MUMBAI, Feb 10: Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi too, like his illustrious spin partner Erapalli Prasanna, says India can beat the ..........more

Pak to probe World
Cup allegations,
says ICC

MELBOURNE, Feb 10: Pakistan is to probe allegations of match-fixing during the 1999 World Cup........more

Steve Waugh

We can get better:
Steve Waugh

MELBOURNE Feb 10: Australia completed a world record-breaking home season but captain Steve ..........more

Mark Waugh tells ICC he
never met bookmaker Gupta

MELBOURNE, Feb 10: Australian batsman Mark Waugh today said he told International Cricket Council ......more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 10: Kulbushan Handa Cricket Club today defeated Trikuta Cricket Club by 15 runs in the .......more

Pt Tikka Lal Taploo
Memorial Cricket
Tourney begins

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 10: First Pt Tikka Lal Taploo Memorial Cricket Tournament organised by the Harmukh Cricket Club, Chandigarh started at Gursagar Cricket Stadium, Chandigarh, today.......more

Provincial level
Thang Ta Champ
begins

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 10: Two-day Provincial level Thang Ta Championship organised by the J&K Thang Ta Association began at Indoor Complex, M A Stadium, here today........more

Its an honour to
India, says Amritraj

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 10: One of world’s top tennis stars, Vijay Amritraj, who donned.......more

Bedi too feels India can beat the Aussies

MUMBAI, Feb 10: Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi too, like his illustrious spin partner Erapalli Prasanna, says India can beat the Australians in both test and one-day series during their 54-days tour of India.

Before leaving for Delhi, the left arm spin wizard, told PTI today: "I feel we can beat them provided we field better than the Australians. I think fielding will be the key".

Prasanna, who had the reputation of developing the science of off spin bowling into an art, had said yesterday that the Indian team was as strong as the Australian team and that an interesting duel was on the cards.

Bedi, who was here to play for the Cricket Club of India’s friendly match against Izingari team from United Kingdom, said "our batsmen should score runs quickly so that our bowlers have something to bowl at and with enough time on hand. Our boys should have a positive approach to the series".

"The forthcoming series is all about the mind game. It’s all in the mind. If we think and plan properly and then implement those plans, half the battle would be won and we should not be demoralised with the absence of leg spinner Anil Kumble as they too are without (fast bowler) Brett Lee, who could have caused problems to our batsmen," he said.

Bedi also said he would love to bowl to West Indian star batsman Brian Lara and see how he would have tackled him.

Always willing to teach the nuances of spin bowling to those eager to learn, Bedi gave valuable tips to essex spinner Michael Davis, who played for Izingari yesterday in the match which CCI XI won handsomely. (PTI)

Pak to probe World Cup allegations, says ICC

MELBOURNE, Feb 10: Pakistan is to probe allegations of match-fixing during the 1999 World Cup, International Cricket Council (ICC) president Malcom Gray said today.

"We have just had a report from Pakistan that a judicial inquiry will be carried out on two matches in the World Cup," gray told a news conference on Saturday.

Ali Bacher, president of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, said in June last year he had been told that Pakistan’s defeat by Bangladesh and the loss against India were fixed.

Bacher’s claim that former Pakistani umpire Javed Akhtar took money from an illegal bookmaker to influence a test between England and South Africa at Leeds in 1998 will also be investigated, Gray said.

England won the match, and with it the five-test series 2-1, although several of Akhtar’s eight leg-before decisions against South Africa were considered dubious at the time. (REUTERS)

We can get better: Steve Waugh

MELBOURNE Feb 10: Australia completed a world record-breaking home season but captain Steve Waugh was still not satisfied.

His side yesterday broke two more marks on their way to winning the second of their limited overs finals against West Indies by 39 runs.

Their innings of 338 for six was Australia’s best in a one-day match on home soil and Mark Waugh’s 173 broke an Australian record.

But Steve waugh said: "I still believe we can get better and play better cricket. Even though we have won every game, there’s plenty of room for improvement."

Australia beat West Indies 5-0 in the test series, extending their world record of test victories to 15 and then won all 10 of their limited over matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies in a Triangular Tournament.

Mark Waugh’s century surpassed Adam Gilchrist’s 154 against Sri Lanka in 1999.

Despite the run of success, Steve Waugh said he felt his side did not get the credit it deserved.

"I don’t think we got the credit we deserved for the way we played. These guys (West Indies) aren’t bad players and we saw that tonight," he said.

"You’ve got to put it in perspective. This is a pretty good Australian cricket side and the Windies have got some good players and so have Zimbabwe."

"It’s a big achievement. We probably don’t realise how big the achievement is but in time it will be recognised."

Australia will attempt to extend the record on their forthcoming three-test tour of India. They leave next week.

He said he felt sympathy for West Indies captain Jimmy Adams who was not only struggling for form with the bat but had little support around him.

"His side hasn’t played that well. I’m lucky I’ve got a very good side and I’m enjoying the captaincy," Waugh said.

Adams, who averaged 18.88 in the test series and 22 in the one-dayers, is expected to struggle to keep the captaincy for the home series in the Caribbean against South Africa.

