India withdraw from
one-day series
against Australia

MELBOURNE, July 19: India have withdrawn from a three-match, one-day series against world champions Australia scheduled for September, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB)................more

Anil Kumble’s return to competitive cricket soon

BANGALORE, July 19: After an injury lay-off of several months, leg-spinner Anil Kumble will return to full-fledged competitive cricket later this month testing his fitness at the higher level of the game. .........more

Kournikova won’t
return until fully fit: Agent

PALO ALTO, (California), July 19: Anna Kournikova, who has been out of action since February because of a stress fracture in her left foot, will not play again until she is sure of her complete return to fitness, her agent said. .....more

Determined India to push monkey off their back

COLOMBO, July 19: Shrugging off the absence of the redoubtable Sachin Tendulkar, a determined India will strive to overcome the disappointments of recent past as they start their campaign in the one-day Triangular series with a day-night encounter against New Zealand here tomorrow. ......more

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 19: A grant of Rs. 1.29 crore was provided to various recognised and un-recognised sports associations during the past.........more

Hepatitis-B vaccination
camp for police players held

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, July 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Police today held a free Hepatitis-B vaccination camp for the police players of Jammu in the ......more

Gagandeep Singh Memorial day-night Cricket
Guru Harkishen Club wins
by 2 wkts in opening tie

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 19: Guru Harkishen Cricket Club, Indira Nagar defeated Young Star Club, Simbal by two wickets in the opening match of the Gagandeep Singh.....more

Inter Sub-command Fire
Services Sports meet held

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, July 19: Inter Sub-command competitions of the Fire Services held today at the fire station, Gandhi Nagar......more

India withdraw from one-day series against Australia

MELBOURNE, July 19: India have withdrawn from a three-match, one-day series against world champions Australia scheduled for September, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said today.

The ACB only finalised the series last month after lengthy negotiations.

Two of the matches were to be played under a closed roof at Melbourne’s Colonial Stadium on September 21 and 23 after the success of three games against South Africa at the stadium last year.

The third match against India was to be played in Brisbane on September 26.

The ACB said in a statement that it had received advice from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that India were no longer able to take part in the series.

"The president of the BCCI, Dr A C Mutiah, confirmed that India can no longer meet its commitments to the three-match tour after holding recent discussions with the Indian players and hearing their concerns about the team’s heavy workload," the ACB said.

ACB chief executive James Sutherland said: "Although we are disappointed at India’s final decision, I would hope that the ACB can continue to work with the BCCI to identify a suitable time in the future for India to come and take part in this series."

Australia’s captain Steve Waugh had expressed reservations about the tournament, particularly because the wives of three players —himself, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne — were expecting babies around the time of the series.

Australia are currently on a five-test ashes tour of England. The trip ends in late August.

Australia will host New Zealand for a three-test series starting in November, followed by a three-test series against South Africa and a Triangular one-day Tournament. (REUTERS)

Anil Kumble’s return to competitive cricket soon

BANGALORE, July 19: After an injury lay-off of several months, leg-spinner Anil Kumble will return to full-fledged competitive cricket later this month testing his fitness at the higher level of the game.

Kumble, out of cricketing action after his shoulder injury in January last, has been named captain of the Karnataka State Cricket Association XI in the KSCA diamond jubilee All India Invitation Tournament for Coromandel Cement Trophy here.

The tournament is scheduled to be played here between July 28 and August 15, is expected to give a clear picture on the status of his fitness. Test discards Venkatesh Prasad and Sunil Joshi are also part of the KSCA team.

Kumble earlier this month appeared in a match representing his Alma Mater Club young cricketers in the KSCA-Coca Cola Third Division League Tournament against Dooravani cricketers.

In that match, he had come up with figures of three for 49 as his team won by two runs in a thrilling encounter.

But Kumble, who had bagged 550 international wickets - 276 in tests and 274 in one-dayers - had then complained that the rhythm was not returning and the shoulder needed to cope with the strain.

He had said he expected to be fit well in time for the South African tour in October. "I don’t want to hurry things and have a relapse. I want to be 100 per cent sure". (PTI)

Kournikova won’t return until fully fit: Agent

PALO ALTO, (California), July 19: Anna Kournikova, who has been out of action since February because of a stress fracture in her left foot, will not play again until she is sure of her complete return to fitness, her agent said.

The Russian is scheduled to play at the Acura Classic in San Diego (July 30-August 5) and the Estyle Classic in Manhattan Beach (August 6-12). If she fails to return for those events, Kournikova will drop out of the world’s top 20 for the first time since March 1998.

But Phil De Picciotto, Kournikova’s agent, told Reuters yesterday: "She’s only 20 years old and there’s no reason to start playing again before she’s completely healthy."

"She does not want to risk a recurrence of the injury. There’s different degrees of severity with this type of injury. Only time heals it and we are not sure when she’ll be completely healed."

"She needs to take time to get back into top condition. That’s the priority. She has a long career ahead of her."

In nearly six years on tour, the talented yet erratic Kournikova has yet to win a singles title.

Kournikova is no longer wearing a plaster cast and is back on the practice courts in Florida, but her camp won’t say how hard she is able to train or give an approximate date for her return.

"Based on conversations with Anna Kournikova’s representatives it is unclear when she will return to the tour," Sanex WTA Tour Coo Josh Ripple told Reuters.

Kournikova hasn’t played since losing to Amelie Mauresmo in the quarter-finals of the Open De Gaz in Paris in February.

After the tournament, she suffered a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal in her left foot. The extent of the fracture has never been revealed, nor the type of treatment she has received.

Dr Anthony Saglimbeni, the Director of Medical Affairs at the Center for Sports Medicine at O’connor hospital in San Jose, California, said that in all probability she was suffering from a Jones fracture, which can take up to a year to heal.

