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| General bowls cricketers at reception From K J M Varma ISLAMABAD, Mar 17: Deft at hosting top world leaders, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today cleaned bowled the Indian cricketers as well at a reception he hosted in his presidential.........more High score
insured By Wasim Akram Another memorable game gave the cricket fans plenty to cheer about. Scores of 300-plus in each of the four innings so far in the series have ensured that........more Sachin
keeps Pak By Ravi Shastri India's bowling was exposed once again at Rawalpindi, and the smart move of bringing in Shahid Afridi paid off splendidly for Pakistan. As I had mentioned in an earlier piece, the decision......more NEW DELHI, Mar 17: Delhi seamer Amit Bhandari will replace left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra in the Indian cricket team for the rest of the series in Pakistan, the Indian Cricket Board said today.......more |
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Inter-Bn Sports meet of Armed
Police JKAP 14th Bn enters football final Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: The JKAP 14th Bn today sailed into the final of football in the ongoing inter-battalion sports meet of the........more DYSS
organises Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: Department of Youth Services and Sports organised two-day rural sports and cultural festival at Samba..........more Army
creates sports Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: In a true sportsman spirit, the Army has attracted the local youth of once militancy affected area.............more Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: With four wins in as many outings, Shashi Jamwal of Survey of India was today declared winner of the Chess.......more |
General bowls cricketers at reception From K J M Varma ISLAMABAD, Mar 17: Deft at hosting top world leaders, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today cleaned bowled the Indian cricketers as well at a reception he hosted in his presidential mansion, showering praise on Sachin Tendulkar’s batting skills and Lakshmipathy Balaji’s blitzkrieg against speed-king Shoaib Akthar in yesterday’s match. The Indian players, along with their Pakistani counterparts, were treated at the banquet hall, usually reserved for visiting heads of states and Government, at his Presidential mansion. The cricketers were ushered into the ornate ‘Aiwan-i-Sadar’ hall for tea where Musharraf, dressed in his usual battle fatigues, shook hands with each one of them. He pleasantly surprised them by recalling some of their best performances he had seen in the past. Musharraf, who watched yesterday’s match for over two hours at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, had special praise for Tendulkar’s century. Patting the batting maestro, he congratulated him for his 37th one-day century, Indian team’s security in-charge, Yashowardhan Azad, who was also present at the reception, said. The President also recalled some of the previous innings of Tendulkar which he had seen and told him that scoring 13,000 runs was a remarkable achievement, Azad told PTI here. The General also praised Balaji for taking on Shoaib in the dying overs in yesterday’s day-night tie during which he hit three fours off him. He told Balaji that he thought he virtually stole the match from Pakistan. He also complimented Mohammad Kaif for his excellent diving catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik in the Karachi one-dayer which helped India win the match. It was apparent that during the one-hour meeting, the Indian players were totally bowled over by the President’s wit and knowledge of the nuances of cricket, Azad said. The Indians, in a fitting gesture, presented a bat autographed by the entire team as a memento. The Indian team had also presented a similar bat to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi before they left for Pakistan tour. Musharraf was also presented a gift on behalf of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The reception had some hilarious moments as well. For instance Musharraf was pleasantly surprised to see young wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel and inquired about his age. Captain Sourav Ganguly, who was introducing his players, said patel was just 18 and he (Ganguly) was unable to manage him. "Why should you manage him. You should let the young man manage himself," Musharraf told Ganguly. The manager of the Indian team, Ratnakar Shetty, who was also present, said he was impressed by Musharraf’s cricket diplomatic skills. He said all the players burst out in laughter when the General said he enjoyed the burly 200-pound Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq desperately diving in yesterday’s match to slow down the run chase by India. He also praised Inzamam for his century in Karachi. An embarrassed Inzamam could not also contain his laughter. During the course of the reception, Musharraf told both the teams that judging from the two matches that were played so far, the teams were evenly