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Triangular Cricket Tourney SHARJAH, Oct 21: Pakistan will look to brush...more
Turning track points to KANPUR, Oct 21: Frustrated by the unexpected...more Kapil, Tendulkar KANPUR, Oct 21: Disappointed with the performance....more Inter-school
Cricket Tourney Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Oct 21: Happy Model Higher.....more |
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Inter-Distt Swimming
competitions Clean sweep by Jammu distt on opening day Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 21: District Jammu made a clean sweep by winning 23 medals.....more Prem
Memorial Day-night Cricket Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 21: Karan Nagar Cricket Club today defeated Mithi Cricket Club....more Distt
meet from October 24 Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 21: The 21st Jammu and Kashmir State Table Tennis....more Trials
for Sub-junior Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 21: Trials for the selection of forthcoming 22nd Sub-junior...more |
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Triangular Cricket Tourney SHARJAH, Oct 21: Pakistan will look to brush aside claims that some of their leading stars have been implicated on betting and match-fixing charges and maintain their leeway in this desert outpost when they take on Sri Lanka in the final of the Triangular One-day Cricket Tournament tomorrow. Pakistan, who crushed the listless West Indies Tuesday night by a massive 138-run margin, look solid in all departments with their energetic fielding adding an extra dimension to the highly talented side. The side led by star all-rounder Wasim Akram has brooked little challenge on its way to the final, twice making it a no contest against the Caribbeans and treating the islanders themselves with disdain in the previous match after coming from nowhere to tie the first outing with them. Entering the final with three wins and a tie, Pakistan look set for their second straight tournament victory - after the 3-0 sweep over West Indies in Toronto - following the reverse against Australia in the World Cup final. Young batsmen Shahid Afridi, 17-year-old Hasan Raza, Yousuf Youhana and aspiring all-rounder Abdur Razzaq alongwith seasoned Inzamam-ul Haq have been virtually unstoppable and have displayed superb temperament under pressure while the bowling has as always been razor sharp with improved fielding adding fresh thrust to the efforts. While Pakistan players have the added motivation of gaining a berth for the coming Australian tour, Sri Lanka will strive to topple their rivals and will not be short on confidence coming after memorable performances at home. Sri Lanka, who overcame their nightmarish World Cup campaign by winning a home tri-series against Australia and India also went on to upset the team from down under to pull off a historic test series victory. Sri Lanka, under Aussie coach Dave Whatmore, have regained their verve on the field which saw them beat the West Indies in their crucial league tie, but their performance has not been anything to shout about here. Their batting is yet to collectively click and remains heavily dependent on skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana as veteran Aravinda De Silva, recalled to the one-day squad, has not been his old murderous self. Pakistan have shown their ability to perform despite the pressures back home and have continued to find their men of the hour in the four league matches they played here. Abdul Razzaq has made a major impact, grabbing five wickets to force a tie when Sri Lanka looked poised for a win and then cracking an unbeaten 59 in the return tie against the same rivals. The regularity with which Pakistan has been able to unearth fast bowlers has been on display with rookies Shabbir Ahmed and Mohd Akram making a big impact alongside the young off-spinner Shoaib Malik, an understudy of the injured Saqlain Mushtaq who promises a lot in the near future. Sri Lanka have made it to the final thanks to their lone win over the Caribbeans, but stopping the Pakistan juggernaut looks highly unlikely barring some sensational deed by the Sri Lankan slow bowling department. (PTI) |
