Kangaroos surge
ahead in averages

CHANDIGARH, Mar 23, (UNI): Even as Australia lost the test cricket series to India, the Aussies Kangaroos surged ahead in averages with Mathew Hayden(109.80) dominating over VVS Laxman (83.83) in batting and McGrath(15.35) leaving behind ......more

Aussies win praise
despite series loss to India

SYDNEY, Mar 23: Australian cricket commentators were united in their praise for Steve Waugh’s team today despite their series loss to India. Newspaper columnists and talkback radio shows were full of plaudits for the way the Australians had played during the series......more

Aussies celebrate
India’s stunning win

SYDNEY, Mar 23: As the gripping tension gave way to an exciting win in the final hours of the third test in Chennai, Australians here, in true sporting.....more

Kumble making
steady progress

BANGALORE, Mar 23: Ace leg spinner Anil Kumble, who is raring to return to action in.....more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 23: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Department of Education, has today constituted the new 25 members.........more

J&K Wrestling Association
elections stayed

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 23: Sub-Registrar, Munsiff, Jammu has stayed the election of the Jammu........more

74 Bn bags winners
trophy in CRPF
Inter-Bn Kabaddi

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Mar 23: The 74 Bn today lifted the winners trophy, beating 21 Bn in the final.......more

NZ Badminton Tourney in
memory of Justice Kotwal

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 23: The Jammu and Kashmir Badminton Players Welfare Association is holding.....more

Kangaroos surge ahead in averages

CHANDIGARH, Mar 23, (UNI): Even as Australia lost the test cricket series to India, the Aussies Kangaroos surged ahead in averages with Mathew Hayden(109.80) dominating over VVS Laxman (83.83) in batting and McGrath(15.35) leaving behind Harbhajan Singh(17.03) in bowling, according to statistics compiled by the Punjab Cricket Association here said. Australia batting and fielding:

Name Mat I No Runs HS Ave 100 50 CT ST M Hayden 3 6 1 549 203 109.80 2 2 3 0 S Waugh 3 5 0 243 110 48.60 1 0 4 0 G McGrath 3 5 4 47 21 47.00 0 0 1 0 M Slater 3 6 1 166 48 33.20 0 0 0 0 J Langer 3 5 0 161 58 32.20 0 1 0 0 M Waugh 3 5 0 149 70 29.80 0 2 8 0 A Gilchrist 3 5 0 124 122 24.80 1 0 13 0 M Kasprowicz 1 2 1 20 13 20.00 0 0 0 0 J Gillespie 3 5 0 54 46 10.80 0 0 0 0 S Warne 3 5 0 50 39 10.00 0 0 2 0 D Fleming 1 1 0 6 6 6.00 0 0 0 0 R Ponting 3 5 0 17 11 3.40 0 0 7 0 C Miller 1 2 0 2 2 1.00 0 0 1 0 Australia bowling

Name Mat O M R W Best Ave 5 10 G McGrath 3 136.2 60 261 17 4-18 15.35 0 0 J Gillespie 3 126.3 31 394 13 3-45 30.30 0 0 C Miller 1 55 7 201 6 3-41 33.50 0 0 M Waugh 3 36 6 106 3 3-40 35.33 0 0 S Warne 3 152.1 31 505 10 4-47 50.50 0 0 M Kasprowicz 1 48 8 178 2 2-39 89.00 0 0 D Fleming 1 30 4 99 1 1-55 99.00 0 0 J Langer 3 1 0 3 0 - 3.00 0 0 M Slater 3 2 1 4 0 - 2.00 0 0 M Hayden 3 7 0 31 0 - 4.42 0 0 R Ponting 3 14 2 43 0 - 3.07 0 0 India batting and fielding: Name Mat I No Runs Hs Ave 100 50 CT ST VVS Laxman 3 6 0 503 281 83.83 1 3 3 0 R Dravid 3 6 0 338 180 56.33 1 1 6 0 S Tendulkar 3 6 0 304 126 50.66 1 2 1 0 S Das 3 6 0 173 84 28.83 0 1 5 0 S Ramesh 3 6 0 162 61 27.00 0 1 3 0 S Dighe 1 2 1 26 22# 26.00 0 0 0 1 S Bahutule 1 2 1 21 21# 21.00 0 0 1 0 N Mongia 2 4 1 60 28 20.00 0 0 5 1 S Ganguly 3 6 0 106 48 17.66 0 0 4 0 Harbhajan Singh 3 6 3 34 17# 11.33 0 0 0 0 Z Khan 2 4 1 30 23# 10.00 0 0 1 0 J Srinath 1 2 0 12 12 6.00 0 0 1 0 N Kulkarni 1 1 0 4 4 4.00 0 0 0 0 S Raju 1 1 0 4 4 4.00 0 0 0 0 R Sanghvi 1 2 0 2 2 1.00 0 0 0 0 A Agarkar 1 2 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 B Prasad 1 1 1 7 7# - 0 0 0 0 India bowling: Name Mat O M R W Best Ave 5 10 Harbhajan 3 178.3 44 545 32 8-84 17.03 4 2 A Agarkar 1 13 1 58 2 2-50 29.00 0 0 J Srinath 1 18 3 77 2 2-60 38.50 0 0 R Sanghvi 1 12.2 3 78 2 2-67 39.00 0 0 S Tendulkar 3 48 5 151 3 3-31 50.33 0 0 S Bahutule 1 30 3 102 2 1-32 51.00 0 0 Z Khan 2 55.4 15 189 3 2-89 63.00 0 0 S Ganguly 3 17.2 4 65 1 1-44 65.00 0 0 S Raju 1 35 5 116 1 1-58 116.00 0 0 N Kulkarni 1 53 16 137 1 1-70 137.00 0 0 B Prasad 1 33 6 102 0 - - 0 0

