|
|
Injury problems for COLOMBO, July 17: India, New Zealand and hosts Sri Lanka all head into a Triangular one-day Tournament starting tomorrow with their fair share of injury problems. Sri Lanka, who start favourites in their own backyard, suffered a setback yesterday when left-arm paceman Nuwan Zoysa was ruled out with a stress fracture in his left ankle................more Joshna
Chinappa, MUMBAI, July 17: National champion Joshna Chinappa and her Indian compatriot Vaidehi Reddy recorded contrasting wins on way to the third .........more NSW player suffers SYDNEY, July 17: Australian cricketer Corey Richards suffered a potentially fatal "economy class .....more Former team mates DURBAN, July 17: Some of Hansie Cronje’s former South Africa team mates have voiced their......more |
|
Majalta Dangal Committee honours DySP
Samba Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, July 17: Dangal Committee, Majalta honoured Mr Sewa Singh Mankotian, DySP Samba, for his dedication and contribution towards the promotion of traditional game........more Trekking
group return from Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, July 17: A 40-member group of Tawi Trekkers, comprising of 20 members from West Zone branch of Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and 20 local trekkers, returned after successfully......more Federation Cup SYDNEY, July 17: Australia, aiming for their first finals appearance in eight years, have said that they .....more Enormous pressure DORTMUND, July 17: Tucked away in the lower half of a points table at the midway stage of the......more |
 |
|
Injury problems for teams ahead of Tri-series COLOMBO, July 17: India, New Zealand and hosts Sri Lanka all head into a Triangular one-day Tournament starting tomorrow with their fair share of injury problems. Sri Lanka, who start favourites in their own backyard, suffered a setback yesterday when left-arm paceman Nuwan Zoysa was ruled out with a stress fracture in his left ankle. Sri Lankan Cricket Board officials say the injury could put Zoysa out of action for almost two months and that he may also miss the three-test series against India starting on August 14. Zoysa has been replaced in the 15-man squad by paceman Dinusha Fernando. But Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya was unperturbed. "We have to concentrate on the cricket," he said on Monday. "It’s going to be a tough series, there is no guarantee of victory at an event like this. We are going to play hard against New Zealand and India." The New Zealanders, who arrived three days ago from a severe winter and sub-zero temperatures at home, will have to brave stifling heat and humidity when they take on the hosts in the opening day-night game at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium. Kiwis strengthened The Kiwis have been strengthened by the return of all-rounder Dion Nash and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori after almost a year away from international cricket because of back injuries. The pair took a wicket each as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka a on Monday, but they are still not a hundred percent fit. The team management is not sure when Nash will be ready to play, having described his progress as a slow day-to-day process. But they have said he will be in the team at some stage in the tournament. New Zealand are also without all-rounder Chris Cairns, who is still recovering after a knee operation in February. "You take out Chris from a side and it’s a completely different team. It’s very tough for us to fill in that gap," said New Zealand coach David Trist earlier this week. But skipper Stephen Fleming is hopeful that the younger players will make a major contribution to the side. "We hope the younger members of our team, who did well in the summer, will put in some good performances," he said. Under pressure India are perhaps the team most under pressure to win after their seventh straight final loss in one-day tournaments, against West Indies in a Tri-series event in Zimbabwe earlier this month. The defeat came after they had won all four round-robin games to reach the final as favourites. Their worst final losses over the last three years have also come against the Kiwis and the Lankans. They lost in the final of the ICC Knockout Cup in Kenya to New Zealand late last year after having knocked out Australia earlier in the tournament, and were bowled out for a paltry 54 by Sri Lanka in a Tri-series final at Sharjah soon after. India’s biggest worry going into the tournament is the absence of batsman Sachin Tendulkar for the major part of the round robin phase. Captain Saurav Ganguly said on Monday that Tendulkar, who is nursing a foot injury, would join the squad in time for India’s match against the hosts on July 28. Indian cricket officials had said last week he may not be available until August 2, when India meet New Zealand in their final round-robin game. "He is a great player. We will miss him," Ganguly said. India start their campaign against New Zealand on July 20. The final is scheduled for August 5. Squads: Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Dharmasena, Kumar Sangakkara, Avishka Gunawardene, Dinusha Fernando, Dilhara Fernando, Suresh Perera, Chamara Silva, Dulip Liyanage. New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Bathan Astle, Grant Bradburn, James Franklin, Chris Harris, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Dion Nash, Jacob Oram, Adam Parore, Matthew Sinclair, Darryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent. India: Saurav Ganguly (Captain), Amay Khurasiya, Rahul Dravid, Vangipurappu Laxman, Hemang Badani, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Sameer Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Debasish Mohanty, Rahul Sanghvi. (REUTERS) |
