KOLKATA, Dec 1: Indian cricket board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya spoke to Virender Sehwag to console him ...............more

Denness heaves
a sigh of relief

LONDON, Dec 1: Mike Denness, the match referee whose controversial decisions triggered a cricket .............more

Services struggling at 149
for 5 against J&K in Ranji

NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Off-spinner Jagtar Singh grabbed three crucial wickets to leave Services struggling at.............more

Tillakaratne puts
Lanka in command

COLOMBO, Dec 1: Hashan Tillakaratne hit his ninth test century to put Sri Lanka in a commanding position.......more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 1: The State fencers, who have set Jammu and Kashmir’s flag flying high in the successive National Games.....more

National Games end amidst
camaraderie and bonhomie

LUDHIANA, Dec 1: Unity in diversity came to fore with players from different parts.......more

Akram denies Pak fixed
World Cup matches

KARACHI (Pakistan), Dec 1: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram denied allegations....more

Sehwag 15th man
for Mohali test

KOLKATA, Dec 1: Though kept out of the first test against England, Delhi’s Virender Sehwag.......more

Dalmiya explains to Sehwag about the BCCI decision

KOLKATA, Dec 1: Indian cricket board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya spoke to Virender Sehwag to console him f&127r the decision to drop him from the playing XI of the Mohali test as quid pro quo to resolve the crisis with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The BCCI chief asked Sehwag to proceed to Mohali with the team and practice with them. "I told him that we are not going to remove him from the team but an additional player will be added for the Mohali test," Dalmiya said.

Dalmiya called up the late last night and had a 15 minute talk explaining to him the circumstances leading to his exclusion from the Mohali test.

"I had a detailed(telephonic conversation with Sehwag last night and explained to him everything and I fell the boy understood the problem and appears to be alright", Dalmiya told PTI today.

He told Sehwag that for "all practical purposes he will be part of the team against England".

"I told him that he must be feeling bad about the decision but it was taken to save cricket and he (Sehwag) appears to have taken the decision sportingly and said he is solidly behind the board , Dalmiya said.

Dalmiya told Sehwag that he will be "adequately compensated financially and will receive match fee and other allowances like the rest of the team".

He however, hastened to add that financial compensation is not a big deal as a budding player like Sehwag would always like to perform in the field but it appears that "he Sehwag fully understood the circumstances leading to this decision".

The board chief also assured Sehwag about his return for the second test against England.

Sehwag was dropped for the Mohali test following an agreement reached with the ICC last evening to resolve the present impasse resulting from the harsh punishments given to six Indian players by ICC match referee Mike Denness and subsequent Indian protests.

ICC was insisting that Sehwag should not play the Mohali test following a one-match ban imposed on him by Denness as the third test between India and South Africa in which Sehwag did not play was an unofficial match. (PTI)

Denness heaves a sigh of relief

LONDON, Dec 1: Mike Denness, the match referee whose controversial decisions triggered a cricket controversy, expressed relief over the agreement between Indian cricket authorities and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Outside the circles of power, the overriding feeling among the English cricket players was one of relief with captain Nasser Hussain saying "we now want to talk about cricket. Media reports quoted him as having said in Chandigarh that "we have been here for almost three weeks andso far all that has been discussed is who is running the game and the future of this tour".

"I’m even more delighted that the game will go ahead and that cricket in the world will return to normalcy," said Denness reacting to yesterday’s agreement that would pave the way for holding the first test between India and England in Mohali after the Virendra Sehwag controversy was resolved.

Reacting to the decision to have a referees’ commission to investigate, among other things, his controversial decisions in South Africa, Denness said, "I have always said in my life, in business, or cricket that you should try to improve on what you have done. As I understand it, they (ICC) are going to review the whole system."

The "Guardian" said the deal was a victory for hard-nosed negotiations by the ICC, which refused to be intimidated by Dalmiya’s threats.

