Pakistan inflict nine-wicket defeat on minnows Holland

COLOMBO, Sept 21: Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir blasted quickfire half-centuries as Pakistan raced to their target to inflict a nine-wicket defeat on Holland in an inconsequential league match of the Champions Trophy Cricket Tournament here today..........more

Batting will be key to our
success, says Ganguly

COLOMBO, Sept 21: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today said the key to success in tomorrow’s crunch match against England to decide the last semi-finalist in the ICC Champions Trophy here, will be India’s batting strength........more

Shoaib eyes Pakistan
captaincy

COLOMBO, Sept 21: After Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, captaincy seems to have caught the fascination of another ace Pakistani speedster, Shoaib Akhtar.........more

Women’s hockey team for Asian Games announced

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: The Indian women’s hockey federation today reposed its faith in the side that won the Commonwealth Games gold at Manchester and retained it for the September 29-October 14 Asian Games at Busan........more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 21: After reaching the final of Junior Snooker, the duo, Nishant Azad and Kuldeep Chowdhary, have also qualified for the final of Billiards in the junior group in the 12th Jammu District Open Billiards and Snooker Championship currently underway at MA Stadium, here today................more

Jammu Distt Boxing Championship
Rajesh beats Vikas, enter
Welterweight final

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 21: Rajesh Dogra outplayed Vikas Kumar 2-1 to enter into the final of the Welterweight group in the two-day Jammu District Boxing Championship which began at M A Stadium here this afternoon........more

GCW Gandhi Nagar in final
of women cricket as
PC XI refuses to play

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 21: Government College for Women (GCW), Gandhi Nagar today entered into the final of the Jammu District Women Cricket Tournament through...............more

Pakistan inflict nine-wicket defeat on minnows Holland

COLOMBO, Sept 21: Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir blasted quickfire half-centuries as Pakistan raced to their target to inflict a nine-wicket defeat on Holland in an inconsequential league match of the Champions Trophy Cricket Tournament here today.

Afridi smashed 55 runs off just 18 balls with four fours and six sixes, the last of which brought up Pakistan’s victory in just 16.2 overs.

Pakistan scored 142 for one in reply to Holland’s 136 all out in exactly 50 overs.

Afridi, who had earlier claimed three wickets for 18 runs, was declared man-of-the-match.

Nazir, who started the onslaught, was the only Pakistan batsman to get out. He made a whirlwind 59 off 40 balls with 11 hits to the fence. The other opener Saeed Anwar remained unbeaten on 28 off 40 balls.

With both teams already out of contention for a semi-final slot, the match only had academic interest. Sri Lanka has qualified from the group for the last four stage and will meet Australia in the semi-finals.

The Pakistani batsmen took full advantage of the inexperienced bowling attack of Holland and entertained a small crowd with big hits.

Nazir struck three boundaries in the very first over by Edgar Schiferli which set the momentum for the rest of the innings. He then took 18 runs from Schiferli’s fourth over as Pakistan brought up fifty runs in the eighth over.

Nazir, who reached his fifty off 36 balls, was finally out in the 12th over when he was caught by Bas Zuiderent at backward short leg off Feiko Floppenburg.

But that only worsened Holland’s miseries as Afridi launched an even more vicious attack on the bowling. Afridi hit a boundary off the very first ball he faced before hitting four sixes in an over from Adeel Raja who conceded 31 runs in his 2.2 overs.

Earlier, Holland managed to survive their entire quota of overs but could muster just 136 runs.

Holland, who elected to bat, were all out off the last ball of the 50th over with captain Ronald Lefebvre remaining unbeaten on 32.

Lefebvre, who hit a four and a six in his 70-ball knock, added invaluable runs towards the end after Holland had collapsed to 84 for seven in the 29th over.

Holland once again had a poor start and lost four wickets with just 23 runs on the board before a 55-run fifth wicket stand between Tim De Leede and Luuk Van Troost stabilised the innings a bit.

Leede scored 24 off 50 balls with two fours and a six while Van Troost made 16 off 59 balls with two fours.

However, it was the extras that contributed most to the Holland total, the 21 leg-byes and 12 wides accounting for 33 runs.

Lefebvre added 28 runs for the eighth wicket with Reinout Scholte, who scored 11, and 23 for the last wicket with Adeel Raja (5). (PTI)

SCOREBOARD

Holland

J Kloppenburg run out 7

D Van Bunge c Misbah-ul Haq b Shoaib 1

B Zuiderent c Younis Khan b Waqar 7

T De Leede lbw b Afridi 24

H J Mol b Waqar 0

L Van Troost c Latif b Afridi 16

R Scholte st Latif b Malik 11

J Esmeijer lbw b Afridi 0

R Lefebvre not out 32

E Schiferli b Sami 0

A Raja b Razzaq 5

Extras (lb-21, w-12) 33

Total (all out, 50 overs) 136

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-15, 3-23, 4-23, 5-78, 6-84, 7-84, 8-112, 9-113.