poised. "Whatever may be the result, when the long series finally ends, the cricket series would have helped the two countries to forge more friendly ties and brought people of the two countries closer," he told the cricketers. India gained a 1-0 lead in the five-match series by winning the Karachi tie but Pakistan levelled it last night with a 12-run victory at Rawalpindi. The Indian cricket team later attended a crowded reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner Shivshankar Menon at the High Commission premises where several dignitaries from Pakistan took part. Musharraf also praised the fans for their sporting behaviour and wished the Indian team a memorable stay. "I’m sure you will be feeling comfortable (in Pakistan). The way the crowd has responded in the two games shows that the Pakistani people are sports lovers. "They (the spectators) appreciated both teams. Although both games went down to the wire, cricket was the ultimate winner. It didn’t matter who won," Musharraf said. "I’m sure both teams will play some more competitive and exciting cricket in the remaining part of the series," he said. (PTI) |
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High score insured thrilling contest By Wasim Akram Another memorable game gave the cricket fans plenty to cheer about. Scores of 300-plus in each of the four innings so far in the series have ensured that the contests are thrilling, fun and exciting. Of course, many will be tempted to dismiss the high-scoring games as the fall of the bowlers but the crowds throng a stadium for one-day internationals with the expectation of fours and sixes. I think the tracks have been perfect from the limited-over perspective and that such tracks make for great cricket and viewing. When Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hamid started firing on all cylinders, even the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly appeared to panic. It is never a great sign when the captain takes time to adjust the field and ring in the bowling changes. India's lack of alternative plans to counter the Pakistan attack was obvious and that is not a good thing. The fielding was a bit slack, too with Ashish Nehra being an obvious target. I am not surprised that Zaheer Khan looks out of match practice. He must concentrate on his own bowling rather than look for advise now. It always takes time for a bowler to come back from injury and to expect him to perform at the top level is unfair. I should know because it took me two to three weeks each time I was returning to competitive cricket from an injury. I am sure that in a few days time, he will be back at his best. He just needs match practice. For Pakistan, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Sami bowled very well, recovering smartly from the hammering they got in Karachi. Their effort in Pindi proves that they have the ability to bowl well on the flat tracks that have been on offer. It is this knowledge that separates the Pakistan team from India's. Sachin Tendulkar played one of the best one-day innings I have seen, his was a masterly effort, but the Pakistanis fielded well, taking nearly all the catches that went their way, except the one which Shoaib Akhtar dropped off Sourav Ganguly. Fortunately for Pakistan, the lapse did not prove costly and Ganguly, who looked out of sorts in any case, did not last long. Any team looks up to the captain, no matter who it is, and if he does not look 100 per cent on the field, it would be hard for the others. However, there was another positive for the Indian team to take away from Pindi. Ramesh Powar looks an allrounder of potential, bowling well in his six overs and batting with courage. It is hard to predict a winner for the game at Peshawar. The teams have offered great entertainment so far and we can expect some more close contests in Peshawar and Lahore. It has been a great series and there is no reason why the excitement should not continue.(TCM) |
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Sachin keeps Pak on tenterhooks By Ravi Shastri India's bowling was exposed once again at Rawalpindi, and the smart move of bringing in Shahid Afridi paid off splendidly for Pakistan. As I had mentioned in an earlier piece, the decision to keep him out of the first match was surprising. He is an explosive all-rounder with an admirable record against India, and in the context of an India-Pakistan series, experience plays a huge hand. Like Sehwag, Afridi has the ability to not only to bat destructively, but also deflate and demoralize opponents. He is unafraid to play big shots from the first ball, and in the first 14 overs, can be unstoppable. Pakistan's opening partnership put them in the drivers seat and I was surprised that they did not reach 350. Even so, 330 was a difficult target to chase for Pakistan have an attack which can take wickets in the last 10 overs. I think that is the difference between the two sides. That is why India must aim to keep Pakistan within 300, which on the sub-continent wickets, is gettable. Ashish Nehra bowled very well on Tuesday, but he is so inconsistent