Noting that there is an "uneasy peace" now and the ICC has come out apparently unscathed, the newspaper said "that the BCCI, and in particular its volatile president Jagmohan Dilmiya, has been prepared at last to acknowledge the ban and so allow monday’s match to proceed with the official sanction of the ICC, represents a massive feather in the cap of the senior administrators of the world body and in particular its chief executive Malcolm Speed."

"Dalmiya has come off second best to a body of which he himself was once president and which has long been regarded as toothless. It has certainly grown some molars and a few incisors now," it said.

The paper noted that speed was clearly delighted that the game’s ruling body had not been seen to back down in the face of intimidation and that it had been vital for the good of the game, that it had not done so.

Commenting on the role of the two participants in the week’s events, "the Telegraph" said Speed has emerged the stronger", having shown Dalmiya, and others who might challenge the ICC’s right to govern, that he intends to lead the body with conviction.

The Telegraph also shared the Guardian’s assessment of Dalmiya coming out second-best saying "Dalmiya, alas, has come across as a puffed-up popinjay."

" To say that Sehwag had to be dropped for the Mohali match `in the larger interests of the game’ was to invite scorn," it noted. (PTI)

Services struggling at 149 for 5 against J&K in Ranji

NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Off-spinner Jagtar Singh grabbed three crucial wickets to leave Services struggling at 149 for five in their first innings in reply to Jammu and Kashmir’s 350 all out on the second day of the North Zone Ranji Trophy match here today.

A 61-run second wicket partnership between opener P M S Reddy (34) and Jasvir Singh (54) seemed to stabilise the Services innings after it suffered an early blow losing Krishan Chawda (1) in the second over. But Jagtar struck at crucial junctures and left Services fighting to avoid a follow-on.

Earlier, resuming at 237 for one, J and K’s hopes of putting up a massive first innings score were dashed as they managed to add just 127 before losing remaining nine wickets.

Kanwaljit Singh, unbeaten on 148 yesterday went on to complete a fine double century (206 runs off 370b, 20x4). But his attempts to stitch up partnerships failed as the remaining batsmen just folded up in the face of aggressive bowling by Sudhakar Ghag (four for 80) and Arun Sharma (three for 68).

It was fast bowler Surender Singh who drew the first blood for J and K when he trapped Krishan plumb in front with the score at 14. But Reddy and Jasvir managed to shrug off the impact of the early dismissal with a solid 61-run partnership.

But the association came to an end as Reddy played a wreckless shot off Jagtar to give a simple catch to Vijay Sharma at mid-off. Services slipped to 121 for five from a comfortable 75 for one as Jagtar sent back well-settled Jasvir Singh and Yashpal Singh (3) in quick succession.

Captain C D Thomson (13) and Sarabjeet Singh (22) were at the crease when stumps were drawn for the day. (PTI)

Tillakaratne puts Lanka in command

COLOMBO, Dec 1: Hashan Tillakaratne hit his ninth test century to put Sri Lanka in a commanding position on the third day of the third and final test against West Indies today.

Sri Lanka, leading the series 2-0, had piled up 477 for five wickets at the close in reply to West Indies first innings total of 390.

Tillakaratne, in his 100 test innings, limped his way to an unbeaten career best of 143 and was well supported by Russel Arnold (65) and Tilan Samaraweera (68 not out).

The left-hander, handicapped by a hamstring injury, produced a chanceless display of batting on a benign pitch as he overtook his previous test best of 136, made against India at the same venue three months ago.

It was his fourth hundred in seven tests since his comeback to international cricket four months ago and in four innings in the current series he has been dismissed only once in accumulating 362 runs.

He has so far occupied the crease for 358 minutes and faced 231 balls. Tillakaratne completed his second century of the series in style by straight driving Marlon Black for his 14th four shortly before the tea break.

Tillakaratne anchored the batting, sharing in stands of 141 with Arnold and an unbroken 132 with Samaraweera.