Bowling: Waqar 7-3-14-2, Shoaib Akhtar 8-3-14-1, Sami 10-1-18-1, Afridi 10-3-18-3, Abdur Razzaq 7-0-25-1, Shoaib Malik 8-1-26-1.

Pakistan

I Nazir c Zuiderent b Kloppenburg 59

S Anwar not out 28

S Afridi not out 55

Extras 0

Total (for 1 wkt, 16.2 overs) 142

Fall of wicket: 1-85.

Bowling: Schiferli 4-0-37-0, Lefebvre 4-0-14-0, De Leede 2-0-19-0, Kloppenburg 2-0-23-1, Raja 2.2-1-31-0, Esmeijer 2-0-18-0. (PTI)

Batting will be key to our success, says Ganguly

COLOMBO, Sept 21: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today said the key to success in tomorrow’s crunch match against England to decide the last semi-finalist in the ICC Champions Trophy here, will be India’s batting strength.

"They’re a good side...We have to compete well to win the match, but they have not turned the world around with their performance," Ganguly said when asked about the english team.

Ganguly, who was optimistic of a good showing from his players said, "we didn’t bat well in the last game.... Kaif and Dravid took us out of jail...Batting will be the key to success in tomorrow’s match."

"It’s a challenge to keep up the standard we have set in the last six to seven months. And to do so, we have got to bat well, he opined hinting that V V S Laxman might get a chance to play tomorrow."

In the last match against Zimbabwe, India who were at one stage struggling at 87 for five, were pulled out of the woods by a magnificent century by Kaif and a polished half-century by Dravid and went on post 288 for the loss of six wickets. India won the match by 14 runs restricting the African team to 274 for eight in a touch and go finish.

Ganguly did not agree that it would be a grudge match and a replay of the Natwest Trophy final, where India successfully chased the mamoth target of 325 at Lords to lift the title.

He said, "I don’t think so...It’s past us. This is a new game and tomorrow ‘s a new day."

"The conditions in England suited them better, but we won there. It could be the other way round here," the Indian skipper said sounding a note of caution to his players.

"We have got to be very careful and play to our full potential...We need to play to our strengths," Ganguly said.

England was not a weak side as they had defeated Zimbabwe quite convincingly, he added.

England amassed 298 for eight in 50 overs mainly due to a rapid-fire century by in-form opener Marcus Trescothick (119) and contained Zimbabwe to 190 for nine in 50 overs.

Asserting that his team was taking this tournament as a virtual knock out one, Ganguly said, "it’s virutally a knock out one...Such a good side like Pakistan had one poor session and they’re out."

On the batting strength in the Indian team which runs deep, the southpaw said, "lot of teams bats deep down the order now a days. We are not the only ones."

Asked whether the toss would play a big role and batting first was crucial, he said, "the wicket is good. Sri Lanka had lost the toss and they still won the game."

Stating that the spinners probably need to bowl better, he said, "It’s a challenge to bowl on this wicket. Zaheer bowled magnificently in the last game. Nehra too bowled well for seven overs, but for one bad over." (UNI)

Shoaib eyes Pakistan captaincy

COLOMBO, Sept 21: After Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, captaincy seems to have caught the fascination of another ace Pakistani speedster, Shoaib Akhtar.

Shoaib Akhtar has staked claim for the captaincy of the team, choosing particularly a time when Pakistan cricket is in deep crisis.

He said,"it (the captaincy) will come to me. I know that I am capable of leading the Pakistan team," while speaking to a Pakistan-based website, yesterday.

Stating he had no intention of running for it, Shoaib expressed confidence that the captaincy will land in his lap soon. "Whenever the captaincy comes to me, in one year’s time or six months I want to be in control of the team. I want to serve the country and make sure that I leave my name in the book of history forever."

Shoaib said he did not want to "merely be a great bowler or a selfish captain, but a great servant of the country."

"I’ll prove that I am a great leader of men when the time comes. Let us have a toss first then I will show whether I’ll bat first or bowl first. I don’t know right now," he added.

Two years ago, Shoaib had, in an interview with the same website, called himself a wild horse.

