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| Gibbs century
leads SAfrica to victory ST JOHN’S, ANTIGUA, May 3: A century from opener Herschelle Gibbs helped South Africa to an overwhelming eight-wicket victory in the second one-day international against West Indies at the recreation ground............more Pollock happy with ST JOHN’s, ANTIGUA, May 3: South African captain Shaun Pollock was glad to see a vastly improved all-round performance from his side as they won the second one-day international against West Indies on Wednesday to level the series 1-1..........more PCB to review DUBAI, May 3: The Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) will soon review latest stand that India will not ......more ICC anti-corruption KARACHI, May 3: International Cricket Council (ICC) investigators have been invited to visit.......more |
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Two-day Rural Sports Mela begins Allah Club win Volleyball ties on opening day Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 3: Allah Sports Club win in both senior and junior groups on the opening day of the two-day .........more Semi-finals
position Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 3: With the victory of Shine Star over Khalsa Cricket Club by three wickets....more Mulkh
Raj Memorial Veteran Cricket Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 3: Despite a brilliant knock of 63 runs (off 41 balls, 2x6, 8x4) by Ravi Sharma.....more Akram fuels another LONDON, May 3: Hardly had the bickering over his inclusion in the team died down......more |
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Gibbs century leads SAfrica to victory ST JOHN’S, ANTIGUA, May 3: A century from opener Herschelle Gibbs helped South Africa to an overwhelming eight-wicket victory in the second one-day international against West Indies at the recreation ground. Gibbs hit 104 yesterday as South Africa levelled the best-of-seven one-day series 1-1. Chasing a modest South Africa 220 for eight on a good batting pitch, the tourists lost opener Gary Kirsten (5) with just 11 runs on the board. But Gibbs and Jacques Kallis responded with a record South African second-wicket partnership of 179 from 37 overs to take their team to the brink of victory. Gibbs made a cautious start before exploding into action against first-change bowler Nixon McLean. McLean’s first two overs cost 25 runs and included a remarkable six after Gibbs charged down the wicket to the fast bowler. Gibbs completed his fourth one-day century with another pair of sixes against part-time spinner Marlon Samuels. A replacement ball was needed after one of the sixes left the stadium over deep square leg. Kallis reached his half-century from 90 balls. The powerful all-rounder clubbed another part-timer, Chris Gayle, straight over the Richie Richardson stand and into the town centre, which meant a second replacement ball was needed. Gibbs was eventually stumped by Ridley Jacobs off left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell after hitting eight fours and three sixes off 141 balls. With 31 runs required for victory, Jonty Rhodes made light work of the target with an unbeaten 21, while Kallis’s 78 not out from 112 deliveries included five fours and two sixes. Earlier, a half-century from Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved insufficient to rescue West Indies from a slow start and an ever slower middle section of their innings in which they compiled 220 for eight after being put in to bat. The home side reached 51 without loss in the first 15 overs and became even more bogged down when opener Leon Garrick made just 16 runs from 61 balls before running himself out while attempting an impossible single. Fellow opener Chris Gayle was starved of the strike for much of the opening stand. But he completed a solid half-century from 70 balls before mis-timing a Lance Klusener slow ball and handing a catch to Pollock at mid-off for 50. Brian Lara (13) failed to settle against the tight bowling of Allan Donald and Kallis and fell to another slow ball from Klusener, with Pollock holding his second catch at mid-off. Chanderpaul was in sublime form, however, striking Klusener for a pair of sixes over mid-on and mid-wicket before smashing Donald for a third six back over the bowler’s head. Hooper scored at better than a run a ball, riding his luck to reach 48 from 46 balls with four boundaries and another straight driven six, this time off Kallis. Chanderpaul was the victim of another misunderstanding between the batsmen. Hooper wisely refused a second run as Boeta Dippenaar’s throw from the cover boundary left Chanderpaul 10 yards out of his crease. Chanderpaul’s 60 came off just 54 balls and contained two fours and three sixes. Hooper then sliced a slower ball from Pollock high to Justin Ontong at extra cover, while Marlon Samuels (3) was run out after playing the ball straight to rhodes at backward point. Rhodes trotted in to remove the bails and complete the third run out of the innings. Two further wickets fell in the final over, with Kallis bowling Neil McGarrell (3) and McLean falling first ball to a Gibbs catch at extra cover. The series now moves to Grenada, where the two teams will play back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday, before further games in Barbados, Trinidad and St Vincent.