"If she’s been out this long, it’s not a common stress fracture, which usually heals in four to six weeks," said Saglimbeni.

"Another reason for her being out this long is if she were an anorexic type and wasn’t getting enough calcium and good nutrition, which sometimes happens with young female athletes."

"But she’s obviously not anorexic. She appears to be fit. The injury is probably closer to her ankle, where there is restricted blood flow to the bone."

"The athlete can rest the injury and take weight off it until there is no pain and then start to play, or she can elect to have surgery, where they stick a pin into the foot, connect the bones and try to heal the injury faster."

"Kournikova could return in another two weeks or another six months." (REUTERS)

Determined India to push monkey off their back

COLOMBO, July 19: Shrugging off the absence of the redoubtable Sachin Tendulkar, a determined India will strive to overcome the disappointments of recent past as they start their campaign in the one-day Triangular series with a day-night encounter against New Zealand here tomorrow.

India have of late built up a rather dubious reputation -that of doing exceptionally well in the league matches but stumbling in the final.

This time around, without Tendulkar to fall back upon during the entire tournament, the going may be tougher in the run up to the final as well and the pressure will be greater on the batsmen.

The Indian team, which was expecting the maestro to join it before the final, received a rude jolt when Tendulkar yesterday ruled himself out of the Tri-series due to a hairline fracture in the right big toe.

The one most vulnerable to pressure could be dashing left-handed opener Amay Khurasia who has the uneviable task of filling in for the master blaster as skipper Saurav Ganguly’s opening partner.

Ganguly, thankfully back in form with a couple of half centuries in the one-dayers in Zimbabwe and in full flow in yesterday’s warm-up game against Sri Lanka ‘A’ with an unbeaten 74 off 58 balls peppered with five sixes, will be expected to lead by example.

Support for Ganguly must come from V V S Laxman, who has not been able to get big scores after the series against Australia, and the ever-dependable Rahul Dravid.

The latter was also in good nick in the practice game with a well-struck 59 but the other batsmen, especially Virendra Sehwag and Hemang Badani need to bridge a widening gap between potential and performance.

India’s bowling will have to revolve around left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan and off-spin sensation Harbhajan Singh. The team management may opt for a second spinner by inducting Rahul Sanghvi, given the sluggish nature of the wicket here.

Zaheer Khan took four wickets in yesterday’s practice match and his fast bowling partners could be any two from among Debashis Mohanty, Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra.

All-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who shared an 84-run partnership with his skipper yesterday and impressed with the bat in Zimbabwe, and wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe can be expected to provide solidity to the late middle-order which often appears fragile once the top four batsmen are out.

New Zealand, who lost the opening one-dayer to Sri Lanka on a slow wicket yesterday by 16 runs, will be looking for a breakthrough in a tournament they know will be tougher for them than for the hosts Sri Lanka and India.

Openers Nathan Astle and Mathew Sinclair, who were out cheaply early in the innings yesterday, will have to lay a better foundation for skipper Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan to build on. But both these batsmen have often been overshadowed by the experienced Chris Harris and Adam Parore.

The Kiwis’ pacemen Daryl Tuffey and and Kyle Mills have revealed the ability to bowl a tidy length and a steady line close to the batsmen and the Indian openers have to be wary of relying on the width to score their runs.

With Harris known for conceding very few runs and left-arm orthodox spinner Daniel Vettori evolving into an expert practioner of his genre, India can expect a slowdown in the run rate in the middle overs.

The Kiwis did not want to induct Dion Nash immediately after he recovered from injury, preferring to retain Mills and Jacob Oram for yesterday’s match. But he may be back tomorrow.

Teams (from):

India: Saurav Ganguly (Capt), Rahul Dravid, Amay Khurasia, V V S Laxman, R S Sodhi, Sameer Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Hemang Badani, Virendra Sehwag, Debashis Mohanty, Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar and Rahul Sanghvi.

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (Capt), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Craig McMillan, Chris Harris, Adam Parore, Lou Vincent, Daniel Vettori, Dion Nash, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Kyle Mills, Grand Bradburn and James Franklin. (PTI)

Sports Council grants over Rs 1 crore
to Sports Associations

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 19: A grant of Rs. 1.29 crore was provided to various recognised and un-recognised sports associations during the past four years by the J&K State Sports Council. Of these Rs. 27.91 lakh were provided during the year 1997-98, Rs. 29.86 lakh in 1998-99, Rs. 25.97 lakh during 1999-2000 and Rs. 45.94 lakh during the last financial year.

According to the Secretary, J&K State Sports Council, Shiekh Fazal Ahmed full financial assistance was provided to all the recognised sports associations for conducting district and State level sports activities and for fielding the State teams in National, Zonal championship, Federation Cup and National events.

At present there are 38 Sports Associations recognised in various disciplines by the Sports council, while applications in respect of 33 associations are under examination for grant of recognition.

The State Sports Council has so far established 13 coaching centres in various districts, which are equipped with consumable sports gear including equipments of non-expendable nature to train sports persons in various games. Skilled personnel in various sports are also employed to train the budding youth of the State.

The objective of these centres is to provide basic training facilities in various sports disciplines besides creating recreational facilities, fitness conciseness and installing of positive attitude and behaviour among sports persons.

Promising male and female players identified during tournaments are put through special coaching camps in these coaching centres for representing the State in National level championships. Generally the duration of such regional coaching camps is 21 days where rigorous training and exercise is imparted by the instructors.

The council also plans to establish a District Coaching Centre in all the remaining districts soon after the required infrastructure is ready in the districts. At present such coaching centres are functioning at Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore, Bandipore, Uri, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Kathua.

Besides, this the J&K State Sports Council is also providing sports equipments to sports clubs in far-flung areas