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Ranatunga
could face COLOMBO, Mar 6: Sri Lankan cricketing legend Arjuna Ranatunga could face arrest.......more
Patrick
Rafter fights DELRAY BEACH (US), Mar 6: Top seed Patrick Rafter needed two hours to finally..........more Norman,
Enqvist advance SCOTTSDALE (US), Mar 6: Magnus Norman, seeking a return to top form, and fellow Swede Thomas ....more |
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Gulbadhan Singh Memorial Cricket final on Mar 8 Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 6: The final of the 2nd Amar Shaheed Gulbadhan Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament will be played on March 8 at the BJD grounds, Paloura, here........more Australia amass 413 for 8 NEW DELHI, Mar 6: Skipper Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting piled up centuries.....more Ganguly should MUMBAI, Mar 6: Former national coach Anshuman Gaekwad today said skipper.....more Lanka announces COLOMBO, Mar 6: Sri Lanka today announced its squad to play the .......more Media
overreact to SYDNEY, Mar 6: Australian test cricketer Michael Slater said today that Australian media.....more |
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Ranatunga could face arrest for assault COLOMBO, Mar 6: Sri Lankan cricketing legend Arjuna Ranatunga could face arrest on his return from playing a charity match in Kenya for allegedly beating up students who hit a cricket ball into his family home, police said today. Police have said they want to question Ranatunga and his politician elder brother Prasanna in connection with Friday’s alleged assault on the group of students aged 16 to 18. Police chief Lucky Kodituwakku has ordered an impartial inquiry into the incident and the arrests of those responsible for the assault that resulted in hospitalisation of seven students. Ranatunga’s father, Reggie Ranatunga, the Food Minister in President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s cabinet, denied his sons had beat up anyone. Minister Ranatunga said the students had used foul language towards his wife and tried to damage a wall to the family home during their attempts to retrieve a cricket ball that the children had played into the compound adjoining Asoka College. The college was shut indefinitely yesterday as thousands of students took to streets denouncing Arjuna Ranatunga. The Education Ministry stepped in meanwhile to try to defuse the tension with Education Minister Susil Premjayantha visiting the injured students in hospital. Ranatunga, the former captain of the national cricket team and the man who led Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup, left for Kenya after the incident to take part in a charity match to help victims of Gujarat earthquake. (AFP) |
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Patrick Rafter fights through for opening win over Gustafsson DELRAY BEACH (US), Mar 6: Top seed Patrick Rafter needed two hours to finally overcome court-smart Swedish veteran Magnus Gustafsson, booking a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory at the 350,000-dollar Citrix Open. Rafter, now sporting a shaven-haired look after getting his locks cut for a charity event last month, is opening his north American outdoor season at the Florida event. He will join the rest of the tennis elite at next week’s first Masters Series Tournament of the season at Indian Wells, California. Fifth seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentine took a loss, going out to German Markus Hantschk 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. Spaniard Alex Calatrava, the sixth seed, beat young Russian promise Andrei Stoliarov 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). Czech Jiri Vanek ousted American Davis Cup teenager Andy Roddick, sending the local packing 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. A pair of Australians suffered contrasting fates. Peter Wessels of the Netherlands eliminated Jason Stoltenberg 6-4, 6-3 while Aussie Wayne Arthurs beat Frenchman Cyril Saulnier 6-2, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3. Rafter is seeking his first title of the year this week as he returns to the venue where his 2000 comeback from shoulder surgery began a year ago. He lost in the quarter-finals against American Paul Goldstein. Rafter underwent rotator cuff surgery in October, 1999, and took four months off for rehabilitation. His form peaked with a final at wimbledon, losing to Pete Sampras after beating Andre Agassi in a thrilling semi-final. He lost last week in the second round at Dubai. Unseeded Greg Rusedski begins play Tuesday, taking on American Taylor Dent. (DPA) |
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Norman, Enqvist advance in Templeton Tennis SCOTTSDALE (US), Mar 6: Magnus Norman, seeking a return to top form, and fellow Swede Thomas Enqvist, who is just happy to be back on the ATP tour, both got off to successful starts at the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic. Third seed Norman overcame jet lag and pesky veteran Gianlucca Pozzi of Italy to post a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 first-round victory yesterday. Enqvist, the oft-injured fifth seed making his 2001 debut, rallied past Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco 4-6 6-3 6-2. "I didn’t play really good today," said Norman, who arrived in this US desert resort Friday night after playing last week in Dubai, where he reached the quarter-finals. "I was not hitting the ball very good but I’m very happy to get through." Enqvist was pleased to be able to hit the ball at all as he returned to competition for the first time since undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and right foot in early December. "It’s been a long time but it’s fun to be back," said Enqvist, who has a history of injuries. "I’ve done this a few times, so I’m used to it. You miss competing when you haven’t