(REUTERS) SCOREBOARD West Indies L Garrick run out (Kallis) 16 C Gayle c Pollock b Klusener 50 B Lara c Pollock b Klusener 13 S Chanderpaul run out (Dippenaar) 60 C Hooper c Ontong b Pollock 48 R Jacobs not out 13 M Samuels run out (Rhodes) 3 N Mcgarrell b Kallis 3 N McLean c Gibbs b Kallis 0 M Dillon not out 1 Extras (b-1 lb-4 nb-3 w-5) 13 Total (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 220 Fall of wickets: 1-63 2-80 3-104 4-190 5-208 6-214 7-218 8-218 Did not bat: Cameron Cuffy Bowling: Pollock 10-1-34-1 (w-1), Telemachus 9-0-50-0 (w-1), Donald 10-0-40-0 (w-1), Kallis 10-1-38-2 (nb-1, w-1), Klusener 5-0-28-2 (nb-2, w-1), Ontong 6-0-25-0 South Africa H Gibbs st Jacobs b McGarrell 104 G Kirsten b Cuffy 5 J Kallis not out 78 J Rhodes not out 21 Extras (lb-2 w-2 nb-9) 13 Total (for two wickets, 45.5 overs) 221 Fall of wickets: 1-11 2-190 Did not bat: H Dippenaar, L Klusener, M Boucher, S Pollock, J Ontong, R Telemachus, A Donald Bowling: Dillon 6.5-0-39-0 (nb-3, w-1), Cuffy 10-1-27-1 (nb-1), McLean 4-0-40-0 (nb-4), McGarrell 10-0-34-1, Hooper 10-1-42-0 (w-1), Samuels 3-0-21-0, Gayle 2-0-16-0 (nb-1). |
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Pollock happy with improved performance ST JOHN’s, ANTIGUA, May 3: South African captain Shaun Pollock was glad to see a vastly improved all-round performance from his side as they won the second one-day international against West Indies on Wednesday to level the series 1-1. After defeat in both the test and one-day game in Jamaica, South Africa returned to the scene of their series-winning victory in the fourth test and won by eight wickets, with four overs and one ball to spare. South Africa scored 221 for two after West Indies had made 220 for eight. "Antigua’s been good to us," Pollock said afterwards. "We’ve talked about a few things because obviously we weren’t happy about the way we played in Jamaica. I thought we bowled well but on the batting side we had a bit of improvement to do. "I thought the guys worked hard and reaped the rewards for it". "The performance was good, although there’s always room for improvement. I’d probably give the guys about eight out of 10 today." Pollock surprised several local pundits with his decision to field first after winning the toss but said their predictions that the pitch would become increasingly difficult for batting were not a factor. "It looked like a pretty good deck and it had a bit of a grass covering on it and didn’t look as though it was going to do much," he said. "When we played here in the test series there was a little movement early on, so I thought we’d try and get the best of that". "When we restricted them to 220 we were pretty confident. The wicket was playing nicely and the guys were confident that we could get there." The South African captain was also happy to see man-of-the-match Herschelle Gibbs capitalise on his fine form with his first century of the tour. "It’s about time he got another hundred — it’s taken a while but you need one of the top four to go through and herschelle played it really well," Pollock said. "He didn’t have to take too many risks at certain stages and he picked up the singles superbly." Gibbs made three scores in the 80s during the test series and admitted he was concerned at his inability to convert his big scores into hundreds. "Of the three 80s that I got I thought I might have got a hundred once" Gibbs said. "But I think I can learn by that experience and not make the same mistakes again. I’m glad to have got this hundred though." West Indies captain Carl Hooper said a slow start with the bat had led to his side’s defeat. "I don’t think we batted as well as we should have," Hooper said. "The first 25 overs were a bit slow — I think we were 79 for one — and as a result we could only muster 220". "I think the wicket was probably more of a 250-260 track and, as the South Africans showed us, it was a good wicket for batting on. It was always going to be a tall order to defend 220". "You would expect one of the bowlers to have a bad day but too many guys didn’t perform today". "We’ve got to be more consistent. But it’s only the second game — we’ve still got five to play and i’m optimistic we can still do well," Hooper said.(REUTERS) |
