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

We should act quickly to
have right person: Dravid

NEW DELHI, May 6: With several countries seeking to appoint new coaches for their national teams, star cricketer Rahul Dravid has said that India must act quickly to have the "right person" to replace John Wright and the new appointee should have the potential to take the side to a higher level..............more

Inzamam defends
leaving out Shoaib
from Windies tour

LAHORE, May 6: Asserting that no player is bigger than the team, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq defended leaving out speedster Shoaib Akhtar on grounds of fitness and lack of discipline from the squad that will tour West Indies..........more

Pathan concentrating
on improving rhythm

VADODARA, May 6: Irfan Pathan says he is concentrating on improving his rhythm through hard work-outs ahead of the coming season after his disappointing display against Pakistan at home recently.........more

Smith not found guilty
of breach of ICC code

LONDON, May 6: South African captain Graeme Smith has been found not to have breached the ICC code of conduct after a hearing relating to an incident that occurred during his country’s fourth Test match against..........more

Law Department beats MCA
to advance in volleyball

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: The Law Department today defeated MCA to enter into the next round of pre-quarterfinals of the ongoing inter-departmental.....more

Deputy CM flags off
Sadhbhavna race

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: The Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma accompanied by Minister of State for Youth Services and Technical Education, Yogesh Sawhney flagged off Rajiv Gandhi Sadhbhavna Race from Dogra historical.......more

NCC wins Ramjoo-Drabu
memorial Tamar Cup

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: National Cricket Club (NCC) today lifted the Ramjoo-Drabu memorial Tamar Cup cricket tournament after Jammu Cricket Club (JCC)............more

Tug-of-war team
named for
sub-junior national

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: Jammu and Kashmir Tug-of-War Association has named its team for the 7th sub-junior national championship to be held at Jaipur in Rajasthan from May 7 to 11.......more

We should act quickly to have right person: Dravid

"As coincidence will have it, a lot of countries seem to be looking for coaches at the same time and we will have to act fast to get the right person," Dravid said.

"John has done a very good job and set a nice platform for the next person."

"Hopefully, John’s successor, with the help of the team that is finally the one that has to deliver performances, will be able to take the team to a higher level," Dravid said in an interview to `Outlook’ magazine.

Dravid, who has led the Indians in five Tests and 12 one-dayers, also dismissed suggestions that he was not an aggressive captain saying it was too early to make a judgement on his leadership qualities.

"You can’t judge a captain on the basis of a few games. Even I can’t judge myself as a captain because I have not captained enough. You should need a fair length of time before you can judge someone", he said.

"Having said that, we have to recognise that people are different. To me aggression is about putting up a good performance under pressure, consistently and when the team needs it the most," Dravid said.

"You have to accept that people are different and will express their aggression in different ways. For me, aggression is about quiet determination and performance."

He also said that captaincy was something that was not grabbed or asked for but an honour given to a player.

"I believe that when we are young and growing up, wanting to be cricketers, we aspire to play for India. Once we realise that ambition and establish ourselves in the team, the challenge is then to perform consistently. Then, perhaps, the ambition of being captain comes in. This is true for everyone and I am no different." (PTI)

Inzamam defends leaving out Shoaib from Windies tour

Inzamam said, "in competitive cricket, a player had to be fit 100 per cent to find a place in the side," and claimed that it was the decision of the selection committee to overlook Shoaib Akhtar for the coming tour of West Indies.

The captain was also candid enough to admit that disciplinary problems of the tearaway pacer also contributed in his omission from the touring party.

Inzamam said, "Shoaib has disciplinary problems and I believe no player is bigger than the team. We’ve had these problems with him in the past and my concern is that it has a negative impact on other players," though he added, "Shoaib could always make a comeback to the team after proving his fitness besides improving his conduct."

The skipper, who led a resurgent Pakistan to victory against India in the one-dayers, talked about the importance of team-spirit over individuals saying, "what I learnt in India was that when every player contributes and you play strictly as a team, the absence of even the best player is not felt."

"In the West Indies to be successful we’ve to again play as a team and with spirit to do well and the strength of our bowling attack is not such a big issue," he added. (UNI)

Pathan concentrating on improving rhythm

VADODARA, May 6: Irfan Pathan says he is concentrating on improving his rhythm through hard work-outs ahead of the coming season after his disappointing display against Pakistan at home recently.

The Baroda left-arm pace bowler, who was last year named as the International Cricket Council’s best young player of the year, saw his form plummet in the Test and one-day series against Pakistan, but says it is only a passing phase which affects every player in his career.

"It’s my bad luck that I could not perform well against Pakistan. But such bad phase comes in the life of every player. This, however, has not disappointed me and I am continuing to work hard to improve my performance," Pathan told PTI in an exclusive interview here today.

