NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh and Anil Kumble are .....more

Azhar tops batting averages, Tendulkar heads bowling list

NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Mohammed Azharuddin, who scored a classic century waging a lonely battle in the second innings of the second test against South ......more

Rao bags gold, India clinch four medals

NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Flyweight Srinivas Rao overcame formidable opposition to win the title as Indian boxers put up a fine show to claim a .....more

State Hero’s Memorial
Hockey Tourney
from March 10

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Hockey Association is holding the State Hero’s Memorial Hockey Tournament from March 10 at K K Hakhu Stadium, here........more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 7: Mr R K Kohli, the former vice-president of the Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) had also attended th......more

J&K to participate
in Junior National
Ball Badminton Champ

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 7: Jammu and Kashmir Ball Badminton Association is sending its teams in both girls and boys for participation in the 45th.......more

MBA beat MCA by
39 runs in Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 7: The students of Master of Business Administration (MBA) defeated the students of Master of Computer Sciences(MCA) by.......more

Daily wagers call on Adm
Officer J&K Sports Council

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 7: The daily wagers working with the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council today called on the Administrative......more

Asia XI vs Rest of the World
Sachin, Jadeja, Kumble among 4 Indians to play
under Akram

NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh and Anil Kumble are the four Indians chosen in the Wasim Akram-led Asia XI that will take on the rest of the World XI under Brian Lara in a one-day tie at Dhaka on April 8 as part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket week celebrations.

Announcing the two 12-member teams, ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya told a press conference that the game will be the highlight of the ICC cricketnext.Com cricket week 2000 to run from April 2 to 9.

The teams were chosen by a panel of distinguished former players, India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Chappell of Australia, England’s Tony Greig, Mike Proctor of South Africa and Asif Iqbal of Pakistan here today.

Dalmiya said an all stars XI will be chosen by another nine member panel that includes former greats Gary Sobers of the West Indies and yesteryear Aussie batting legend Neil Harvey, South Africa’s Barry Richards and India’s Bishan Singh Bedi and announced tomorrow.

The ICC chief said the entire deliberations of the two selection committees have been filmed and will be televised during the celebrations and was expect to be an interesting programme.

The Asian XI has five players from Pakistan, four from India and three others from Sri Lanka while the rest of the World XI comprises three each from Australia and South Africa, two each from the West Indies and New Zealand besides one each from Zimbabwe and England.

Dalmiya said the All Stars XI was being chosen as a recognition to the cricketers. But 1975, when the first World Cup was held, was the cut off year to ensure that all those under consideration have been watched by the selectors to make it fair to all.

The other selection committee members for the all stars XI are John Reid of New Zealand, former England test umpire Dicky Bird, Sri Lanka’s Duleep Mendis, Pakistan’s Mushtaq Mohammad and Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe. Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri will be the moderator of the panel, Dalmiya said.

The ICC chief said tour Australian players, skipper Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were not available. Waugh has been advised rest for a hamstring strain and Ponting was out with an ankle injury while Warne and McGrath have opted out citing personal reasons.

Asked whether Lara, who has quit as skipper and announced his decision to take a sabbatical from the game, will play, Dalmiya said the player was expected though a list of three stand-byes has also been drawn up for both teams.

Asia XI: Wasim Akram (Pak - Capt), Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri-vice-capt), Moin Khan (Pak-wk), Saeed Aawar (Pak), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Aravinda De Silva (Sri), Ajay Jadeja (Ind), Abdur Razzaq (Pak), Robin Singh (Ind), Anil Kumble (Ind), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri) and Shoaib Akhtar (Pak).

Rest of the world XI: Brian Lara (WI-Capt), Mark Waugh (aus-vice-capt), Adam gilchrist (aus-wk), Jacques Kallis (sa), michael bevan (Aus), Neil Johnson (Zim), Lance Klusener (SA), Chris Cairns (NZ), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Curtly Ambrose (WI), Allan Donald (SA), Andrew Caddick (Eng). (PTI)

Azhar tops batting averages, Tendulkar heads bowling list

NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Mohammed Azharuddin, who scored a classic century waging a lonely battle in the second innings of the second test against South Africa, heads the batting averages for India for the just concluded two-test series which the hosts lost 0-2.

Sachin Tendulkar tops the bowling averages.

Azharuddin, who missed the first test due to injury, aggregated 111 runs in the two innings of the second test. However, Tendulkar, who took three wickets in the first innings of the first test, averaged 15.66 to top the bowling averages ahead of Kumble (21.75).

Srinath (31.00), with four wickets, and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik (33.50), with six wickets, stood third and fourth, respectively.

For South Africa, man of the series Jacques Kallis heads the batting averages with 68.00 while skipper Hansie Cronje conceded 14 runs per wicket to top the bowling averages.

Daryll Cullinan, who played just one innings and made 53, is second in the batting list followed by Gary Kirsten (49.66), Nicky Boje (44.50) and Lance Klusener (43.66).

Herschelle Gibbs (32.33) and Mark Boucher (22.50) also had a decent series.

Cronje, who had a poor series with the bat, averaging just 8.00, made up with some tidy bowling, picking up six wickets at an average of 14.00 to head the bowling list ahead of Shaun Pollock (14.77), Boje (15.71), Kallis (15.80) and Allan Donald (19.00).

All-rounder Pollock was the top wicket-taker for the visitors with nine scalps from four innings. (PTI)

Rao bags gold, India clinch four medals

NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Flyweight Srinivas Rao overcame formidable opposition to win the title as Indian boxers put up a fine show to claim a haul of one gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the Grand Prix 2000 Tournament held at Usti Nad Labem in the Czech Republic from March 2 to 6.

Srinivas Rao won a 6-4 points victory over his Thai rival in the final after scoring an overwhelming 9-0 points verdict over Batyra Bajevaman of Kazakhstan in the last four, an Indian Amateur Boxing Federation release said here.

Featherweight Ramanand, who just missed out on making it to the Sydney Games at the Seoul qualifying event in January, took silver and lightfly S Suresh Singh and middleweight Jitender Kumar - who have both qualified for the olympics -won bronze medals.

India fielded seven boxers in the tournament which had a strong presence from powerhouses Cuba, Russia and Germany besides Poland, Romania, Canada, Italy, Slovakia, Thailand, the Philippines, Kazakhstan and the hosts.

But Asian Games Bantamweight gold medallist NG Dingko Singh failed to make it to the medals bracket after losing a close quarterfinal bout, lightwelter K Sanjit Singh and lightheavy Gurcharan, who won gold in the Seoul qualifier, also making their exit at the last eight stage.

The Indian boxers also underwent a 12-day training camp with the Czech Republic national team to learn the nuances of the European style.

India have earned three olympic berths through Gurcharan, Jitender and Suresh and will look for more in the third and final qualifier at Bangkok from April 1 to 7. (PTI)

Kohli also attends JKFA meeting

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 7: Mr R K Kohli, the former vice-president of the Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) had also attended the yesterday’s emergency meeting of the JKFA.

He also gave his views with regard to the disciplinary action against the Vijay Club and its player, who beaten up DFA, Sopore forward on the field during a match.