|
Joshna Chinappa, Vaidehi Reddy keep up winning streak MUMBAI, July 17: National champion Joshna Chinappa and her Indian compatriot Vaidehi Reddy recorded contrasting wins on way to the third round of the Ninth World Junior Women’s Squash Championship at Penang yesterday. Chennai based Joshna and Vaidehi accounted for players who were seeded in the nine to sixteen bracket. Joshna needed just 27 minutes to send Denmark’s Dagmar Feddern packing 6-9 9-3 9-0 9-4 while Vaidehi took 39 minutes to pip Milja Dorenbos of Netherlands 10-9 9-6 8-10 9-4, according to information received here today. The third Indian in the fray, Mumbai based Supriya Balsekar went down fighting 9-10 4-9 5-9 to Frances Ho of Hong Kong in 28 minutes. In the next round the two Indian girls have unseeded Aussies as their opponents. Vaidehi takes on felicity Goodall while Joshna plays Kasey Brown. (PTI) |
|
NSW player suffers deep vein thrombosis after air flight SYDNEY, July 17: Australian cricketer Corey Richards suffered a potentially fatal "economy class syndrome" blood clot on a recent long-haul flight home from Britain, he said today. Richards, who plays for New South Wales State, said he had felt pain and tightness in his left calf after flying home to recuperate from a broken finger suffered while playing for a year in the scottish national league,. "Following specialist medical investigation Richards was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis," cricket New South Wales said in a statement. An Australian law firm launched suits earlier today seeking damages from three international airlines over clots they say were suffered by passengers on long flights. British woman Emma Christofferson died last October from a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Her death sparked worldwide publicity and many airlines have since begun printing pamphlets warning of the dangers of dvt and showing passengers videos of suitable in-flight exercises. DVT suffered by airline passengers has not been closely studied. Airlines say it is not caused directly by air travel and that blood clots can also form during long periods of immobility in cars, trains and hospital beds. Some researchers say the pressure in aircraft cabins and cramped conditions can aggravate the formation of blood clots. Richards said he is being treated daily with anti-coagulants but was not yet able to resume training for the Australian domestic season which begins in October. "The DVT recovery programme requires that I minimise the risk of cuts or bruises, which means no bat and ball activity for the moment," the 25-year-old batsman said in a statement. (REUTERS) |
|
Former team mates support Hansie Cronje return DURBAN, July 17: Some of Hansie Cronje’s former South Africa team mates have voiced their support for the former captain’s possible return to the game. The United Cricket Board (UCB) banned Cronje from cricket at all levels under its auspices for his involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked cricket last year. The former South Africa captain is due to fight the ban in the Pretoria High Court from September 26 to 28. Cronje lawyer Les Sackstein said on Monday his client would not play first-class cricket again if the ban was overturned, but that he was interested in coaching and commentating. Former test fast bowler Fanie De Villiers today told Reuters that he felt Cronje had been punished enough. Asked whether he felt Cronje should be permitted to coach, De Villiers said, "before you ask that question you’ve got to ask whether he’s paid enough for what he’s done — I think he has. To lose your integrity is one thing, but to be cut out of society is something else. "I think the price he’s paid has been massive, and if the other guys who have been involved in this sort of thing could have seen what has happened to hansie, they would never have done it." Commentator Kepler Wessels, Cronje’s predecessor as South Africa captain, said he would have no objection to a Cronje comeback. "If you are coaching a side you’ve got a very close involvement with them and there’s no real difference between coaching and playing," Wessels told Reuters. "I wouldn’t have any problem with him coaching or commentating, and I wouldn’t have a problem in commentating with him." Former South Africa wicketkeeper Dave Richardson, now a lawyer, was more cautious on Cronje returning to cricket. "I don’t