Aussies win praise despite series loss to India

SYDNEY, Mar 23: Australian cricket commentators were united in their praise for Steve Waugh’s team today despite their series loss to India.

Newspaper columnists and talkback radio shows were full of plaudits for the way the Australians had played during the series.

Sydney morning Herald cricket writer Peter Roebuck said the Australians had lost nothing and the defeat, while disappointing, was good for the game.

"No shame lay in this defeat. Australia played aggressive cricket and with luck might have taken the day," Roebuck wrote.

"Regardless of the defeat, this was just the filip cricket needed after all the recent controversies."

The daily telegraph’s Robert Craddock said India deserved their victory but the Australians were entitled to share the glory for the way they played.

"Has there ever been a better test series?," Craddock asked.

"Defeat had never been more honourable for Australia as they made India scratch and scrap and bleed for runs.

"Any team that can come from one-down in a series and win 2-1 after following on in the second test deserves it ... (but) the bland scoreline will tell nothing of the tension and sheer pandemonium India had to wade through to achieve victory."

The Australian newspaper’s Mike Coward said Australia’s defeat would end the debate over whether Waugh’s team was the greatest in history.

But Coward said Waugh’s team, who hold the world record for the longest winning streaks in both tests and one-day matches, had proven themselves to be without peer when it it came to courage.

"The argument is over. It is clear now that this is not the greatest of all Australian teams," Coward wrote.

"But for mental strength, physical courage, self belief, strength of character and resourcefullness it may well be the greatest of them all."

Even Waugh, who had made no secret of his dream to steer Australia to their first series win on indian soil in more than 30 years, said he was proud of his team.

"To tell you the truth I think it’s a feather in our cap the way we played today," Waugh said.

"We made some mistakes but it wasn’t as if anyone wasn’t trying. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. (REUTERS)

Aussies celebrate India’s stunning win

SYDNEY, Mar 23: As the gripping tension gave way to an exciting win in the final hours of the third test in Chennai, Australians here, in true sporting spirit, celebrated India’s win with wine and champagne, cakes and fudge.

In the pubs where one could see the action on a large screen, there was loud applause as much for a good ball from Jason Gillesspie as for a boundary from VVS Laxman. Children, not allowed to enter the pub, were peering through the glass to get a glimpse with transistors close to their ears.

The Indian victory and not the Australian defeat made the headlines in the print and electronic media here.

"The man who broke Australia’s heart," said the headline in the `The Australian’ newspaper’s frontpage also featuring a colour picture of Harbhajan Singh who not only spun the Aussies to their doom but also scored the winning runs yesterday.

While the ‘Courier-Mail’ of Brisbane said "Singh chills our Indian summer", Sydney’s ‘Daily Telegraph’ went to town with its frontpage story about "the test that stopped a nation" and, with a touch of music, proclaimed "India Singhs tune of triumph" with a picture of Harbhajan running to embrace his batting partner Samir Dighe while a dejected Glenn McGrath is walking away in the opposite direction.

"An Australian dream was shattered," wrote cricket writer Robert Craddock who went on to add that young Harbhajan Singh "became a legend as India snatched one the greatest test series of all time".

There was some sympathy for the Aussies too as mark ray of ‘the age’ in Melbourne said in his despatch from Chennai: "although the Australians lost the second test in Calcutta (Kolkata) and then the series here ..... Their reputation for determination, courage and preparedness to play wonderfully attacking cricket remains undiminished".

Commenting on India clinching the series and quashing all hopes of Australia defeating India on Indian soil, former test cricketer Doug Walters says, "it has been a fantastic series. India deserved their well earned victory. They, especially Harbhajan Singh and V V S Laxman, played some tremendous cricket. Indian wickets were spinning and Australians don’t tend to play the spinners that well. Had Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath been there, the Australian defeat would have been more disastrous. During my career spanning from 1965-1981, I have not seen an amazing victory like the one in calcutta."

"Has there been an better test series?" Craddock asked.

"Any team that can come from one-down in a series and win 2-1 after following on in the second test, deserves it. But, the bland scoreline will tell nothing of the tension and sheer pandemonium India had to wade through to achieve victory," he added.

Australians were calling their Indian friends with congratulatory messages. At the Calcutta Indian Cricket Club in Frenchs forest, the heat in the kitchen surpassed the excitement of the chefs when their tiny alarm clock radio crackled and Harbhajan took the winning run for India.

In the office this morning, one Indian IT official received a bouquet from his client, congratulating him on India’s win.