Pathan, who captured 18 wickets in three Tests against Bangladesh in December last after taking three wickets in the preceding Eden Gardens Test against South Africa and then suffered a side strain, could not recapture the same form against India’s arch-rivals later.

The highly talented youngster could manage modest returns of 6 wickets in the three-Test series against Pakistan.

He also failed to take a wicket in 8.2 overs while conceding 67 runs in the only ODI out of six that he played against Pakistan at Jamshedpur’s Keenan Stadium.

"No one would have raised the question about my performance had I captured more wickets," said Pathan and vowed to recapture his form before the triangular series in Sri Lanka in July-August.

"I don’t believe in giving reasons (for the below par wicket haul). I don’t believe in giving excuses and have started to work hard," Pathan said.

"I am concentrating on hard work-outs, training, on improving my rhythm and consistently keeping up my performance."

"It’s just a matter of doing the good things consistently before the matches and playing to my potential. I am working very seriously on my bowling," the youngster said at his residence in Tandalja here.

Pathan, however, denied he had returned to big time cricket before his side strain injury, which he picked up in December last on the tour to Bangladesh, had healed completely.

"I came back to the team only after I was declared fit by the Indian team’s trainer, physiotherapist and the cricket board-appointed doctor," he said.

Asked about the absence of the ball which he used to swing into the right-handers from outside the off which was his forte prior to his injury, Pathan expressed confidence that he will recapture this art.

"I bowl at 138-140 kmph. Rhythm is my strength and I am confident that I will be able to bowl the ball that comes in to the right handers," the 21-year-old emerging star said.

Pathan, who captured the attention of the nation on his maiden tour of Australia and then played a major part in the historic 2-1 Test series win over Pakistan in Pakistan, refused to be drawn into a discussion about the need for a separate bowling coach for the Indian squad.

"I cannot speak on the subject. It’s for the board to decide. It’s the supreme body and whatever decision it takes is acceptable to the players," Pathan said when it was pointed out to him about the role played by former Australian left arm pace bowler Bruce Reid when the Indian team toured Australia in 2003-04.

Asked about how he was planning to prepare for the new season, Pathan said he had not yet decided how to go about it.

"I may go to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai (where he has trained before under Aussie pace legend Dennis Lillee). I will decide on it soon," he said.

Asked about his potential to become the all rounder needed at number seven by the Indian team, Pathan said that one needed to be versatile for doing so.

"I am definitely polishing up my batting too. I feel that the batting performance is linked to your bowling performance and if you bowl well, you will also bat well," he said.

"It’s my desire to emerge as an all rounder and I am trying hard to fulfill that," he added.

Pathan denied that his commercial activities like endorsing products of various companies interfered with his cricket. "It has no bearing on my performance," he said firmly.

Pathan was signing autographs to a number of school children and answering questions even as he was talking to pti at his residence and said he was keen not to disappoint children.

"I don’t want to disappoint them as they are the future," he said. (PTI)

Smith not found guilty of breach of ICC code

Smith was found "not guilty of conduct unbecoming (to his) status which could bring himself or the game into disrepute" by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe after a hearing in Kingston on Wednesday, the ICC said in a release here today.

He was, therefore, found not to have breached C.2 of the ICC code at level 2, the release added.

"No conclusive evidence was produced or found to support the serious nature of the alleged breach. We must now look forward to a positive ODI series," Crowe was quoted as saying in the release.

All level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee and a maximum penalty of their full match fee and/or a one test match or two one-day international ban.

The charge was brought by West Indies manager Tony Howard.

Jeff Crowe reached his conclusion after a hearing attended by Smith, Goolam Rajah and Haroon Lorgat of South Africa and Tony Howard and Dwayne Bravo from the West Indies. (PTI)

Law Department beats MCA to advance in volleyball

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: The Law Department today defeated MCA to enter into the next round of pre-quarterfinals of the ongoing inter-departmental competitions of University of Jammu at University ground, here.

It was a straight set victory for Law Department, who however witnessed a hard chase on the score board by MCA in both the sets. The score: 25-22, 25-18. Nishant Dev and Naeem Kazi remained in limelight for their coordinated efforts throughout. Rakesh Kumar and Sunil Sharma fought well from MCA.

In carrom women competitions, four matched were played today. In the first match, Department of Geography beat Department of Education 2-1 while Psychology downed Law School 2-1. Third match was won by Department of Law trouncing MCA 2-0 and Physics and Electronics combined outplayed Urdu Department 2-1.

Today’s fixture: Volleyball: Economics to take on Political Science and Sanskrit Department to face Yoga. Carrom: BPEd to meet Psychology and Education to fight against English.