HARARE, May 26: The Indian cricket team wasted no time in starting their preparations for the matches on the current tour of Zimbabwe, opting for a strenuous workout within hours of their arrival here last evening and a comprehensive training session today..............more

India to play test in
Pakistan after 12 yrs

KARACHI, May 26: India will play their first test in Pakistan for nearly 12 years when they take on their traditional rivals in the Asian Test Championship in September..........more

Waugh predicts
tough ashes defence
as Australia fly out

SYDNEY, May 26: Australia’s cricketers today flew out of Sydney to defend the ashes, predicting they ..........more

Bihar trounces
Maharashtra in Junior
National Football

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, May 26: Bihar trounced listless Maharashtra 11-0 while holder Manipur......more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 26: Arnia and Khour zones shared honours in the ......more

Summer Open TT
Champ from June 2

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 26: The Summer Open Ranking Table Tennis Championship organised by the J&K.......more

District Poonch Champ
Khalsa Club beats HSS
Poonch in Hockey final

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

POONCH, May 26: Khalsa Cricket Club defeated Higher Secondary School....more

Harbans Singh flags
off groups for
Himalyan trekking

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 26: Minister for Sports, Mr Harbans Singh today flagged off two groups.....more

A Kabbadi match in progress in the Inter-zonal competitions at University of Jammu grounds on Saturday. -Excelsior/Ashok

Indians get down to business

HARARE, May 26: The Indian cricket team wasted no time in starting their preparations for the matches on the current tour of Zimbabwe, opting for a strenuous workout within hours of their arrival here last evening and a comprehensive training session today.

Captain Saurav Ganguly was keen that the team members should all acclimatise themselves to the conditions here and gear up ahead of the first test starting in Bulawayo on June 7.

"The boys are a little stiff... And we are keen that everyone loosens up in time for the important battle ahead," Ganguly said.

Particularly enthusiastic during the training session today was the fast bowling bunch of Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Debasis Mohanty and Ashish Nehra, and for obvious reasons.

"They (fast bowlers) are very happy being out of India as the conditions abroad support them," Ganguly said. "They realise these wickets have something for them, there is bounce and movement and they feel good."

All the pacemen devoted a fair bit of time stretching their limbs and then took turns in bowing at full tilt at the batsmen.

The batsmen too had an extensive practice session against both spin and pace bowling. With the ground providing ample bounce, even batsmen of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had trouble against the rising deliveries.

"These conditions are different," said Ganguly. "The grounds are a bit heavy and it will be a strain on the calfs. So the earlier we shrug off this stiffness the better. We are sure everyone would be okay in a couple of days."

Ganguly praised the facilities provided for the practice. "The nets are good and everyone is pleased."

The series will use the kookaburra balls and team manager Chetan Chauhan insisted that every bowler got a good feel of it. "These balls retain shine a bit longer and are helpful for seamers all through," said Chauhan. "In contrast, the spinners do not get as good a grip as they do with the sg ball back home."

But Ganguly was not willing to make it a factor. "These is no point in talking about umpiring, pitches, balls etc in international cricket these days. You have got to get used to them.

"As far as I am concerned these are minor issues. We should concentrate on winning the series," he said.

He was also not ready to read too much into the preparations of thickish outfield for the tests, presumably to make the Indians, who like to score through boundaries, work hard for every run. "But then it applies to them as well... These are, as I said, minor issues. There are still 10 days to the test so you never know by then the outfield could get a lot smoother," he said.

The team is to attend a function at the Indian High Commission later this evening before they leave for mutare by road early tomorrow for their tour-opening three-day match against Zimbabwe a starting on Monday. (PTI)

India to play test in Pakistan after 12 yrs

KARACHI, May 26: India will play their first test in Pakistan for nearly 12 years when they take on their traditional rivals in the Asian Test Championship in September.

The draw for the Four-nation Tournament, to run between September 1, 2001, and February 19, 2002, was released after a one-day Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting at Lahore yesterday.

Although the venue has yet to be finalised, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said the game is expected to be in Karachi and confirmed it would be played between September 13 and 17.

"Karachi is most likely to be the venue but we will further discuss it with our Indian counterparts before announcing it," PCB chairman Tauqir Zia told Reuters.

India last appeared in a test on Pakistan soil in 1989 when Kris Srikanth’s team played a four-test series against Imran Khan’s side. They returned in 1997 for a three-match one-day series to mark the independence of Pakistan.

Since 1989, Pakistan have appeared in two one-day series in India as well as a two-test series in 1999. They also contested the opening match of the inaugural Asian Test Championship at Calcutta.

India, after their 1989 test tour, have cancelled four visits to Pakistan, the latest earlier this year because of restrictions by the Government which has refused to give permission to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for bilateral matches.

"The Government has clearly said for a multilateral tournament it has no objection at all," BCCI president A C Muthiah told Reuters from Lahore.

Sporting relations between India and Pakistan remain strained because of political tension over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

India also skipped April’s one-day Triangular Tournament in Sharjah, a move that angered Pakistan’s cricket authorities who had said they would boycott the Indian team in future.

But the PCB said they have been given a commitment by Indian officials that the team will play in the September tournament, which also includes Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"We have been given a firm commitment by the Indian officials that they will appear in the asian test championship match," Zia said.

"I think the match will revive cricketing relations between the two Asian powerhouses." he added.