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Turning track points to clear Indian advantage KANPUR, Oct 21: Frustrated by the unexpected resilience shown by New Zealand batsmen who managed to salvage a draw in the first match, India will look to overwhelm their demoralised rivals on a bone dry green park pitch expected to prove a rank turner in the second cricket test beginning here tomorrow. A slow turner that gradually improved as the match wore on enabled the doughty Kiwis to stave off defeat at Mohali, but the track here has emerged the major topic for discussion with the confidence of the visitors also shaken by their seven-wicket defeat in the three-day tie against Ranji champions Karnataka in Bangalore. After their batting recovered dramatically in the second innings at Mohali with skipper Sachin Tendulkar’s patient 126 not out and Rahul Dravid’s 144 apart from half-centuries from openers S Romesh and Devang Gandhi, bowling will be the key if the hosts are to pull off a victory. Left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, who shaped his state’s big win capturing four wickets to dismiss New Zealand for 105 runs in the second innings, and leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who led the side, will be key figures as Tendulkar’s squad strive to take the lead in the short series ahead of the final test at Ahmedabad. The Indian selectors, who will pick the playing eleven after discussions with the skipper and coach Kapil Dev, might seriously consider offie Harbhajan Singh as the third slow bowler in a toss up between the teenager and newcomer Vijay Bharadwaj, whose fastish off-breaks failed to make much impact in Mohali though his batting might weigh in his favour. The track, sporting mild cracks, pointed to the wicket taking turn from the very second day. It will take turn from tea on the first day. It is very, very dry with a very light sprinkling of dry grass. I have done what has to be done. Rest has to be seen, Chhote Lal, groundsman at green park for the last 20 years, said. Indian pace spearhead Javagal Srinath, who is just one short of taking his 150th test wicket going into his 40th match, showed his ability to extract appreciable pace and bounce at Mohali, but his new ball partner Venkatesh Prasad has been struggling and had just one wicket to show for his efforts in the first test. Sachin Tendulkar would look forward to winning the toss and raising big score to apply psychological pressure on the kiwis as playing a fourth innings on the track could be very difficult. The last time India played here, the third test against South Africa in December 1996, the hosts won by a huge 280-run margin and a similar performance could be the ideal tonic for the young team to get going. The batting maestro, a frustrated man after India failed to wrap up the Kiwis on the final day, showed with his 20th century in Mohali that pressures of captaincy did not affect his batting, but would be keen to lead the side more aggressi-vely to make up for the disappointment in the first test. The New Zealanders, who showed signs that they had grasped the nuances of tackling spin on Indian pitches with their skipper Stephen Fleming leading the way, enter the match with a disadvantage after the defeat in Bangalore. To add to their woes, their travel plans were thrown into disarray and the team that finished the Bangalore tie on October 19 managed to reach here only this morning after being stuck for a day in Delhi due to flight problems. The 26-year-old fleming, who struck an unbeaten 115 in the first innings but saw his team simply crack under pressure by Joshi and Kumble alongwith brilliant close catching by Karnataka’s A Vijay, might find it difficult to motivate his side. The Kiwis are expected to play off-spinner Paul Wiseman, who was given a long bowl at Bangalore, with 20-year-old left-arm Daniel Vettori who gave a good account of himself in the first test. But the lack of form of opener Matthew Bell will be a big worry and much will depend on how key batsmen Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle shape up faced with the challenge. (PTI) |
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Kapil, Tendulkar hope to win second test against Kiwis KANPUR, Oct 21: Disappointed with the performance in the Mohali test, coach Kapil Dev and skipper Sachin Tendulkar today asserted that the Indian team will play a positive game in the second test against New Zealand starting here tomorrow to earn result in a bid to go one up in the three-test cricket series. Talking to newspersons after a gruelling practice session here today, Kapil and Sachin insisted "what ever type of track we get, our approach will be to go for the kill. We want to win irrespective of the nature of wicket." "Both teams must play to get results," the world-record holder for most test wickets hoped, adding that getting outcomes was the only way to bring people back to watch test matches." Sachin, who was disappointed after New Zealand held on to force a draw in the first cricket test, said "one of the positive aspects of the Mohali test was that the boys did not give up. This quality will help the team to take an edge over the Kiwis, who miserably lost to Ranji champions Karnataka in the three-day match at Bangalore, he added. About the lethal spin attack led by leg-spinner Anil Kumble and Sunil Joshi, Sachin said "the Karnataka bowling attack was basically the Indian bowling line-up." Sachin, who seemed happy with the Green Park track, said "we will try to score a big total to