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PCB to review India’s stand on bilateral matches DUBAI, May 3: The Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) will soon review latest stand that India will not play Pakistan in bilateral matches but has no objection to the two countries coming face-to-face in trilateral or multilateral tournaments. Reacting to Indian Sports Minister Uma Bharati’s statement in this regard, PCB director Brig Munawar Rana said "we have just come to know about the new stance that their objection is confined to bilateral cricket matches". Talking to Gulf news, he said "as far as we are concerned, there is no change in our stance, that is, if India is not playing against us, we will not play against them". Brig Rana, however, said "in the light of the latest development from India, we will have to discuss the matter. We have not taken any decision on this matter so far. We will be discussing this issue at the highest level before coming out with a statement on our stance". (UNI) |
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ICC anti-corruption investigators to visit Pakistan KARACHI, May 3: International Cricket Council (ICC) investigators have been invited to visit Pakistan at the end of this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said today. "Sir Paul Condon (chief of the ICC anti-corruption unit) and his two associates will visit Pakistan sometime this month. Their tour plan is yet to be finalised," PCB director Munawwar Rana told Reuters. The ICC team is currently in Sri Lanka where they completed questioning former captains Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva today. The pair were last year named along with several others by India Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to match-fixing allegations. "Initially he (Condon) is coming to Pakistan on an invitation of the PCB, but if he will ask to arrange any meetings with some players, the PCB will cooperate," Rana said. "We will try to get Salim Malik, if Condon wants. But since he is not our contractual player, he (Salim) has all the rights to refuse meeting the ICC investigators." Malik was banned for life and fined one million rupees by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum who was investigating corruption charges in Pakistani cricket. Malik denies any involvement in match-fixing and has promised to cooperate with the ICC. Rana also said Pakistani openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar were interviewed last month by the United Arab Emirates Cricket Board’s inquiry committee in Sharjah. ICC investigators were also present. The interview was conducted after the final of a one-day tournament between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. New Zealand was the third team in the tournament. Rana gave no other details, but said neither Afridi nor Anwar were among the suspects. They were interviewed only to help the broader probe, he said. Anwar is one of the six players who was fined and censored by Qayyum. The others were Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmad and Akram Raza. (REUTERS) |
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Two-day Rural Sports
Mela begins Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 3: Allah Sports Club win in both senior and junior groups on the opening day of the two-day Rural Sports cum Cultural Mela organised by the Jammu division unit of the Youth Hostels Association of India at Higher Secondary School, Bishnah today. In the senior group, Allah Sports Club beat Indian Oil Rural Sports Club 2-1, while in the junior section, Allah Volleyball Club defeated Salehar Club in straight sets. Besides, the Volleyball, Circle Kabaddi, Wrestling and Kabaddi events also took place. The final matches in other events and the final Wrestling bouts will be held tomorrow at Boys Higher Secondary School. Earlier, the mela was declared open by Mr Gurjeet Singh, chairman of the Jammu unit of the Youth Hostels Association of India. He was introduced with the participating teams in different events. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the main aim of the mela is to spot the hidden talent in the rural youth and also to encourage them in participation and develop a sense of sportsmanship and discipline. In the tomorrow’s finals and prize distribution function, Harbans Singh, Minister for Sports will be the chief guest, while Director, Youth Services and Sports, Syed Asgar Ali will preside over the function. |
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Semi-finals position