and injury-prone that I would not blow the trumpet for him just yet. He must repeat such performances more regularly, say over six months, which is what the team needs. Yuvraj Singh, who bowls once in six months, put in a fine spell, and that is where I think Saurav has been wrong in the past 5-6 months. If he employs Yuvraj and Sehwag more often, he can allow himself an extra batsman or bowler. And in Pakistan, India certainly can do with a bowler more. In the run chase, India did extremely well to get as far as they did in conditions that were less conducive than in the first innings. If Inzy's effort at Karachi was brilliant, Tendulkar was even better here. He kept India in the hunt, though wickets fell around him regularly. For me, what was most heartening to see was his balance in attack and defence. He refused to get bogged down and kept Pakistan on tenterhooks throughout. If a couple of the other batsmen had rallied around him, the match could have been won. Pakistan will be difficult to beat from here, and India will have to rethink their strategy. I think Dravid should not bat later than number 4, so that he can anchor the innings. And Saurav must aim to have more sting in the bowling. It still beats me why Irfan Pathan, a youngster who is eager to bowl, can bat a bit,and gives 150 per cent in the field is being kept out.(TCM) |
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NEW DELHI, Mar 17: Delhi seamer Amit Bhandari will replace left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra in the Indian cricket team for the rest of the series in Pakistan, the Indian Cricket Board said today. The decision to send Bhandari was taken after the board got a request from the team management asking for a replacement for Nehra, who was ruled out of the remaining matches against Pakistan after he cut the webbing on his left-hand in the second one-day match at Rawalpindi yesterday. "The team management today requested for a replacement for Nehra and the selectors have decided to send Bhandari," BCCI secretary and selection committee convenor S K Nair told PTI over phone from Thiruvananthapuram. "The selectors had already decided that Bhandari would accompany the team if Nehra was found unfit even before the Indian team embarked on the 40-day tour. He was the first choice replacement," Nair said. He said Bhandari would join the squad at the earliest once his visa formalities were over. "He should be there before the third one-dayer to be held at Peshawar on March 19," Nair said. (PTI) |
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Inter-Bn Sports meet
of Armed Police Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: The JKAP 14th Bn today sailed into the final of football in the ongoing inter-battalion sports meet of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police at Gulshan Ground, here. In the first semi-final, JKAP 12th blanked JKAP 7th Bn 2-0. Both the goals for the winners were scored by Hilal Ahmed in the 18th and 29th minute of the match. Earlier, in today pool match, JKAP 7th Bn defeated JKAP 6th 4-0 to reach the last four stage. In other results: JKAP 4th beat JKAP 9th 2-1 and IR 9th beat JKAP 5th by a solitary goal. Line-up for the final in Handball has been drawn after JKAP 14th and IR 7th won their semi-finals today. JKAP 14th beat IR 6th 8-7 (Vivek Sharma 7 goals) and IR 7th outplayed JKAP 8th 29-12 (DySP Ranjit Singh 15 goals). Other detailed results BASKETBALL: JKAP 12th bt IR 6th 24-10; JKAP 13th bt IR 8th 22-10; IR 7th bt JKAP 8th 60-25; JKAP 7th bt IR Ist 24-10; JKAP 6th bt IR 4th 17-12. TUG-OF-WAR: IR Ist and JKAP 7th entered into final. Semis: IR Ist bt JKAP 13th 2-0; JKAP 7th bt IR 5th 2-0. Pool matches: JKAP 7th bt JKAP 8th 2-0; IR 5th bt IR 8th 2-0. KABADDI: JKAP 13th bt JKAP 8th 50-23; JKAP 12th bt IR 4th 61-30; JKAP 14th bt IR 6th 48-20. HOCKEY: JKAP 5th got walkover JKAP 13th; JKAP 12th bt JKAP 8th 7-8 in tie-breaker; IR 7th bt IR 2nd 4-0. ATHLETICS: 12 kms Half Marathon: Ct. Mohd Ashraf,JKAP 9th, Ist; Ct. Bilal Ahmed, IR 6th, 2nd; Ct. Raj Kumar IR 7th, third. High Jump: Ct.Gagan Singh, JKAP 7th, Ist; Ct.Kuldeep Kumar, IR 4th, 2nd and Ct.Jash Paul Singh, JKAP 13th, third. 400 mts: Ct. Surjit Singh, JKAP 5th, Ist; Ct. Dalo Khan, JKAP 5th, 2nd and Ct. Kuldeep Singh, IR 6th, third. 4x100 mts relay: JKAP 13th (Bashir Ahmed, Zaheer Abbas, Kewal Singh, Jaspual Singh), Ist; JKAP 5th (Surjit Singh, Dalo Khan, HC. Bashir Ahmed, Yog Raj), 2nd and IR 9th (PSI Ravinder Singh, PSI Arshad Hussain, Ct. Mehmood Ahmed, PSI Bhupinder Singh), third. 100 mts heats(qualified for final): PSI Charanjit Singh (JKAP 12 Bn), Ct. Zaheer Abbas (JKAP 13 Bn), Ct. Rampal (JKAP 8 Bn), Ct. Jaspal Singh (JKAP 13 Bn), Ct. Dinesh Kumar (IR 5 Bn) and PSI Ranveer Singh (IR 2 Bn). |
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DYSS organises rural sports, cultural mela Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: Department of Youth Services and Sports organised two-day rural sports and cultural festival at Samba. During these days competitions were organised in volleyball, kabaddi, wrestling and tug-of-war. In the prize distribution function, Divisional Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu, who was chief guest on the occasion. |