The final is scheduled for Dhaka, which was also used in 1999 when Pakistan won by an innings against Sri Lanka, while earlier matches have been fixed on a home and away basis.

"Since Sri Lanka hosted India in 1999, now it is Sri Lanka’s turn to play the qualifying round match in India.

"It’s precisely on that formula that India will play in Pakistan," said Zia.

Schedule:

September 1-5 - Pakistan v Bangladesh in Pakistan

September 13-17 - Pakistan v India in Pakistan

September 21-25 - India v Bangladesh in India

October 2-6 - Sri Lanka v Bangladesh in Sri Lanka

Jan 31- February 4 - Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Sri Lanka

February 15-19 - India v Sri Lanka in India

February 15-19 - final in Bangladesh. —(REUTERS)

Waugh predicts tough ashes defence as Australia fly out

SYDNEY, May 26: Australia’s cricketers today flew out of Sydney to defend the ashes, predicting they would triumph over England in a hard-fought, five-match test series.

Australian captain Steve Waugh said he expected the in-form english to provide stiff competition for his side but he was still optimistic of winning.

"It’s going to be a good contest and I believe we can win," Waugh told reporters at Sydney’s international airport.

"We’ve got the side, we’ve got the talent and we’ve got the experience".

"England are going to be very tough, they play good cricket and we can’t expect to cruise through the series. If we’re not on our best behaviour on the field, so to speak, we’re going to get beaten."

Australia are ranked number one in the world after setting a world record sequence of 16 test wins before their defeat by loss to India this year.

They will remain number one regardless of the outcome of the ashes series and will keep the newly-introduced World Championship Trophy which they will receive before the first Ashes test in Birmingham.

Waugh said he considered England to be ranked about third or fourth at the moment but said they were entitled to some bragging rights if they toppled the Aussies.

"If they beat us, they’ll probably think they’re number one or number two in the world," Waugh said.

"It’s hard to put a rating on anyone but they’re playing as good cricket as anyone, they’ve won a lot of test matches and they’re on the verge of winning five series in a row, which is a significant achievement."

The 17 members of the Australian one-day squad left on Saturday for the triangular limited-overs series with Pakistan and England.

Most of the squad will stay on for the five tests while a handful of players chosen only for the tests will join them in England next month.

The squad is planning a two-day stopover in the Gallipoli Peninsula in Southern Turkey, where thousands of Australian soldiers were killed during an ill-fated campaign during world war one.

The tour begins with a warm-up match against Worcestershire on June 1 ahead of the triangular one-day series.

The five-match ashes series begins in Birmingham on July 5 with the final test at the oval from August 23. (REUTERS)

Bihar trounces Maharashtra in Junior National Football

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, May 26: Bihar trounced listless Maharashtra 11-0 while holder Manipur edged out a fighting Assam 1-0 in quarterfinal league matches in group A in the National Junior Football Tournament for Dr B C Roy Trophy here today.

Bihar boys, mostly from Tata Academy, started their campaign well and were leading 3-0 at the break.

Syed Rahim Nabi (52nd, 60th, 75th and 78th), Krishna Tudu (37th, 53rd and 63rd), Malasamtlunga Syhlo (7th, 63rd and 73rd) and Prasant Jaggi (30th) were the scorers for Bihar.

Malaasamtlunga Syhlo opened the account for Bihar in the seventh minute. However, they failed to convert a penalty in the 21st minute. In the 30th minute, a foul kick was taken by defender Prashant Jaggi outside the penalty area and in a solo effort he scored the second goal for Bihar. Three minutes before the break, Krishna Tudu netted the third goal.

Maharashtra goalkeeper Asif Khan was injured after play resumed, and he was substituted by the inexperienced Abrar Ansari. The hapless Ansari was no match for the rampaging Bihar forwards, and conceded eight goals in a span of 28 minutes.

Earlier, holders Manipur defeated Assam in a well contested match through a solitary goal scored by striker L Tiken in the 45th minute. In the first half, Assam’s captain Kamal Chetry and Bhim Kanta Sonowal missed two clear chances in the 30th and 36th minutes. (PTI)

Arnia, Khour zone bag titles in Inter-zonal Volleyball

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 26: Arnia and Khour zones shared honours in the Volleyball finals in the Inter-zonal competitions of Jammu zone at University of Jammu grounds, here today.

Arnia zone clinched the title in under-17 boys Volleyball beating the opponent 2-1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-11). Raghubir Singh and Sham Sunder of High School, Allah played a nice game for the winners, while from the losers, Daleep and Lalit Kumar fought well.

In the under-14 final, Khour zone outplayed Arnia zone in straight sets of 25-13, 25-3. Arjun Singh, Ranjneesh Singh, Zorawar Singh and Dilawar Singh scored maximum points for winners Khour zone.

Other results

Kho-Kho U-14 boys: Miran Sahib beat Bishnah by points (6-2); Domana beat Arnia 12-2; Parmandal beat Marh 10-2; Satwari beat Akhnoor 11-4.

Kabaddi U-17 boys: Khour beat Satwari 39-13; Domana beat R S Pura 27-10; Jammu beat Marh 29-21; Domana beat Khour in semi-final 35-30.

Kho-Kho U-17 boys: Akhnoor beat Samba by one turn and three points; R S Pura beat Satwari one point; Domana beat Akhnoor by one turn and three points.