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

Rookies deflate Indian
bowlers ahead of
Test series

BRISBANE, Nov 29: The touring Indians lost three wickets in seven balls after their bowlers were put on the rack by a second-grade Queensland side on the opening day of a three-day side game here today...............more

Australia lead
Spain 2-1 in
Davis Cup final

MELBOURNE, Nov 29: Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge teamed up to beat Alex Corretja and Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-1 6-3 and give Australia A 2-1 lead over Spain in the Davis Cup final today............more

District Court stays
lower court order
on Kale’s
suspension

PUNE, Nov 29: In a setback for Abhijit Kale, the District and Sessions Court here today stayed a lower court order allowing the suspended Maharashtra cricketer to play domestic matches...........more

I’m in contention
for a Test spot,
says Kumble

BRISBANE, Nov 29: Ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble, after his four wickets on the opening day against Queensland Academy of Sports, felt good to have a long bowl at the Allan Border Field today..........more

Sportsmaster
Game for mere certificate
spoils sports: Ajay

By Sanjeev Sharma

Playing sports for merely getting certificates has infact spoiled the sports in Jammu and Kashmir. For the past some time, it has become a tendency of people to send their wards to the stadias till they get two certificates of national participations to fulfill the criteria for.......more

Commerce College
clinches Football trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: Government SPMR College of Commerce took last year’s revenge of losing to Government MAM College in the final when they turned the tables against the same opponent........more

First upset in Sr
snooker as 6th seed
Sohail lose in third round

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 29: In the first upset of the ongoing 13th State Billiards and Snooker Championships, Sohail Khalid was beaten......more

J&K, Orissa win in
Police Hockey meet

JALANDHAR, Nov 29: Jammu Kashmir and Orissa won their respective league matches, while Uttaranchal......more

Rookies deflate Indian bowlers ahead of Test series

The ragged Indian bowling attack once again let a batting reputation grow at their expense and their batsmen did little better in the seven possible overs to crumble to 17 for 3 at close against Queensland Academy of Sports XI.

Lee Carseldine, playing his first game of the season after recovering from a knee injury, smashed a brilliant century as the home team cheekily declared at 304 for 6, half an hour before close of play.

The hosts backed their decision sensationally, removing Indian openers and wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta in the space of seven balls.

Scott Bryant, a left-arm paceman of Zimbabwe-origin, removed Akash Chopra and Deep Dasgupta off successive deliveries in his second over though the Indian stumper was unlucky as he had played fully stretched forward.

India suffered another blow at the other end when Virender Sehwag (6) edged a flick down the legside off Joe Dawes for wicketkeeper Chris Hartley to complete a very good catch.

Earlier, the Indians misfielded, overthrew and dropped catches and perhaps the only thing in their defence was they kept an attacking field throughout with no fielder in the deep.

Anil Kumble picked up four wickets but neither he nor any other Indian bowler looked particularly threatening on a placid pitch with short boundaries and fast outfield.

Carsledine walked in to bat in the second over of the day and stayed till well after tea break when he was smartly caught by Dasgupta who kept brilliantly against both pacers and spinners.

Dasgupta showed his concentration was still good at the fag end of a hot day when he made a difficult stumping look easy against Craig Philipson who at 85 was looking good to be the second centurion of the day for the hosts.

Philipson made 85 in 161 minutes from 138 deliveries with 12 fours and a towering six off Kumble when he came down the track and lifted the leg-spinner right to the sightscreen.

Carseldine, a regular with Queensland first eleven but one who has suffered on count of injury lately, made 112 from four hours and 190 deliveries, hitting 15 fours and a six.

Carseldine, who topped for Queensland last season with 709 runs at 44.31, looked in extremely good touch as he hit through the line and mostly with the full face of the bat. He is better known as someone who broke all of Michael Bevan’s fitness record in the Australian Cricket Academy recently.

Kumble’s other two wickets were of home skipper Aaron Nye (15) and Steve Farrell (9) who were dismissed bowled and leg-before wicket respectively.

The Indians began on a poor note when VVS Laxman dropped opener Chris Simpson in the slips in the first over of the match by Ajit Agarkar. Later Akash Chopra, at silly point, failed to hold on to a catch off Philipson off Kumble.

Simpson tore into Indian bowling, Agarkar in particular, whom he repeatedly punched through the off-side and hooked whenever the frail medium-pacer pitched it short.

Simpson also once flicked Irfan Pathan over the midwicket fence for a six to deflate the left-arm paceman who started off well by claiming a wicket off his very first ball of the tour, a leg before shout against Daniel Payne (0).

Simpson finally departed when he gave a catch back to Agarkar after making 43 from 46 balls with eight fours and a six.