think we should be trying to make a differentiation between coaching and playing because there really isn’t one, certainly within terms of the ban," Richardson told Reuters. "The differentiation we should be making is the level at which he does either (coaching or playing). I can’t say where that level should be drawn - that is up to the UCB." One of South Africa’s leading authorities on school sport says Cronje would be welcome to coach in the country’s schools if his life ban was overturned. "Hansie would undoubtedly have a lot to offer - he has so much experience that it would a shame not to use it," Amien Dharsey, deputy president of the United School Sports Association of South Africa (USSASA) told Reuters on Tuesday. "We are an official affiliate of the United Cricket Board (UCB) so of course we respect the ban that is in place, but should he be cleared then we would hope he could offer the children of the country the benefit of his skill and experience," Dharsey said. "South Africa is a young democracy and we have come through a terrible period of our history. It is very unfortunate what Hansie did and what happened to him, but are we going to crucify him for it? if he is cleared then he deserves a second chance." "If I took cronje to coach in (former townships) Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s plain then he would be still be recognised as a great cricketer, a man they used to idolise — not as a match fixer," Dharsey said. He added that any objections would be most likely to come from parents. "If the life ban was lifted, and he coached in schools, then a parent might object. We would have to look at that very carefully and objectively. But the parent would be free to withdraw their child if they were not happy. Equally parents would be free to hire him privately as a coach outside our jurisdiction," Dharsey said. (REUTERS) |
|
Majalta Dangal Committee honours DySP Samba Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, July 17: Dangal Committee, Majalta honoured Mr Sewa Singh Mankotian, DySP Samba, for his dedication and contribution towards the promotion of traditional game of Dangal, particularly in Majalta area of Udhampur district. Sewa Singh, who belongs to Majalta, was felicitated during the 10th Annual Majalta Kesari Vishal Dangal by Mr Shiv Kumar Sharma, treasurer Indian Style Wrestling Association and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Indian Style Wrestling Association. Others, who were present in the felicitation function were Capt. Anant Ram, chairman and Kuldeep Singh, secretary, besides, Gouri Singh and Lochan Singh of Majalta Dangal Committee. Mr Shiv Kumar Sharma, who was special invitee on the occasion, said that such dangals are heritage of Majalta and its surrounding villages and are being organised every year by the locals through the organising committee. He said that J&K has no dearth of talent in wrestling, provided they get exposure at the national level. |
|
Trekking group return from expedition in Dhauladhar Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, July 17: A 40-member group of Tawi Trekkers, comprising of 20 members from West Zone branch of Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and 20 local trekkers, returned after successfully undertaking a trekking expedition in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas. The trekkers trekked from Dalhousie to Chamba via Kalatop, Khajjiar and Jot and covered a total distance of around 40 kilometers in three days. As per the general secretary of the Tawi Trekkers, Mr Ram Khajuria, who was one of the members of the group, said that the mountains were covered with mist and the West Zone members were thrilled to walk through the clouds. Earlier on the arrival from Aurangabad, the group that included West Zone secretary, Rajesh Mukhi, was given a warm reception at Pathankot by the reception committee comprised of Sumant Singh Jamwal, Ram Khajuria, president and general secretary of the Tawi Trekkers respectively, Dr S K Badyal, Amit Khajuria, Dr Avineet Syal, Narinder Singh, Sanjeev Sharma, Mrs Nandini Khajuria, Mrs Uma Jamwal, Sonam Sidharth and Ms Arohi Badyal. The expedition was conducted in cooperation with J&K State Sports Council, Mountaineering Association of J&K and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu. |
|
Federation Cup SYDNEY, July 17: Australia, aiming for their first finals appearance in eight years, have said that they will not underestimate their lowly-ranked Swiss Fed Cup opponents. Australia go into the July 21-22 tie against Switzerland on the grass courts at the Royal Sydney Golf Club with the same line-up of Rachel McQuillan, Evie Dominikovic, Alicia Molik and Nicole Pratt which demolished Austria 5-0 in April. The Swiss have come to Australia without their two highest ranked players — world number one Martina Hingis and Patty Schnyder (33) — leaving the home side to face the unheralded baseline trio of Alienor Tricerri and sisters Daniela and Myriam Casanova. Tricerri is their highest ranked player at 401 in the world, with the teenage Casanova sisters ranked around the 