England recover after shaky start at Adelaide

ADELAIDE, Dec 12: England recovered from losing two wickets in the space of five balls to reach 160 for three in their first innings by the close on the second day of the third test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval today.

It left England still 231 runs behind, after Australia were earlier dismissed for 391. Their recovery was due to a strong partnership between Nasser Hussain, 58 not out, and Mark Ramprakash, 45 not out, who both went on the attack against Australia’s spinners who were extracting increasing bite and turn on a dry and wearing pitch.

The pair wrested the initiative from Australia in the final 80 minutes of the day, scoring 76 runs with series of glorious drives and pulls to the boundary.

Australia earlier squandered their strong position of the opening day, adding just 125 runs for the loss of their last six wickets.

They owed much to Justin Langer whose 179 not out was his second test century and his first in Australia.

England’s cause was not helped by two controversial umpiring decisions that sent openers Michael Atherton and Mark Butcher walking back to the dressing room shaking their heads.

Atherton was adjudged caught by Mark Taylor at slip off leg-spinner Stuart Macgill, but replays raised doubts about whether the ball bounced off the ground into Taylor’s hands or off Taylor’s fingers into his hands.

Numerous television replays appeared inconclusive, but third umpire Paul Angley watched the closest replay just once before giving Atherton out.

Taylor said he was unsure if he caught the ball and umpire Steve Bucknor asked the third umpire to look at television replays.

A visibly Grim Atherton, who scored 41, shook his head several times as he watched the big screen replays at the ground on his long walk back.

Four balls later, England were in deeper trouble at 84 for three as captain Alec Stewart was dismissed for a duck off a bat and pad catch from the off-spin of Colin Miller.

England then struggled to cope with the often vicious leg spin of Macgill, as time after time his leg breaks exploded out of the footmarks and beat the bat, and sometimes keeper Ian Healy.

Miller, who finished with two for 48, had earlier dismissed butcher leg before with a ball that appeared to be missing off stump.

Butcher stood for several seconds in disbelief at the decision before trudging off. (REUTERS)

Langer’s 157 not out props Aussies to 361-9

ADELAIDE, (AUSTRALIA), Dec 12: Inspired by a brilliant unbeaten 157 by Justin Langer, Australia batted itself to a strong position in the third ashes cricket test against England at the Adelaide Oval today.

Resuming the day on 266 for four, Australia batted on to 361 for nine at lunch on the second day with no. 11 Glenn McGrath unbeaten on three at the break.

Langer continued from where he left off on the first day, acquiring his career-best innings despite England claiming five wickets from the other end.

Overnight batsman Ricky Ponting, Ian Healy and Damien Fleming fell cheaply to the medium pace combination of Darren Gough and Dean Headley, but Langer stayed composed throughout his 7 1-2-hour innings.

Ponting scored five before driving at a hard-working Gough to give second slip Graeme Hick a head-high catch.

It was Gough’s second wicket with the second new ball following his dismissal of Steve Waugh 13 minutes before stumps on the first day.

Langer’s chanceless innings included 11 boundaries off 314 balls. The other main contributions came from Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh who scored 59 runs apiece.

Headley was the pick of the England bowlers with 4-91 in 21 overs. Off spinner Peter Such took 3-88 while Gough had 2-90.

SCORECARD:

Australia won the toss Australia, 1st innings Overnight 266 for four

Michael Slater c Stewart b Headley 17

Mark Taylor c Hussain b Such 59

Justin Langer not out 157

Mark Waugh c and b such 7

Steve Waugh c Hick b Gough 59

Ricky Ponting c Hick b Gough 5

Ian Healy c Ramprakash b Headley 13

Damien Fleming lbw b Headley 12

Stuart Macgill b Such 0

Colin Miller lbw b Headley 11

Glenn McGrath not out 3

Extras (6lb, 12nb) 18

Total: 361 for nine

Fall of wickets: 1/28, 2/140, 3/156, 4/264, 5/274, 6/311, 7/338, 8/339, 9/354.

Bowling: Darren Gough 25-4-90-2 (5nb), Alan Mullally 26-5-59-0, Dean Headley 21-1-91-4 (6nb), Peter Such 35-8-88-3 (1nb), Mark Ramprakash 9-1-27-0.

Batting time: 506 minutes. Overs: 116. (AP)

Pak probe panel asks ACB to send Warne, Waugh

LAHORE, Dec 12: A Pakistani judicial committee investigating match-fixing allegations in cricket today sent a formal request to the Australian Cricket Board to make Shane Warne and Mark Waugh available for examination.

The request followed confessions by the two players that they took money from a bookmaker for providing information on weather and pitches during Australia’s Sri Lanka tour in 1994.

We have sent a letter to the ACB requesting them to produce the two players before the commission here on December 19, Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal adviser Ali Sibtain Fazli said.