So depleted was the Queensland team that the match was not accorded a first class status. Both teams were allowed to rotate their 12 players during the match though only eleven could bat.

It allowed the Indians to keep Rahul Dravid in the twelve even as the Indian vice-captain was allowed a day off the field due to flu which he seems to have got from his teammates Kumble and Laxman.

None of the Indian bowlers walked off with a good feeling, certainly not Laxmipathy Balaji who was hit for six boundaries in his first five overs and was given only 11 overs during the day. (PTI)

District Court stays lower court order
on Kale’s suspension

PUNE, Nov 29: In a setback for Abhijit Kale, the District and Sessions Court here today stayed a lower court order allowing the suspended Maharashtra cricketer to play domestic matches.

Additional District Court judge B N Deshpande gave the stay order after the cricket board filed an appeal against the lower court’s order and sought a stay on it.

In view of the order, Kale, who was selected to play in the Ranji Trophy plate match against Orissa in Cuttack, will have to be dropped from the squad.

The board told the sessions court that the lower court had not interpreted the rules of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) properly.

As per rule 38(7) of the BCCI the inquiry is deemed to have started the moment the commissioner of inquiry was appointed. Hence it cannot be said that Kale was suspended before the commencement of inquiry, BCCI counsel M Hartalkar submitted.

The lower court had yesterday issued temporary injunction restraining the board from suspending the player from cricket matches including the Ranji plate division and other tournaments conducted by the BCCI on the grounds that Kale was not given a hearing and was suspended even before the commencement of inquiry.

Talking to reporters later, Wadekar said he would file an appeal in the High Court against the order of the District Court. (PTI)

I’m in contention for a Test spot, says Kumble

BRISBANE, Nov 29: Ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble, after his four wickets on the opening day against Queensland Academy of Sports, felt good to have a long bowl at the Allan Border Field today.

"It felt good to get back to your rhythm and bowl 20 overs. I’m sure I am in contention for selection in the eleven for the first Test," Kumble said.

The 33-year-old agreed the fast bowlers were a bit inconsistent in their first spells and put it down to little cricket by his team in recent times.

"I’m sure we would have loved to have a lot of wickets with the new ball. We started off well but unfortunately didn’t keep it going.

"We would love to be consistent but everyone is playing a first class or a three-day game after a long time. We have lately been playing only one-dayers. It takes a bit of time to get used to it," he said. (PTI)

Sportsmaster
Game for mere certificate spoils sports: Ajay

By Sanjeev Sharma

As and when they (players) manage two certificates of participations they are no more regular and with the passage of time, quit the game forever.

These were the words of top Table Tennis player of the State, Ajay Sharma, who has won the coveted State champion title for a record of 17 times.

Ajay said that the present generation has, comparatively, much better playing facilities but what they lacked is professionalism and hardwork. "Though the present day parents send their children to stadias at the right age, yet they have failed in inculcating the sense of true sportsmanship among them", said Ajay adding, "still a few parents, who have sports background, are no more interested in certificates and have started asking their wards to excel at the national level".

Coming to his own game, Ajay was of the views that the young lot who are coming in large number, are not working that hard as required to compete at the national level. "Table Tennis is so competitive game that one cannot do anything untill and unless one practices for four to five hours in a day that too on regular basis. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bengal and Delhi paddlers are among the top because sports have become culture in these states", said Ajay, who is a widely traveled player in his near 25 year long career in the sports.

Working in Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), as Assistant Sports Officer, Ajay has maintained his game in such a manner that the team he was part of won gold medal in the All India Electricity Board Sports Meet.

Ajay’s regular practice and exercise has not only kept him physical fit, but also helped him in excelling in the veteran National Table Tennis Tournament. And, on the basis of performance at the national level, Ajay was twice selected for international veteran competitions, but due to high expenditures, he could not participate.

Replying to a question regarding decreasing standard of game at the senior level, Ajay said, "there was a time when state women were there in the national rankings. Now, the situation is, not even men could do it. In 1984, Saloni Mahajan was there in the junior ranking, because she used to practice for two to three hours a day alongwith near 10 other promising girls".

In the past, practice hours for men used to be between seven to eight hours whereas the present men champion are not even a regular visitors at the Table Tennis hall what to talk of time. Same is the case with women, who are practicing just for an hour or so that too only on working days, explained Ajay.

Ajay, who is also general secretary of the J&K Table Tennis Association, said, " being office bearer of the Association, I must inform you that we are doing our best for the game. Every year the Association gets three new tables sponsored from `Stag’ for the trainees and our annual calendar of activities include more than five domestic tournaments, which no other sports Association in J&K does’’.