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Army creates sports environment in Thanamandi Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: In a true sportsman spirit, the Army has attracted the local youth of once militancy affected area of Thanamandi by providing them sports equipments and infrastructure at their door steps. Army has developed Thanamandi sports complex at Government Higher Secondary School and procured a substantial quantity of cricket, basketball, badminton and volleyball kits. The Basketball court, which was in dilapidated condition was repaired, two badminton courts, two volleyball courts were constructed and additional accessories required were fabricated or procured. Sports equipments were made freely available to the youngsters of Thanamandi and adjoining areas to encourage them to play both during and after the school timinings. An overwhelming response was received from the youth and the children. Civil and local population highly appreciated Army’s help in promotion of sports among youths and expressed their joy and gratitude towards the Army in these remote areas. |
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Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 17: With four wins in as many outings, Shashi Jamwal of Survey of India was today declared winner of the Chess tourney in the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee Sports meet underway at different venues here. In the final round, Shashi defeated Hans Raj of Doordarshan. With three points in his account, Hans Raj remained the runners-up. Third place went to R K Sharma of National Sample Survey Organisation. Results (fourth round): Raj Kumar Sharma of AG beat Surinder Mohan of Survey of India; S K Sharma of ACWA beat Anil Kumar of AG; Sanjeev Kumar of Survey of India beat Vikram Abrol of RRL and Surinder Mohan beat Vinod Kumar of PCDA. Test squad to be named on March 22 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Mar 17: The Indian cricket squad for the three-Test match series with Pakistan will be named on March 22, BCCI secretary S K Nair said today. The selection committee would most probably meet in New Delhi to select the team for the Test matches, beginning from March 28, Mr Nair told UNI here. Asked whether there would be any major changes in the Test squad, he said the selection committee would deal with it. India would play the first Test at Multan from March 28 to April one, the second at Lahore from April five to nine and the third at Rawalpindi from April 13 to 17. Ashish Nehra, who is being replaced in the one-day squad, was unlikely to figure in the Test squad. A few changes are likely to be made in the squad and spinner Anil Kumble could be considered if he was found fit. (UNI) Pakistan to tour India for a full series in Feb-March ISLAMABAD, Mar 17: In another significant step towards regularisation of cricketing ties between the neighbouring countries, Pakistan is all set to travel to India for a full series in February-March next year. According to Chief Executive Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) Ramiz Raja, talks are going on between PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the tour that would see Pakistan playing five one-dayers and three tests in India. "The Pakistan team will tour India to play five ODIs and three Test matches. Discussion is going on with bcci to finalise the logistics and it’s going to be tentatively in February-March," he said. (UNI) Pak media accuses India of playing mind games ISLAMABAD, Mar 17: Jubilant over the home team’s series levelling victory in the second one-day international at Rawalpindi, the Pakistan media today turned the heat on the Indian team by accusing them of playing "mind games" over the fitness of strike bowler Ashish Nehra, to spring a last minute surprise. "Fired up Pakistan avenge Karachi defeat" was how local daily, `The News’, headlined its story, highlighting how Sachin Tendulkar’s century failed to save India from defeat. Interestingly, the newspaper raked up a controversy over India’s decision to play Nehra in yesterday’s match after the bowler was ruled out for the match by vice-captain Rahul Dravid a day earlier. "India playing mind games" read the head line of a separate story in the newspaper. The scribes were surprised to see Nehra figuring in the final eleven half an hour before the match. "One wonders what kind of medicine Indian team has invented that saw Nehra getting fit in hours rather than days," it said. "Obviously, Nehra was in a position to play the second one-dayer and declaring him unfit a day earlier was just a stunt that aims at playing with the minds of opponents. Indian camp must have wanted to add an element of surprise as a tool to trap the opponents off guard," it said adding that such tactics would give a "cheap" impression about the Indian team, which was here to play friendly series. ‘The News’ also said that the Pakistan team should mentally prepare for more of such "misguided