Warne and Waugh had accused former Pakistan cricket captain Salim Malik of offering them bribes during the Australian team’s tour of Pakistan in 1994 following the Sri Lanka tour.

Meanwhile, several Pakistani cricketers objected to publication of their assets in a local newspaper on the basis of declarations they submitted to the commission through the cricket board.

They were confidential declarations and their leakage to the press has put our lives in danger, we feel insecure now, said a player on condition of anonymity.

The players said they would take up the matter with the board.

A local newspaper today carried the list of seven players under a headline which read: Moin khan the richest, Inzamam runner-up and Mushtaq Ahmed the poorest. (AFP)

OCA decision on award creates controversy

BANGKOK, Dec 12: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has come up with a compromise formula so they can award 1,00,000 US dollars in prize for the best athlete without infringing "amateurism" rules.

However, the decision has created a controversy with some members of the OCA not approving it.

The award is being given for the first time as the OCA seeks to increase and heighten the profile of the Asiad.

Such awards are banned in Olympics and the size of the prize money being offered by the OCA has surprised members and sports federations.

Many members said they will strictly follow the olympic charter and its rules on professionalism and not let athletes accept it.

Around 70 per cent of the 6,700 sportspersons from 36 disciplines at the games here are amateurs.

Under the compromise formula, the award given by Samsung Committee will be made to the athlete but the money will go to the athlete’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) with the understanding that the money should be "transferred towards the athletes’s training and other expenses".

However, Samsung officials admitted that once the money was paid to the NOC it was upto them what they did with it.

Several Governments have offered huge cash awards for a gold medal at the Asian Games.

The Singapore Government has promised 1,50,000 US dollars for a gold medal, but has yet to find a taker.

Any Chinese Taipei gold medal winner stands to get atleast 85,000 US dollars, Hong Kong 64,000 US dollars and even recession-stricken Thailand has promised 28,000 US dollars to its gold medal winners.

Bangkok Asian Games Organising Committee (BAGOC) Secretary General Gen C Arirachakaran said that for the first time such a big cash award is being given in the games. "This award is a major boost to amateur sports in Asia and will provide even more motivation for athletes to do their very best at the games," he added. (UNI)

Co-selectors upset with chairman Wadekar’s conduct

NEW DELHI, Dec 12: National cricket selection committee chairman Ajit Wadekar has come under fire from his four co-selectors for his conduct at a recent meeting in Chennai and for not informing them that Robin Singh Jr had replaced injured Ajit Agarkar in the Indian team to New Zealand at the eleventh hour.

In a signed letter addressed to the president of the Cricket Board (BCCI), Raj Singh Dungarpur, selectors Shivlal Yadav (South zone), Ashok Malhotra (East), Madan Lal (North) and Anil Deshpande (Central) have accused Wadekar to have taken the decision unilaterally to replace Agarkar with Delhi paceman Robin Jr, Board sources revealed today.

Agarkar was found to have sustained a stress fracture on his left shin late on December one, the last day of the training camp at Mumbai prior to the team’s departure on December 3, and Robin Jr was asked to fly out with the team.

In fact some of the selectors, who were in Mumbai to witness the Duleep Trophy quarter-final, were surprised to learn from scribes about the news.

The selectors have also criticised Wadekar’s conduct at the meeting in Chennai to pick the India ‘A’ team for the one-day series against the touring West Indies ‘A’.

Wadekar, according to his co-selectors, had argued unsuccessfully for inclusion of some players from his zone (West) before getting angry and using language which they did not deem fit, selectors have stated in the letter.

Though the former India captain apologised to them after the meeting, the other four selectors decided to lodge their protest in writing to Dungapur. (PTI)

Nugent, Sheetal win ITF junior tennis titles

CALCUTTA, Dec 12: Second seed Stephen Nugent of Ireland put up a disciplined performance to thrash third seed Ravi Kiran Bhat of India in straight sets and claim the boys’ singles title in the ITF Junior World Ranking Tennis Championship at the DKS complex here today.

Top seed Gautam Sheetal justified her top billing to win the girls’ singles crown with a facile 6-1, 6-3 victory over qualifier Sonal Phadke in a rather one-sided summit showdown.

The big-serving Nugent had no difficulty in brushing Aside Bhat’s challenge with an easy 6-3, 6-3 verdict, capitalising on a number of unforced errors by his Indian opponent.

Nugent used his powerful ervesto put pressure on Bhat whose returns were weak and tentative most of the times.

Bhat set up a break point with a rasping forehand down the line return but netted the next volley to take the score to deuce. His rival managed to hold on to his serve.

From then on, both players played from the baseline and hardly ventured to the net. Down 3-5 and serving to save the set, Bhat committed a series of errors to lose 3-6.

The first game of the second set was well contested and was stretched to four deuces, but the Irish player found his rhythm again to wrap the second set 6-3 without much difficulty. (PTI)

Wattana’s humiliation may continue

BANGKOK, Dec 12: Former world match-play snooker champion James Wattana may put his battered psyche in the spotlight again tomorrow after deciding to join Thailand in the team competition at the Asian Games.

