vivek Khurana 18-1-82-0, M. Minhas 5-0-34-0, G Gambhir 1-0-14-0. |
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Himachal takes Ist innings
lead Rohtak, December 2 Resuming their innings at 105 for four today, Haryana were all out 264 in reply to Himachal’s first innings score of 340. The highlight of third day’s play was the five-wicket haul by Himachal pacer Shakti Singh to complete 200 wickets in Ranji Trophy championship. He is the only bowler from Himachal Pradesh to reach this milestone. Shakti’s achievement overshadowed Ajay Ratra’s unbeaten 72 as Haryana unsuccessfully tried to deny a first innings lead to Himachal. Ratra batted for 245 minutes and hit 10 boundaries in his knock. At draw of stumps Himachal Pradesh were 108 for two. Rajiv Nayyar and Sangram Singh were batting on 26 and 39 respectively. HP (Ist innings): 340 Haryana (Ist innings): Jitender Singh c Ravi Kant b Sandeep Sharma 51, Chetan Sharma run out 14, Ishan Ganda c Chetan b Shakti Singh 0, Parinder c Sangram b Rajinder 4, Shafiq c Vishal b Shakti 29, Ajay Ratra not out 72, S. Vidhyut c Ravi Kant b Shakti Singh 11, Sumeet Narwal b Shakti 22, Amit Mishra c Nischal Gaur b Shakti 4, Gaurav Vashishta run out 18, S. Virmani lbw Nischal Gaur 9. Extras (b-12, lb-10, w-1, nb-7) 30. Total (all out in 92.6 overs) 264 Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-44, 3-54, 4-105, 5-118, 6-139, 7-180, 8-184, 9-229, 10-264. Bowling:
Shakti Singh 37-14-78-5, Sandeep Sharma 21-5-56-1, Rajinder 13-4-38-1, Vishal 14-4-35-0, V. Sharma 1-0-10-0, Amit Sharma 3-0-16-0, Nischal Gaur 4-0-9-1. HP (2nd innings): Nischal Gaur c Shafiq b Gaurav Vashishta 24, Sandeep Sharma c Ajay Ratra b S. Narwal 13, Rajiv Nayyar batting 26, Sangram Singh batting 39. Extras (3-b, lb-2) 6. Total (for 2 wickets) 108 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-56. Bowling: S. Narwal 7-1-30-1, S. Virmani 7-1-24-0, G. Vashishta 10-3-17-1, A. Mishra 9-4-15-0, S. Vidhyut 5-1-16-0. |
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Punjab Police in
semifinals Gidderbaha, December 2 Punjab Police dominated the proceeding from the word go in absence of any significant resistance from the Western Railway team, who well only in patches. Punjab Police took an earl lead of 14 points in the first quarter, which they kept on increasing. Parminder Sr who scored 21 points, was in unstoppable form. In another match the South Central Railway defeated aggressive Services. In the first two quarters, Services taking advantage of their speed, took a lead of 10 points as the score read 42-32. In the third quarter, the South Central Railway, who were playing well the half court strategy, changed tactics and started utilising their 7 ft player M.D. Isllauudin, to scored 19 points while Services could score only five to trail by four points. In the last quarter, both the teams started playing at their best and the match became a neck-and-neck contest. Both the teams exchanged leads witnessed levelled score at many occasions. In the last few minutes M.D. Isllauddin managed to get a lead of two points for his team but Services managed to go ahead by five points. But in the near end of game, South Central Railway players used maximum opportunities while Services failed to lose 62-67. Punjab Police will face Services in the semifinal while South Central Railway will meet TISCO in the other semifinal. In the womens section, Western Railway will clash with State Electricity Board, Kerala, while Southern Railway defeated Chandigarh 50-19 while Southern Railway managed an easy victory over Punjab 54-26. |
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