But he said he could not fault the effort of his players.

"In the end 339 (to win) was quite a big ask. The lads went out and really gave it everything," Adams said.

"It’s been a pretty physically and mentally demanding 3-1/2 months and right now I’m more tired than anything else. Probably mentally it was a pretty difficult trip."

He declined to discuss the captaincy. (REUTERS)

Mark Waugh tells ICC he never met bookmaker Gupta

MELBOURNE, Feb 10: Australian batsman Mark Waugh today said he told International Cricket Council (ICC) investigators he had never met Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta, who is at the Centre of match-fixing allegations.

"Like I said, I denied the allegations when they first came out and that hasn’t changed," Waugh told reporters after his interview with a panel of three ICC and Australian Cricket Board (ACB) investigators at Melbourne’s Hilton hotel.

"I’ve met one bookmaker and that was John."

Waugh and teammate Shane Warne were fined in 1995 after admitting they had accepted money from a bookmaker identified only as John in 1994 in exchange for pitch and weather information.

"I’ve seen the photo of Gupta, yeah. I don’t know who’s in the photo."

Waugh met acb investigator Greg Melick and two members of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) for two hours and 20 minutes at the Hilton hotel on Saturday morning.

Indian bookmaker Gupta has said he paid 20,000 dollars to Waugh in exchange for information about the team and its tactics at a six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong in 1993.

Waugh was among nine non-Indian players, including former test captains Brian Lara, Alec Stewart and Martin Crowe, named in an Indian Central Bureau of Investigation report into match-fixing last year as having connections with bookmakers.

Waugh avoided the media scrum by staying at the Hilton hotel and meeting his lawyers while photographers waited outside the hotel for him to arrive.

"I was a little bit nervous but I was fine once I was in there. I answered all the questions that were asked of me, it was a friendly atmosphere and I’m glad it’s over," Waugh said.

Asked if that was the end of his name being raised in ACU investigations, he said:

"That’s not up to me, that’s up to the ICC."

Yesterday, he shrugged off the pressure of the investigation by making an Australian record of 173 off 148 balls as the home side beat the West Indies by 39 runs to sweep the limited overs finals series 2-0 and complete a 15-0 season in tests and limited overs matches.

Asked if he had cleared his name, he said wearily: "I answered all questions that were asked of me."

Melick refused to answer questions from reporters but said the ACB appreciated the fact that Waugh had been co-operative.

"But you all should be aware this is part of an ongoing

investigation taking place in many countries and the interview will be considered along with all others in part of the ongoing investigation,’’ Melick told reporters.

"There will be a full report coming when it’s finished. As for the timing of when it’s out, I can’t enlighten you, it will be some time yet."

Waugh will fly to India on Tuesday for Australia’s three-test tour there. Waugh, 35, the twin brother of Australia’s captain Steve Waugh, is a hot favourite to win the national player of the year award, the Allan Border medal, on Monday night. (REUTERS)

KHCC beat Trikuta by 15 runs in Challenger’s Cup Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Feb 10: Kulbushan Handa Cricket Club today defeated Trikuta Cricket Club by 15 runs in the ongoing Challenger’s Cup Cricket Tournament being played at Parade ground, here.

Batting first after winning the toss, Kulbushan Handa Club set a target of 177 runs losing all the wickets in 28.3 overs in the 30 overs match, which, in reply, Trikuta Club could not chase and bowled out for 161 in the 19th over.

Ashwani Gupta played confidently and scored 61 runs with the help of seven boundaries for Kulbushan Handa. While, Sunny, Shafiq and Sandy contributed 24, 28 and 14 runs respectively. For Trikuta Club, Punnu bowled well and bagged five wickets, while Goldy and Irshad took two and one respectively.

In reply, Raju played a sensible inning for Trikuta Club and contributed 37 runs with the help of four boundaries. The tale-enders could not resist and the whole side was bowled out for 161 runs. Pummy(29), Romy (17) and Irshad (14) were other batsmen who scored in double figure.

From Kulbushan Handa Club, Shahid and Anoop shared three wickets each, while Arun, Nishu and Ashwani bagged one.

Ashwani Gupta was declared as man of the match.

Tomorrow’s fixture: Shastri Cricket Club will take on Kulbushan Handa Cricket Club in the first quarter-final at 10 am.

Cops discouraging

sports activities

at Parade

In a first ever incident of its kind, the State Police officials at Police Control Room discouraged sports activities at the only sports field in the old city—the Parade ground, here.

Today, the organisers of the Challenger’s Cup Cricket Tournament were asked by these officials to shift their venue to some other place, so, that the vehicles parked in the ground, which is ment for sports activities, by the Police may not damage.

Not only this, they (police) played their undue role in disturbing the match by taking away the balls which during the matches fall inside the Police Control Room premises. The organisers had to face the wrath of the playing teams insisting for the same ball.

The organisers told EXCELSIOR that the Superintendent of Police has even threatened to fine them incase ball hit the window panes of the buses parked inside the play field.