Daily Excelsior.........sports

Rain forces draw in
Bangladesh,
Zimbabwe test

DHAKA, Nov 12: Persistent rain since Saturday night has forced match officials to declare the first test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe a draw. .........more

Ganguly still to learn
to play short-pitched stuff

EAST LONDON (South Africa), Nov 12: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s vulnerability to short-pitched deliveries is no secret. At least not here, with ..........more

Annual meet of NSS
Programme Officers’
held at JU

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 12: Annual meeting of the National Service Scheme (NSS) Programme Officers of Jammu Province, including BEd colleges and schools was held at the University of Jammu, here today.......more

NSM College organises
‘Display Your Talent’

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 12: The NSM College of Education organised ‘Display Your Talent’ within the college premises wherein students performed folk songs, dances and poetry.......more

Inter-college Football Tourney
Mumraj kicks 4 goals
in MAM’s win over
Kathua, enter semis

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 12: Brilliant four goals by Mumraj helped Government MAM registered a big win over....more

BSF, J&K Police reach Men’s final
Parade College bags
Women’s title in
Basketball Tourney

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 12: Parade College team outplayed Tiger Sports Club 35-28 (ht 35-28) in the final to claim the Women’s title in the Late Varun ....more

Parshuram Bhawan
Foundation day celebrated
by Brahman Sabha

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 12: In connection with the Foundation Day of Parshuram Bhawan, an impressive function was organised at Mubarak......more

Ashraf Shah elected
president of J&K
Chess Association

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Nov 12: Mohd Ashraf Shah has been elected as president of the Jammu and Kashmir......more

Rain forces draw in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe test

DHAKA, Nov 12: Persistent rain since Saturday night has forced match officials to declare the first test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe a draw.

Match referee Hanumant Singh called off the test today, saying the rain made it impossible to complete the match.

The decision almost certainly averted a home side defeat.

Bangladesh, who were 125 for three in their second innings at the close of play on Saturday with Aminul Islam not out at six and Mohammad Ashraful yet to score, needed another 199 runs to make Zimbabwe, who scored 431 in their first innings, bat again.

Zimbabwe’s Australian coach Geoff Marsh said he was disappointed the rain had robbed them of a probable victory.

Zimbabwean captain Brian Murphy said: "It is really unfortunate that the rain came down as we were in a driving seat," he told reporters yesterday.

The second and last test of the series will begin in the South-Eastern port city of Chittagong on November 15. (REUTERS)

Ganguly still to learn to play short-pitched stuff

EAST LONDON (South Africa), Nov 12: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s vulnerability to short-pitched deliveries is no secret. At least not here, with bowlers already baying for his blood and vowing not to allow Ganguly to repeat his one-day onslaught in the remaining two tests.

Ganguly had tore the South African bowling apart in the one-dayers smashing huge sixes and unleashing a flurry of fours. But the Indian captain was visibly uncomfortable in both innings in the first test at Bloemfontein and is being subjected to sneers by those who would love to see his downfall.

Graeme Pollock, arguably one of the two best left-handed batsmen the game has seen alongwith Sir Gary Sobers, is candid in his opinion. "It is not difficult to see he has a problem. He has been successful in one-day cricket but this is a different situation. He has played most of his cricket where there is no bounce.

"He must pull or hook or get out of the way. But then hooking is a dangerous stroke and so he must learn to get out of the way," he said.

It is a view which is seconded by former South African fast bowler Fanie De Villiers. "He has got to get used to it. He has to adapt and do something. There are only two ways to get used to it - either attack or be defensive. Either you get under it, duck it or you attack it. Obviously, the route to attack is more dangerous and so he has to learn to duck under it."

Two other South African greats, Kepler Wessels and Dave Richardson, sing no different tunes. Wessels said, "he has got a weakness and he knows it. But then he has to lead from the front. He has to get behind the line of the ball and fight all the way. He should not let his weakness be seen by the bowlers."