In the bus and trains, shopping malls and post office queues, there was talk of India’s victory. A welcome relief from depressing discussions on labour, falling australian dollar, rising petrol prices and the foot and mouth disaster in Britain. Not to forget the ‘falling Mir (the Russian space station). (PTI)

Kumble making steady progress

BANGALORE, Mar 23: Ace leg spinner Anil Kumble, who is raring to return to action in international matches after a surgery on his right shoulder, said he was making steady progress and was happy with the improvement.

"I am happy with the progress. Even Dr Mark Fergusson (leading shoulder specialist in the world) is impressed with the improvement," Anil Kumble told UNI. He (Dr Fergusson) had suggested some changes in the programme and "I have started following it."

Asked how soon he would be returning to international cricket, he said it was too early to comment on it. "I will be meeting Dr Fergusson again in April and after that I will be in a position to decide on my return to the competitive cricket."

Kumble, who underwent a right shoulder surgery in South Africa in January last, was with Dr Fergusson for about a week before returning here on March 15. The leg spinner has been out of action for nearly six months and has been undergoing a rehabilitation programme.

He would be launching his "the perfect 10" Memorobilia tomorrow on the eve of the first one-day international between India and Australia. Anil Kumble became the only second bowler to take all ten wickets in a test innings, after Jim Laker of England, when he bowled India to a victory with a perfect 10 in the second innings against Pakistan on February nine, 1999.

Leading cricketers were expected to take part in the function. (UNI)

Sports Correspondents ignored
Govt constitutes 25 members Council
Jt Secretary Ashutosh Sharma, Ranjit Singh eased out
Narinder Batra, Hameed, Bali, Wazir, Kuldeep accommodated

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 23: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Department of Education, has today constituted the new 25 members State Sports Council, including the president and vice-president, for its next four years tenure, easing out the joint secretary, Dr Ashutosh Sharma and international Handball player Ranjit Singh Chib.

Besides, the two prominent figures, Prem Pal Singh and Ramesh Mahajan have also shown the way out.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah will continue as president, while Minister for Sports, Harbans Singh will remain the vice-president by virtue of its status. The election for the post of new Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasure will be conducted later on by the newly nominated Council members.

Other nominations from the Government as members include Dr Mustafa Kamal, Minister for Industries and Commerce, who is also president of the Kayaking and Canoeing Association; Mr Ashok Jaitly, Chief Secretary; Vijay Bakaya, Principal Secretary, Education and Mr Asgar Ali, Director, Youth Services and Sports Department.

The new faces included as members are, N K Batra, president, J&K Hockey Association; Mehboob Iqbal, general secretary, J&K Cricket Association; Rafiq Sadiq, president, Gymnastics Association; S A Hameed, general secretary, J&K Football Association; S M Bali, president, J&K Handball Association; Kuldeep Raj Gupta, general secretary, J&K Amateur Kabaddi Association, T S Wazir, president, J&K Korfball Association; Sonam Wangyal, Padam Shree; Mohd Maqbool, Physical Director, S P College, Srinagar.

Those retained the membership include Sidharth Sharma, president, J&K Billiards and Snooker Association; Som Raj Gupta, senior most National Badminton player; S S Wazir, Additional Director General of Police (Retd); Abdur Rauf (Cricket); Prof Siraj-U-Din (Baramulla); Sheikh Fazal Ahmed (present Secretary, State Sports Council) and Dr Ms Shamima Bano, president, J&K Women Football Association.

However, while giving shape to the new Council, the Government failed to follow the constitutional provisions for the selections of the members. The Constitution was flouted by not touching the category ‘E’, which clearly mentioned that the members to be nominated by the Government should also consist the Sports Correspondents and Commentarors.

Besides the 25-member to the Council, the Government also nominated 27-members as permanent invitees of the Council.

They will be: Vice-Chancellors of Kashmir and Jammu Universities; Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development Department; Financial Commissioner, Finance Department; Director General of Police; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir; representative of Northern Command; Directors School Education, Jammu and Kashmir; president, Chamber of Commerce, Jammu and general secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Kashmir.

As also Parvez Kaul, principal, Tyndale Biscoe School, Srinagar; Ajay Sharma, general secretary, J&K Table Tennis Association; Ranjit Singh, international handball player; Shiv Kumar Sharma, president, Indian Style Wrestling Association; Sanjay Wahi, Golfer; R K Kohli, treasurer, J&K Football Association; H S Chib, Physical Director, Commerce College; Ankush Abrol, president, J&K Motor Sports Association and Ranji Trophy player; Hakim Singh, Physical Director, Boys Degree College, Udhampur; Dr Nirmolak Singh; Rattandeep Singh Anand, Golfer; Lt Col. R N Sharma; Dushant Sharma, international wrestler; Manmohan Singh, vice-president, J&K Hockey Association and K K Khosa, former president Jammu and Kashmir Billiards and Snooker Association.

The Government, in its order has also asked the Secretary, State Sports Council, Sheikh Fazal Ahmed, who is completing his four years tenure on March 25, to hold the charge of the post till such time as Secretary is elected by the Council.