give a chance to spinners to exploit the track." He said "players should not worry about pressure and should rather strive to give their best shots." On his fitness, Sachin said "I am happy with my condition." About the strategy for tomorrow’s second test match, he echoed Kapil’s words - "enjoy cricket to perform better." "My advice to players is to play from the heart, when they are in the field, they have to focus on the game," said Kapil for whom this is the second test as Indian coach. He said, "all I can say is that I am with them to ease their tension, not to create it. I am trying to guide them. However, they are so good and confident that I do not really know how much of my asssistance do they need." Kapil hoped that the boys will play to their potential and translate it into a winning formula. "They have a lot of hard work to do in the next five days. They will have to start at zero each morning and get 100 per cent result by the end of the day." (UNI) |
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Inter-school
Cricket Tourney Excelsior Correspondent UDHAMPUR, Oct 21: Happy Model Higher Secondary School and Girls Higher Secondary School, Udhampur have entered the finals of the Inter-school Cricket Tournament being played at District Police Lines, here today. Earlier, in the semi-finals stage, Happy Model school outplayed Girls Higher Secondary School, Garhi by 73 runs, while in the second semi-final, Girls Higher Secondary School, Udhampur down Girls High School, Garhi to reach the finals stage. In the first semi-final, Happy Model School batting first scored 169 runs for the four wickets in complete 25 overs. Richa scored brilliant unbeaten 96, while Pratima contributed valuable 34 runs. Pooja and Shakti (n.o) contributed 18 and five runs respectively. From HSS Garhi, Kamaljeet and Poonam took two wickets each. In reply, HSS Garhi lost all the wickets for 96 in 13 overs, thus losing the match by 73 runs. Manjala was the highest scorer with 35 runs, while Asha contributed 22. No other batswomen could enter the double figure. For Happy Model, Richa, Pratima, Pooja, Kuminder and Usha shared one wicket each. In the second semi-final, Girls Higher Secondary School, Udhampur defeated Girls High School, Garhi by eight wickets. Batting first, GHS, Garhi lost all the wickets for 65 in 13 overs. Renu was the highest scorer with 27 runs, while Nisha and Nitu contributed seven and four runs respectively. From GHSS, Nimsha claimed three wickets, while Poonam and Neelam shared two each. Parmila took one. Chasing the target, GHSS, Udhampur reached the total in 13th over losing only two wickets. Ruchi scored unbeaten 20, while Sakshi contributed 16. For GHS, Garhi, Neetu and Manju shared one wicket each. |
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Distt meet from
October 24 Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 21: The 21st Jammu and Kashmir State Table Tennis Championship will be held from November 9 at Indoor Sports Complex, MA Stadium, here. In this the Jammu and Kashmir Table Tennis Association has invited entries from interested players for the said championship on or before November 8, a handout issued here by the Association said. Meanwhile, in a separate handout, the two-day Jammu District Table Tennis Championship will start from October 24 at the same venue. The last date for sending entries is October 23. The entries can be submitted for both the championships to Mr Satish Gupta, Table Tennis coach, Mr Ajay Sharma, general secretary, JKTTA and Miss Chand Preet Kour, Table Tennis player. The entry fee for the twin competitions has been fixed and participants have to pay the same amount separately, if they desired to participate in both the competitions. For men and women singles Rs. 20 and for doubles Rs 30. Whereas, for juniors singles and doubles Rs 10 has been fixed. The same amount will be charged from the sub-junior category, while Cadets are asked to deposit Rs 8 per head. Mr Rajan Sharma has been named organising secretary for the State Championship, while Sheetal Gandotra will hold the same post for Jammu District Championship. |
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| Trials for Sub-junior National
Volleyball Champ from Oct 25 Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Oct 21: Trials for the selection of forthcoming 22nd Sub-junior National Volleyball Championship in both boys and girls categories will be held at MA Stadium, here from October 25 to 27. Thereafter, the selected probables will attend coaching-cum-selection camp from October 28 to November 14. Players born on or after 1.1 1984 will be eligible for participation in the trails. The National Championship is scheduled to be held at Chandrapur in Maharashtra from November 17 to 21, a handout issued by the Volleyball Association of Jammu and Kashmir. |
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