Arnold, without a fifty in his last 11 test innings, finally reached it in 174 minutes off 106 balls with four fours. But having moved on to 65 he provided Carl Hooper with his 100th test wicket, getting a thick edge on a cut to be caught behind by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

Samaraweera continued his run of success, completing his third test fifty in 156 minutes off 161 balls with three fours.

West Indies had limited success during the day. They captured a wicket in each of the first two sessions, but were denied any in the final when Tillakaratne and Samaraweera stamped their authority on the bowling.

Mervyn Dillon trapped Mahela Jayawardene LBW for 39 in the eight over of the morning and Arnold fell to Hooper in the afternoon session. (REUTERS)

They begged equipments from Punjab to win
three medals for JK
* IMA cadet Vikram masterminds J&K’s triumph in Fencing

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 1: The State fencers, who have set Jammu and Kashmir’s flag flying high in the successive National Games, had to beg the playing equipments from host Punjab team to clinch three bronze medals for Jammu and Kashmir in the National Games, which concluded in Punjab today.

However, credit for the three medals in the highest competitions of the country went to Vikram Singh, who won two crucial fights in the team events and won his third medal in individual. Vikram, who had last year won the same place, is at present undergoing training at Indian Military Academy, Pune.

Vikram won his bronze in the Sabre individual, by playing crucial role, winning his both the matches in Sabre and Foil team events. In Sabre, J&K defeated Kerala 2-0 ( Vikram and Rashid won respective matches), while in Foil event J&K outclassed Chandigarh 2-1 ( Vikram Singh and Sanjeev Suri won, while Rashid Ahmed lost) to claim third positions.

Since, at the national level fencers have to use electronics equipments during the match, which J&K State lacked, the team had to beg from Punjab for the modern swords and equipments, including chest and head guards.

This was stated by the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Amateur Fencing Association Mr M J Sharma, while taking to the newsmen here this evening. The team members, who helped in improving the State’s overall medal tally also talked to the newsmen and shared their experiences.

While, congratulating the teams, both in men (finished overall fourth) and women (overall fifth), Mr Sharma had all praise for the only fencing coach in the State, Shotu Lal, of State Sports Council, for bringing laurels to the State.

"Had our fencers been in possession of the electronic equipments, they would have certainly improved their performance and might have added another gold in the State’s medal tally", said the confident president.

Taking soft corner for the State Sports Council, he said, "during the last some time the State Sports Council has started taking interest in improving the infrastructure for the game, but not upto the expectations", adding, "no doubt we have been given equipments for practice, but these were ordinary one, what we need are electronic equipments fitted with monitory machines for accurate results".

General secretary of the Association, Vijay Sharma said that the game has started getting popularity among the people of Kashmir and Leh, while it is already being played in the districts of Kathua and Udhampur. "At present there are nearly 160 fencers, but we have set a target of

500 practicing fencers in the state in near future after introducing the game at Leh’’, said Mr Sharma. Besides this, the men in uniform in J&K Police and Border Security Force too have approached the association for introducing the game in their respective forces, he added.

However, doubting over the State Governments helping hand he pointed out that , "if not given proper inputs by the Government, we will lose our bearing".

Manager of the team Gourav Jamwal said, "we virtually begged from Punjab this time. In the Vikram’s individual Sabre event, he was at the verge of losing his fight when he failed to turn-up even after third call was announced by the table referee, the reason being he was waiting for Punjab boy to complete his fight to hand him over the equipments".

The team members were (Men) Vikram Singh, Sanjeev Suri, Rashid Ahmed, Lucky Singh, Anthony Mattoo and Ajit Singh, while in women, Deepshikha, Rutika Mahajan, Sanamika Bangotra, Rachna Jamwal and Harvinder Kour represented Jammu and Kashmir. Rajeev Sharma and Gourav Jamwal were managers and Shotu Lal of the State Sports Council was coach.