cleared in Mahant Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 3: With the victory of Shine Star over Khalsa Cricket Club by three wickets, the semi-finals position has been cleared in the ongoing 5th Mahant Bachiter Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament being held at Simbal, here today. Now, Shine Star will take on Singh Club in the first semi-final on May 5 at 2.30, while in the second semi-final, Rajan Cricket Club will meet Combined XI on May 6 at 2.30 pm. Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, Khalsa Club bowled out for 109 runs in 18.5 overs in the 20 overs match. In reply, Shine Star reached the required total in 15 overs for the loss of seven wickets. Rinku was the highest scorer from Shine Star with 36 runs made off 31 deliveries, while Manu and Happy contributed 12 and 10 runs respectively. From Khalsa Club, Sonu and Ashwani shared two wickets each, while Pankaj and Narinder bagged two each. Batting second, Shine Star reached the required target of 110 runs in the 15th over for the loss of seven wickets. Ashwani was top scorer with 34 runs off 17 balls, while Narinder and Harish contributed 24 and 20 runs respectively. Harpreet and Manu took three and two wickets respectively for Khalsa Club, while Ricky bagged one. Ashwani was declared as man of the match. Mahadeep and Iqbal were umpires, while Happy was scorer in today’s match. |
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Mulkh Raj Memorial
Veteran Cricket Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, May 3: Despite a brilliant knock of 63 runs (off 41 balls, 2x6, 8x4) by Ravi Sharma, Veteran Cricket Club lost to the Luxmi Cricket Club by 14 runs in the Mulkh Raj Memorial Veteran Cricket Tournament being played at Parade, here today. Ravi, who came late at number seven position, pulled the Veteran Club from trouble and added 47 runs for the eight wicket partnership and 22 runs for the ninth wicket only to bring the total near to the target. Before, Ravi came, Veteran Club was struggling at 59 for seven. In fact, the match was turned in favour of Luxmi Club by Mohan Singh Jamwal, who clinched two quick wickets of late-enders Mohan And Sanjeev side Earlier, batting first Luxmi Club set a target of 152 runs in the stipulated 25 overs, which Veteran Club could not chase and in reply, bowled out for 136 in the 17 overs. Amarjit Singh was the highest scorer with 28 runs, while Raj Kumar and Naresh contributed 16 and 19 runs respectively. Amit Mehta added valuable 10 runs. From Veteran Club, Rajinder took three wickets, while Ravi Sharma and Krishan took two each. Deepak bagged one. In reply, Veteran Club virtually surrendered before the Luxmi Club bowlers. However, Ravi dared the Luxmi bowlers and hit them hard, but could not lead his side to victory. He lost his wicket at 63 and the Luxmi Club innings ended at 136 in the 17 overs. From Luxmi Club, Naresh emerged as the most successful bowler, who claimed four wickets for 23 in five overs, while Ashok Gupta and Mohan Singh shared two each. Naresh was declared as man of the match. |
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Akram fuels another controversy LONDON, May 3: Hardly had the bickering over his inclusion in the team died down, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram triggered another controversy by questioning the rationale of just a two-test series against England though he stopped short of calling it an insult to his team. "I don’t know why we agreed to it or why the England and Wales Cricket Board offered it to us," Akram told reporters after the team’s arrival last nignt for a two-month tour of England. "Although England won in Pakistan, we won the last three series here and we have more supporters here than anybody else. So it would have been a full house for a test series of five matches. "It is not an insult, but it won’t be any fun. The first game, you’re just getting into it, the second test you are just picking up and then there is no third match - we will be on our way home. That’s what I think, that is what everybody else is thinking," Akram said. Pakistan will play two tests against England and participate in a triangular one-day series also featuring Australia. Akram, whose inclusion in the team was objected to by Waqar Younis, attempted to play down the differences with his captain. "There is no problem between us - we were able to fly together for seven hours," he said. Meanwhile, team manager Yawar Saeed said speedster Shoaib Akhtar will join the team later on the tour. Shoaib did not accompany the team due to a stomach problem and will miss Pakistan’s tour opener against British universities starting in Nottingham tomorrow. "There is no point in taking along a player whose fitness is in doubt," manager Yawar Saeed told newsmen after the team’s arrival here. "But I believe that Akhtar in due course will prove his fitness and will soon join the team." Even in the absence of Shoaib, Pakistan have a battery of fast bowlers including captain Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Sami, Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood making it a very formidable pace attack. (PTI) |
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