missiles" from the Indian camp to gain "psychological edge." The newspaper’s ire was directed on Nehra’s inclusion since he has emerged as the strike bowler for the Indians. "Nehra is the only bowler of some substance in the Indian side. He proved that in first one dayer at Karachi and here in rawalpindi. He has the ability to keep a check on the batsmen and the Indian camp definitely picked the right man to play with the nerves of the opponents," it said. Nehra’s spell was "devastating" as he removed captain Inzamam and Moin Khan in successive deliveries. The left-arm speedster ended up with three-wickets for 44. Another newspaper, ‘The Nation’ said the "Indian trick turns into reality as Nehra was out for a week." Claiming that the "trick" has back-fired, the newspaper said "the Indian team had poor fate as they might lose Nehra for a week after he was hit on his left hand while fielding on his own delivery in his last over." Barring the barbs over Nehra issue, the newspaper displayed pictures of fans carrying India-Pakistan friendship banners and carried comments of Inzamam praising Tendulkar as the "greatest" batsman. (PTI) Ganguly not fully convinced with Akhtar’s action From M R Mishra RAWALPINDI, Mar 17: Pakistan’s tearaway fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar may have put in a fiery performance in front of his home crowd in his 100th one-day international yesterday but Indian captain Sourav Ganguly’s comments on his bowling action may leave him fuming. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ generated a lot of pace to return with figures of 9-1-49-3 to help Pakistan win the second one-dayer against India by a slender 12-run margin but his bowling action again came up for discussion. Asked whether he felt that all of Akhtar’s deliveries were legal, Ganguly said, "what do you think, watching on TV? I think we all know the answer, don’t we?". Although Ganguly left it to the media to make its own judgement, it was bound to fuel yet another debate on Akhtar’s controversial bowling action. The Indian captain said the five-match one-day series would turn out to be a very high-scoring and closely fought contest on such batting-friendly tracks. "It will be very difficult for any side to contain the opposition between 275 and 300," he said. "The way this one-day series is going, it will be very difficult for any side to contain the opposition between 275 and 300. Whichever side is bowling first or second should make sure that they don’t give more than 280 runs." "Once the score gets to 330 it’s very difficult for the side batting second. Unless something drastic happens this is going to be a series of big scores," Ganguly said. On what was the turning point of the match, the Indian skipper said it was difficult to pin point the turning point in such a close match. "You can’t say what the turning point is. You have to fight till the very end. But it was not an easy track to bat on". "It’s been tight so far. I cannot predict, but the way it’s going, looks like it’s going to be a tight series". When reminded that extras were the second highest scorer in India’s innings after Sachin Tendulkar’s masterly 141, he said: "I think it’s a question of having partnerships. Me and Sachin had a partnership of 70 runs, Sachin and Rahul had a partnership of 100 runs. That’s how this game goes". "When somebody gets in and makes a big one. It doesn’t happen that all eleven score runs. If that happened the tally would be 1000. It was Sachin’s day and he made a big one. I hope it’s Sachin’s day in the next game as well". Ganguly also cleared the confusion over Ashish Nehra’s availability for the second one-dayer after vice-captain Dravid said that he would not play because of a swollen left ankle. "His ankle was swollen the day before the match so I was a bit surprised that he said that he would not play. But obviously with all the treatment he recovered. His ankle responded well and he was able to play," he said. "It was good for us because he bowled outstandingly. I did not know when rahul made the announcement yesterday. I was not there. You also have to realise that some injuries may heal up or improve overnight. So it’s not always possible to make the right statement at the right time," he said. Ganguly also said that a one-day century has eluded him mainly because of the fact that he was batting lower in the order which deprived him of the few extra overs. "I’m batting at No. 4 these days. I’ve scored my hundreds opening. I can’t remember how many games I’ve not scored a 100. Obviously when you play as a frontline batsman it’s important to score hundreds. The thing is also that batting at No. 4 means you don’t get the extra overs early on which I used to get," he said. Ganguly was also impressed with the performance of debutante Ramesh Powar saying that he showed a lot of courage. "I think he showed a lot of courage. It’s not easy to come straight from first-class cricket and face bowling at 150 kilometres per hour. He scored runs against pace so it’s a good sign for him and the team." (PTI) |
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