been playing for a while, so it was really nice being back out there." Norman was pleased to see his friend and rival back on court. "It’s great to have thomas back," Norman said. "It seems we always push each other. When he’s playing good I want to play good, and when I’m playing good he wants to play good. It’s good for both that he’s back." Enqvist, who has won at least one ATP tour title in each of the last six years, played his final match of 2000 at the Stockholm Open in November before enduring his fifth and sixth surgical procedures since 1994. He said everything appeared to be in good working order on the hardcourts against the unseeded Moroccan Monday. "I thought the match was going to be a little tougher, but I was hitting the ball really well today," said the one-time Australian open runner-up. "The conditioning was fine and I had no pain out there." "I was not tired but you’re missing match tempo, and your concentration is flying because I haven’t played forever." Enqvist said it will take a few matches to see if he is ready to challenge the big guns. And he may yet get the chance with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the draw. "Always when you come back after a surgery like this you don’t know anything about where you stand," he explained. "So you don’t have any expectations. But it’s easier after a few matches to realize where you stand." Norman finished last year ranked fourth in the world and tied with Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten for most titles with five. The Swede, currently ranked 14th in the champions race, is looking for his first title of the 2001 campaign. "I haven’t played good tennis the last couple of weeks," Norman said after dispatching the 36-year-old Pozzi in one hour and 43 minutes. "I’m just trying to get back to where I was last year confidence-wise and physically as well. I want to do, like a comeback again, to where I was last year." (REUTERS) |
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Media overreact to Dravid row: Slater SYDNEY, Mar 6: Australian test cricketer Michael Slater said today that Australian media criticism of his on-field clash with Indian batsman Rahul Dravid in last week’s first test in Bombay had been a complete overreaction. Slater was cautioned by West Indian match referee Cammie Smith for arguing with umpire Srinivas Venkatraghavan and Dravid after Slater claimed a catch. "It just looks so much worse on the TV than it actually was and they chose to play it and play it and play it and just ham the whole thing up," Slater told a Sydney radio station. "If I’d have been out of hand and what I’d actually said was the wrong thing I would have been reported. "But that doesn’t seem to be enough for the journos, and the analysis and whatever that has been going on has been totally blown out (of proportion)." In the incident that led to the caution, Slater was seen arguing with the third umpire and Dravid. The umpire had ruled Dravid not out after Slater had dived forward at mid-wicket to take a catch. Dravid and fellow batsman Sachin Tendulkar completed a 97-run third-wicket stand but Australia went on to win by 10 wickets. Slater was strongly criticised by newspapers in Australia, which said he had set a bad example. Slater, who said he had chatted amiably with Dravid in the dressing room after play, felt Dravid should have accepted his word and walked. Slater was involved in a similar incident while batting earlier in the match after appearing to edge a catch behind. He did not walk and was ruled not out. The Australian newspaper quoted Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist as describing the Dravid-Slater clash as a "minor heat-of-the-battle incident". "Gilchrist must understand that such bonhomie (between Slater and Dravid) in the dressing room doesn’t address what people saw on their screens around the cricket community," the Australian said today. The second test in the three-match series starts in Calcutta on Sunday. (REUTERS) |
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Gulbadhan Singh Memorial Cricket final on Mar 8 Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 6: The final of the 2nd Amar Shaheed Gulbadhan Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament will be played on March 8 at the BJD grounds, Paloura, here. In the final, Karan Nagar (Senior) Cricket Club will take on Samooh Cricket Club at 12 noon. Earlier, the final was scheduled to be held on March 4. |
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Australia amass 413 for 8 against Board President’s XI NEW DELHI, Mar 6: Skipper Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting piled up centuries as Australia tore up the hapless Board President’s XI attack to smithereens to amass 413 for 8 on the opening day of three-day match at Ferozshah Kotla here today. Pitched against the lowly rivals, Steve and Ponting showed no mercy and hammered their way to a 171-run fifth wicket stand before being sent back by Punjab off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, who ended the day with four wickets for 103 runs being coming in for severe punishment. Steve (109, 165b, 4x6, 17x4) was particularly harsh on the bowler. Ponting’s 102 off 138 balls comprised one six and 13 boundaries. Earlier both reached their respective centuries with boundaries off S Sriram. At close, Kasprowicz was at the crease with 27 and Damien Fleming gave him company at 4. "It was a very flat track and our basic idea was to spend time at the wicket and score. Mark and Ponting had a good time at the middle. Its a good total," Steve said after the day’s play. About Michael Slater’s (19) failure, he said," he is a big match player." And about injured wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist, the Aussie skipper said,"he will play in the second test in Kolkata. I will be surprised if he does not play." Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, however, refused to talk to the media. The Kotla track had virtually nothing and the inexperience of the up and coming bowlers, seeking to break into the national side, became particularly pronounced in the face of Aussies who have been on a rampage all over the cricketing world with their exploits. The Australians went for the tea break at 272 for 4. The only wicket to fall in the post-lunch session was that of Mark Waugh who made 62 (9x4, 1x6). The Waugh twins put 68 runs for the fourth wicket. There was only one stage when steve slowed down a bit as he took 20 minutes to move from 46 to 49 before completing his half-century with a towering six over mid-wicket off Sarandeep and floowed it up with a smashing hit to the boundary. In the morning, Aussie skipper Steve Waugh did not think for a second while choosing to bat after winning the toss with an intention to get more and more acclimatised to Indian conditions ahead of the second test in Kolkata, starting on March 11. The thoroughbred professional that he is, Steve would not miss any chance to stretch the team’s world record winning streak in test cricket to beyond 16 matches on the trot. The convincing ten-wicket win in the Mumbai test, is hardly enough to satiate his awesome side’s appetite. For Board President’s XI, Baroda seamer Rakesh Patel did strike within a space of ten runs, but Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden put a brisk 62-run third wicket stand to put out the smiles on the Indians lads. In a clear move to upset Ganguly’s personal tactics, Steve rested his frontline bowlers Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and spin wizard, Shane Warne. Instead he gave a chance to his reserve strength in Damien Martyn, Colin Miller and Michael Kasprowicz. Ganguly, who opted to play the match with the sole objective of getting more conditioned against the fiery Australian attack to salvage his as well as the team’s reputation, must have been disappointed at his rival upstaging him. Patel struck on the fourth ball of his second over, the fourth of the innings, removing opener Michael Slater whose 19 runs had come come off barely 16 balls with four hits to the ropes. Ten runs later at the total of 34, patel trapped Justin Langer (4) on the pads, though the decision did raise doubts in the minds of many. As the day progressed, Mark and Hayden wielded the blade in a manner that only smacked of disdain for the young Indian attack, drawn from various Ranji sides. Steve and Ponting virtually completed the annihilation. Ganguly introduced leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani (Madhya Pradesh) in the 17th over with Punjab off-spinner Sarandeep Singh coming from the other end. Sarandeep found Hayden’s nick for Jacob Martin at silly mid-off after the batsman had made 31 off 70 balls with two boundaries and a six. (UNI)
SCOREBOARD Australia (Ist innings): Matthew Hayden c M Jacob b Sarandeep Singh 31 Michael Slater c Martin Jacob b Rakesh Patel 19 Justin Langer lbw Rakesh Patel 04 Mark Waugh lbw Hirwani 62 Steve Waugh c Surinder Singh b Sarandeep 109 Ricky Ponting c and b Sarandeep Singh 102 Damien Martin c Ganguly b Hirwani 02 Brad Haddin st Dahiya b Sarandeep 24 M Kasprowicz batting 27 Damien Fleming batting 04 Extras: (b-3, lb-9, nb-17) 29 Total: 413 for 8 in 90 overs. Fall of wickets: 1/25, 2/36, 3/97, 4/164, 5/335, 6/355, 7/357, 8/403. Bowling: Surinder Singh 16-7-48-0, Rakesh Patel 14-0-84-2 (13 nb), Narendra Hirwani 18-5-96-2 (3 nb), Sarandeep Singh 23-3-103-4, S Sriram 17-4-63-0, Sourav Ganguly 2-0-7-0 (1 nb). (UNI) |
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Ganguly should open with Das in tests: Gaekwad MUMBAI, Mar 6: Former national coach Anshuman Gaekwad today said skipper Sourav Ganguly should open the batting with Shiv Sunder Das and Sadagopan Ramesh should be fitted in the middle order for the second test against Australia in Kolkata from March 11 to 15. The former Indian opening batsman told PTI on phone from Baroda: ‘When Ganguly can open the batting in one-dayers why can’t he do so in tests as well?’ ‘By opening the batting he will give confidence to young das as well and if they manage a good foundation then the middle order with Sachin (Tendulkar) and Rahul (Dravid) can benefit a lot’, he said. About Ganguly’s captaincy in the first test at Mumbai which India lost by ten wickets, Gaekwad said ‘it is quite natural that a big partnership comes up once in a way like Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist did. You cannot solely blame the captain for it’. ‘However, there is no point in talking about the past and the Indians should regroup and play positively without worrying about the nature of the pitch, like they did the last time around in 1998,’ he added. ‘India cannot bank on Sachin to deliver the goods every time and it is time Ganguly takes some initiative and starts opening the innings which can also leave the Aussies thinking of a new strategy,’ Gaekwad said. (PTI) |
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Lanka announces squad for second test COLOMBO, Mar 6: Sri Lanka today announced its squad to play the second test match against England at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy beginning from tomorrow. A cricket board official said 13000 British tourists had already arrived in Kandy to watch the test match. He said police have made elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward happenings, including any possible streaking, during the match which will continue till March 11. The team(from) Sanath Jayasuriya (Captain), Marvan Atapattu (vice captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Aravinda De Silva, Kumar Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Muthaih Muralitharan T M Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, M Pushpakumara, K Lokuarachchi, Dinuk Hettiarachchi stand by:Thilan Samarweera. (UNI) |
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