"I’m not a wild horse anymore. I am wise now. I am a good boy. Those who know me as a person know that I am a simple guy. It is hard to promote myself as a good guy on the television or on paper. I just want to lead my life just by myself instead of running after newspapers and convincing them that I am a nice guy."

Contending that the race with Brett Lee for the title of fastest bowler is over, Shoaib said he had already proved himself as the fastest in the world.

"I bowled the fastest ball against New Zealand in Pakistan and proved to everyone that I am the best. In 1999 I was the fastest bowler brett was nowhere near my pace."

He, however, hastened to add that he wanted to be the greatest bowler and not the fastest, and wanted to be remembered as a bowler who was known to have a clever head and a brave heart.

He described most of the greatest cricketers as mad . The reasoning being they don’t see situations and instead play their game with guts.

"When you are more than brave you are mad. Sir Viv Richards was mad when he went out to bat without wearing a helmet and hooked bowlers hurling the ball at 100 miles at him. But there is cleverness behind the madness," he emphasised.

Despite the dismal performance at the ICC Champions Trophy, Shoaib claimed that Pakistan was the most talented side in world cricket. He pointed out that Pakistan played Australia on their home soil early this year at only half of their capability and still beat them. (UNI)

Women’s hockey team for Asian Games announced

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: The Indian women’s hockey federation today reposed its faith in the side that won the Commonwealth Games gold at Manchester and retained it for the September 29-October 14 Asian Games at Busan.

However, there was one change - Pakpi Devi being replaced by Adline Kerketta - in the 16-member side that will start its campaign on September 30. Kerketta was among the stand-byes in the Commonwealth Games team.

Suraj Lata will continue to lead the team which is a blend of experience and youth.

India’s chances of winning a medal in the games are quite high as only three other teams- China, Olympic silver medallists Korea and Japan- are in fray after the withdrawal of some teams from the championship.

India had won the silver at the last edition of the games in Bangkok.

The team will leave for Busan on September 24 and are scheduled to play three practice matches against Busan university boys team.

Team: Tingoleima Chanu, Helen Mary, Amandeep Kaur, Suman Bala, Kanti Baa, Suraj Lata Devi (captain), Sumraj Tete, Sita Gossain, Masira Surin, Mamta Kharab, Manjinder Kaur, Pritan Siwach, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Sanggai Ibemhal Chanu, Adline Kerketta, Saba Anjum. (PTI)

12th Jammu District Billiards and Snooker Championship
Kuldeep, Nishant dominate the show, occupy
berths in Jr Billiards also

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 21: After reaching the final of Junior Snooker, the duo, Nishant Azad and Kuldeep Chowdhary, have also qualified for the final of Billiards in the junior group in the 12th Jammu District Open Billiards and Snooker Championship currently underway at MA Stadium, here today.

Now, both will clash for the double title later, when the position in senior groups will be cleared.

In Billiards final, second seed Kuldeep Chowdhary will have a cake walk in the absence of defending champion Sohail Khalid. Sohail is no more a junior and now he shall be trying his luck in the senior group, the competitions for which will start from tomorrow onwards.

Earlier, before reaching the Billiards final, Kuldeep had to undergo some kind of pressure build-up by Deepak Bajaj in the later stages of the match. Deepak finished close to Kuldeep in the 90 minutes game with score on board 284-248.

Whereas, Nishant Azad won with a handful of 84 points margin against Jyoti Anand. The final score was 320-236.

In the quarter-finals, inform Kuldeep Chowdhary stunned Tarun Singla in a one-sided contest. Kuldeep had taken early lead which he further improved in the middle of the 60 minutes game with total score of 206-88 on the score board.

However, two other quarter-final encounters, Deepak Bajaj defeated Aditya Malhotra 163-130 and Jyoti Anand down Manav Gulati 195-151 to reach the last four stage. In another match, Nishant Azad outplayed Sheetal Bharati by a margin of near 50 points 206-159.

In the pre-quarter-finals round played in the morning session, Nishant Azad beat Almiyat Ahmed 182-112 and Manav Gulati down Ishan Sharma 176-148.

Jyoti Anand made it a one-sided match while taking on Nikhil Kapahi bringing the final score on board 287-129. Kuldeep Chowdhary also registered an easily victory over Rohit Gupta beating later by 202-120.

In other two quarter-final encounters, Sheetal Bharti trounced Zohaib Chowdhary 186-162 and Aditya Malhotra outplayed Akhil Kohli 148-119.

In all, there were 20 entries in the Junior Billiards group and the first round had started with the holding of pre-quarterfinal matches.

Today’s matches were officiated by makers Surjeet Singh Balowria, Rakesh Kumar and Shanker Dass.