Richardson showed more empathy than others on the issue. "It can be said that he hasn’t become accustomed to top pace on these wickets. But then South African batsmen too can look uncomfortable against short-pitched stuff. But yes, he has to work on his technique, how to get underneath it and learn how to drop his hand etc."

Criticism is not new to Ganguly but he has been targetted more often ever since he donned the skipper’s mantle last year. His test record during this period has not helped Ganguly’s cause - 12 tests, 536 runs at an average of 28.21. He has not hit a hundred in this spell and has had only two fifties.

Also it is an awkward sight to see him fending deliveries aimed at his rib-cage and twice in Bloemfontein was out to balls aimed at his body. Critics have lost no time in branding him a batsman who does not like fast bowling.

"It is not Sourav Alone. Everybody is scared of fast bowling anyway. But I don’t think he is scared. He just needs to work on his technique," Richardson said.

"He has to stand up to it and stay in line. Be more determined. Steve Waugh gets hit regularly but then he hasn’t done badly. Sachin Tendulkar too gets hit but then look at his performance. After sometime bowlers too get tired. He just has to back himself," he said.

If he wasn’t good enough, he couldn’t have come this far. Despite his failures lately, he still is averaging 42 plus per innings which is a better record than any South African batsman, Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis included.

"There is little doubt in my mind that he is a class player," Graeme Pollock said. "There is no reason why he can’t overcome this problem. He is probably aware of what he could be doing and what should be done. Past players have done and he could also do it."

The trouble with Ganguly is he has not been able to convert good starts lately in test cricket. He has got into 40s once, 30s and 20s thrice each in the last 12 tests but they haven’t resulted in big scores.

He guided India to a rare overseas victory against Sri Lanka in july this year when he smashed an unbeaten 98 against the genuinely quick Dilhara Fernando and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.

Ironically Ganguly, since becoming captain, has been in roaring form in one-day internationals. In 48 one-day internationals, he has scored more than 2000 runs with seven hundreds and 11 fifties and averages a staggering 47 plus. This gap in averages in one-dayers and tests have made critics slam Ganguly and term him only a one-day player.

Ganguly did not want to comment on this but quipped, "I have scored runs in this series and the world has watched it."

Obviously he is more interested in letting his bat do the talking in the remaining two test of the series.

De Villiers said if Ganguly was scared of getting hit, he should not worry about it too much. "Lot of tailenders get hit. I have been hit so many times during my career. He should also be ready to take the punishment. I think he can do it because he is a good enough player."

Wessels also discounted suggestions that Ganguly was scared of the rising ball. "I don’t think he is scared. It is more of a technical problem. He just has to work on it." (PTI)

Inter-college Football Tourney
Mumraj kicks 4 goals in MAM’s win over
Kathua, enter semis

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 12: Brilliant four goals by Mumraj helped Government MAM registered a big win over Degree College, Kathua 7-0 and subsequently entered the semi-finals in the Inter-college competitions being organised by the Directorate of Physical Education, University of Jammu, here today.

Mumraj, who scored the first goal in the 10th minute added three more to the tally after the breather. Kanchok netted two goals in the 20th and 45th minute respectively. Other three goals by Mumraj’s were scored in the second half in the 40th, 47th and 50th minutes. Balwant Singh was other man, who added the last goal to the tally in the 55th minute to make it a big win.

In the second scheduled match, Post Graduate Departments of Law and Sciences defeated Degree College, Udhampur in a one-sided affair to find berth in the last four stage. Gourav netted the ball for the first goal in the 15th minute, while Ajay added two goals in the 25th and 45th minute. Fourth goal for the PG Departments came through Arshid in the 57th minute.

Today’s matches were officiated by David Massih, Daljit Singh, G P Sharma and Brij Balowria.

Fixture for November 13: PG Arts V/s GGM Science College. Government SPMR College V/s Degree College, Bhaderwah.