Wattana, a former world no. 3-ranked player who has spent a decade as a snooker pro, was expected to win three golds for the hosts at the games.

Instead, it has been a soap opera story, full of tears, breakups and reunions. The tears followed a humiliating defeat early in the singles competition. The breakup came when his team missed out on a medal in the doubles and he told reporters he was playing too badly to continue at the games.

But a few hours after deciding he would quit the team, Wattana seemingly reconsidered, and unless he changes his mind again he should line up in the team’s event.

The games were expected to be a triumph for Wattana, who rose near the summit of his sport before tumbling down the rankings over the past year.

His inability to stand the pressure of pleasing his fans has been surprising, not least to himself.

Wattana and his mother gave tearful news conferences after he lost his singles match 5-1 to Hong Kong’s Chan Kwok-Ming and he was near tears again after he and partner Chuchart Trairatanapradit lost the bronze medal game.

"The pressure has been unbelievable, the worst I have ever felt," Wattana said after losing the doubles. "I have no confidence in my game, I cannot pot a thing, I just don’t know what’s wrong."

Wattana said he would withdraw from the teams competition but then reversed his decision, making himself available.

Thailand’s team manager Thirachai Vuthitham had not declared his starting team today. (AP)

JKP, Poonch win Volleyball titles

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 12: Last year’s runners-up Jammu and Kashmir Police won the 11th State Volleyball championship title for men beating the defending champion Jammu District 3-2 (15-6, 7-15, 15-10, 3-15, 15-10) in a closely fought final played at Mini Stadium, here today.

While in women section, district Poonch did well to shut out the last year champion Government Women College Gandhi Nagar 3-1 (11-15, 14-14, 15-4, 15-12) and took home the champions trophy for the first time.

Jammu and Kashmir Police which finished second last year had full backing of the crowd boosting the morale of the police team. After battling in the first four sets game which lasted in 2-2 draw, the Jammu and Kashmir Police displayed superb blocks and control in the attack. The host Jammu district which caved in unable to cope with the pressure build up in the deciding set and lost the set 15-10.

Spikers, Sujad Hussain, Shamim Ahmed and Rattan Chand gave a fine performance from Jammu and Kashmir Police.

While on the other hand, women title winner, district Poonch, which made its maiden entry into the final came in style. Roopali Jamwal, Geesu Jamwal and Jyoti Jamwal had well combination throughout the match.

Minister for Food and Supplies, Mr Ajay Sadhotra, who was chief guest in the finals the and gave away prizes to the winners and runners-up teams. Speaking on the occasion, the minister highlighted the importance of games and said that it promotes the spirit of sportsmanship, unity and mutual love. It also give fillip to the spirit of national integrity, he added.

He disclosed that the Government has formulated a policy to recruit best player in the belt services in the near future.

The championship in which 16 teams including five in women section participated was organised by the Volleyball Association of J&K under the aegis of State Sports Council lasted for five day.

Later, the president of Volleyball Association of J&K presented mementos to the guest of honours, Mr Sheikh Fazal Ahmed, Secretary, State Sports Council and Mr Ashok Bhan IGP.

Mr Narinder Singh Chahal, a renowned contraction and sports lover gave away a cash prizes of Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000 to both winners and runners up respectively in men and women teams.

While, Volleyball Association of District Udhampur gave away a cash prize of Rs 1,000 to to the men winners Jammu and Kashmir Police team.

Messrs Anchal Singh and Ashok Kumar, qualified coach from Volleyball Federation of India were referees in the men final, while Vijay Kumar and Pawan Kumar were in the women final.

Alla club wins Volleyball title
2-day rural sports meet at Arnia concludes

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 12: Alla Club won the Volleyball title beating Pindi Club in the two-day rural sports and cultural meet organised by the District Youth Services and Sports department at Arnia in Bishnah, near here today.

In Circle Kabaddi, Koolkalan Youth Club beat Higher Secondary School, Arnia, while in Tug of war competition Kool Kalan was winner and Young Club Arnia was runners-up.

In addition to this, wrestling competitions in the weight categories from 42 to 75kg were also organised.

However, local folk singers, vocalists, magic show by Chaman Lal Premi, march past and physical feats by students, skits on dowri etc besides, regional mass cultural items.

The Director General of Youth Services and Sports, Mr S S Ali was the chief guest on the occasion and gave away prizes to the winners and runners-up. Mr Ali said that efforts are a foot to explore possibility of searching new talent and providing opportunity to large section of society to take part in sports and related activities.

Mr Ashok Kumar Sharma, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu said that 2-day the meet around 700 students and non-students youths representing various institutions, clubs, participated in the events. He added that such meet organised for the first time in border area.

Later, Principal, Higher Secondary school, Arnia Mr Thakur Dass Sharma extended vote of thanks.