500s. Australian captain Lesley Bowrey said she would be reminding her players of the Fed Cup quarter-finals in 1998, when a team of inexperienced Russian youngsters beat Australia 3-2 on grass at home. "I don’t think you can underestimate their team. If you go back, we played the Russians in Perth and we lost to them and they had a similar type ranking," Bowrey told reporters on Tuesday. "I think we have learnt our lesson from that. They hit a good ball, they will be very eager," she said of the Swiss. Pratt is Australia’s lowest ranked player at 77 in the world. According to the WTA tour, Molik, Pratt and Dominikovic are ranked in the top 30 grasscourt players on the women’s tour. Australia are looking for their first Fed Cup final since they were beaten 3-0 by Spain in 1993. They last won the Fed Cup in 1974 after defeating the United States 2-1 in Italy with a team of Evonne Goolagong, Janet Young and Dianne Fromholtz. Australia and Switzerland have met twice before in the Fed Cup with one win apiece. (REUTERS) |
|
Enormous pressure on Anand on and off the board DORTMUND, July 17: Tucked away in the lower half of a points table at the midway stage of the year’s strongest Grandmaster Chess Tournament is hardly a familiar place for the Fide World Champion, Vishwanathan Anand. Yet that is where he is after five rounds of the Sparkassen Dortmund Chess meeting 2001 here. Anand with four draws and no wins, but one sore mark in the form of a loss against the Bulgarian Veselin Topalov shares the fourth place out of six players. And his arch-rival Vladimir Kramnik, who seems to be having a fairly good tournament is clearly ahead with 3.5 points, which includes two fine wins and three draws. There is the feeling that Anand’s heart is not in this tournament. Maybe even when the event started last week, Anand was less than 100 per cent into it. Events off the board could well have contributed to his lack of interest or disenchantment. But to his credit, he has not allowed it to show. And outwardly, he has continued to maintain a optimistic demeanour. "There is still one more half to go," he contented. To some extent, when a player on the threshold of breaking the 2800 barrier - his latest rating has been revised from 2794 to 2797 -says that one has to believe it. But the events of Sunday and the days leading up to it could hardly have been soothing for Anand. The braingames announcement on their challenger cycle for next year to find a challenger to their BGN World champion Kramnik, may have been unsettling for the Indian. Add to that the loss to Topalov, who has been in terrific form and his preparations are showing results. Also Anand has been unable to find the kind of form he is known for. The BGN announcement, while admitting that Garry Kasparov and Anand are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack - of course, with the exception of champion Kramnik - said the world’s no. 1 and 3 rated players will have to go through a qualifier. The candidates event will decide who will meet Kramnik in a title match scheduled to be held in Bahrain for a purse of "not less than two million pounds" according to the bgn representative, Raymond Keene, an english GM and former Dortmund champion in 1980. There are two questions: will Kasparov and Anand agree? Kasparov for one, wants a direct re-match with Kramnik, and Anand for his part is justified in seeing himself as the official fide world champion. BGN may have organised the title match between Kasparov and Kramnik in 2000 in London, but it is still only a breakway body, which has conducted all of one title match under its banner. For Anand to accept to play in this event would mean devaluing his own title and that certainly would not be acceptable to him, not for any amount of money. Having won the title after a fair World Championships, in which Kasparov and Kramnik, by their free will, did not participate, Anand has the right to see himself as a true world champion. He has not had any press conferences, made no statements - it just not the style of the man - but he has made it abundantly clear that he is not going to play in Dortmund next year, if it is a qualifier for braingames cycle. That’s it. "How can I be expected to do that. Will anyone in my place accept it," he asks pointedly. And there is silence to remark. He has not shied away from the question, but has not gone to town shouting the answer. The answer is as obvious as the question and that’s that. Yet, it is abundantly clear that the pressure is on anand. Even though there is every likelihood of Kasparov thundering in his refusal, too, but right now it is Anand who is in the midst of a category 21 event. So it is hardly fair. The Dortmund 2001 resumes tomorrow after a rest day. Anand has white against Morozevich. Kramnik, too, has white against Topalov and Leko has the dark coloured pieces against Adams. Points (after five rounds): Vladimir Kramnik (Rus) 3.5 Peter Leko (Hun) and Veselin Topalov (Bul) 3 each Anand (Ind) and Morozevich 2 each Adams (Eng) 1.5. (UNI) |
|
| home | state | national | business | editorial | advertisement | sports |
