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

Sharma reported for disses against umpire ...........

Paes criticises Sania’s decision to pull out ..........

3 Sportspersons appointed under SRO-349...........

BRISBANE, Feb 5: Gautam Gambhir’s explosive unbeaten century provided the sparks on a gloomy day which saw India’s second match in the cricket tri-series against Sri Lanka being abandoned due to rain here today.

Gambhir smashed a stroke-filled unbeaten 102 and teamed up with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (88 not out) to propel India to a competitive 267 for four before the rains again played spoilsport to force the abandonment of the day-night encounter at the Gabba.

The islanders did not even get a chance to begin the run chase as the second successive match of the tri-series was affected by the weather. The opening game between India and Australia was also abandoned on Sunday just when the game was heading for a thrilling finish.

The showers came down immediately after the Indian innings was over and the two umpires Rudi Koertzen of South Africa and Steve Davis of Australia waited for some time before deciding to abandon the game.

Both the teams got two points each which takes India to the top of the points table with 4 points from two matches. Sri Lanka and host Australia have two points each from one abandoned game.

The action will now shift to Sydney where Australia will play their next match against Sri Lanka on February 8.

All the three participating teams will play with each other four times with the two top teams qualifiying for the best of three finals.

Gambhir and Dhoni put on an unbroken 184-run partnership to haul India out of a mid-innings mess after Muttiah Muralitharan’s double strike left them at precarious 83-4 in the 21st over.

The Delhi batsman reached his third ODI century off only 99 balls and in all faced 101 deliveries for his unbeaten 102 runs, hitting 10 fours and one six.

Dhoni was no less remarkable, smashing his 88 runs off 95 balls and hit five fours and a six, though he was troubled by his back during the innings.

Gambhir was lucky to be reprieved on 11 when wicketkeeper Kumara Sangakkara failed to latch on to a steer off the bowling of Ishara Amerasinghe.

India was in a familiar mess after openers Virender Sehwag (33) and Sachin Tendulkar (35) put on 68 runs for the first wicket in 14-odd overs before the mini collapse began.

Tendulkar was the first one to go when he dragged a delivery from Lasith Malinga on to his stumps after batting for 52 balls and 66 minutes and hitting two cover-driven fours off Chaminda Vaas.

Tendulkar, however, had his moment of glory when he became the world’s first batsman to complete 16,000 one-day runs when he was at the score of 28.

Sehwag, dropped at point at 31 off Vaas, lasted only two more deliveries before he made an uncharacteristic pull off the bowling off Amerasinghe and was caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Sangakkara.

The Indian line-up appeared a bit fidgety with Yuvraj Singh (2) and Rohit Sharma (0) falling in the opening over of Muthiah Muralitharan.

Yuvraj, coming back in the team after recovering from his troublesome knee, aimed an expensive drive off a flighted delivery and edged a catch to the lone slip, Mahela Jayawardene.

Rohit Sharma was dismissed two deliveries later though he got a bad decision when he apparently missed an edge but umpire Rudi Koertzen ruled him out caught by the wicketkeeper.

There was no looking back for India from then onwards as the fifth wicket pair took roots.

Dhoni got off the blocks quickly but after a certain point, Gambhir gave full vent to his wide range of strokes to bring Sri Lankans to submission. His pick up off a fuller delivery from Malinga, which he sent over long off for a six was a sight to behold.

The 100-run stand between the two came off 126 balls and the next 50 were added off only 30 more balls.

At the start of the final over, Gambhir needed eight runs to score his century. He came on the strike off the second ball and smashed the next two for fours to reach his third century in his 39th game.

He smashed the first ball he faced from Malinga past extra covers and then swivelled off his hips to the next to send it backwards of square leg for another four. (PTI)

It was important to keep wickets in hand: Gambhir

BRISBANE, Feb 5: After losing four wickets in quick sucession, India’s game plan in the tri-series match against Sri Lanka was to play safe till the 40th over and then accelerate in the slog overs, according to centurion Gautam Gambhir.

"We had a gameplan to keep wickets till the 40th over and then go for some quick runs. We knew if we had a big partnership, we could accelerate towards the end," said Gambhir, who scored his third ODI century in the rain-abandoned game.

Gambhir (102 not out) shared an unbeaten fifth wicket stand of 184 with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (88 not our) to bail India out of a precarious position.

The two put up a superb partnership and impressed with their running between the wickets.

"Dhoni batted very well and we concentrated on hard running as it is a big ground," the Delhi left-hander said.

"We can get two or three runs by good running on these big grounds and it was important to rotate strike. It is not like in India, where we have small grounds and quick outfields."

Gambhir scored 39 in the first match of the competition against Australia on Sunday and looked good for many more when he was trapped in front by left-arm quickie Mitchell Johnson. But the batsman said he had learnt from his dismissal.

"I saw the video from the previous match and noticed that I was playing across the line .

"I worked in the nets with (fielding coach) Robin Singh and played a lot straighter today," he said.

Gambhir missed the Test series against Australia due to a shoulder injury but recovered to score a bagful of runs in Delhi’s successful campaign in the Ranji Trophy.

"It is always good to have runs behind you but the conditions in Australia are totally different," he said.

He joined the squad before the Twenty20 international against Australia on February 1 and admitted he took time to adjust to the pitches Down Under.

"There was not much net practice and I tried to play a longer innings to acclimatise to the conditions here. But the pitch at the Gabba had even bounce and the ball was coming on to the bat," Gambhir added. (PTI)

Another milestone for Tendulkar

BRISBANE, Feb 5: Sachin Tendulkar today became the first batsmen in the history of one-day cricket to cross the 16,000-run mark, a milestone which appears to be a distant dream for any other player in near future.

Tendulkar, who scored 35 runs against Sri Lanka in the second tri-series odi at the Gabba, now tallies 16007 runs which is far more than Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya’s aggregate of 12207, second in the list of all time top scorers.

The champion batsman from India achieved the feat when he scored his 28th run during the India innings in his 409th match.

Tendulkar seems set to stay at the pinnacle for a long time as Jayasuriya and former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who is third in the list with 11739 runs, are not anywhere near to surpass the record.

Next in the list is another Indian Sourav Ganguly (11363) but with selectors shutting the ODI doors on him, he also does not appear a likely candidate to achieve the feat. He is followed by Australian captain Ricky Ponting (10835) and Rahul Dravid (10585).

Tendulkar, who has scored 11782 runs in Test cricket, is just 172 runs away from displacing legendary Brian Lara to emerge as the highest run getter in the longer version of the game as well. (PTI)

PSPB Inter-Unit Billiards and Snooker Tourney from Feb 6 KOCHI, Feb 5: International and national billiards and snooker stars will be seen in action in the fourth edition of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board’s (PSPB) Inter-Unit Billiards and Snooker Tournament, to be played here from February 6 to 11. Speaking to reporters here today, K Padmakar, Deputy General Manager (HRS) Corporate, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), said the tourney has attracted participation from five member organisations - ONGC, OIL, IOC, GAIL and hosts BPCL. In all, about 40 players, including officals, will be participating in the tournament, he said. The team championship will be played on a knock-out basis. The ONGC team, reigning champion in Billiards, comprises current world champion Pankaj Advani, Alok Kumar, five time snooker champion Dhruv Sitwala and young Sourav Kothari. Defending team champion BPCL in Snooker has a strong team of Devendra Joshi, Manan Chandra, Shahbaaz Adil Khan, Billiards junior national champion and Anuja Chandra. IOC has recruited two players, current junior national snooker champion Shravan Mohata and Aditya Mehta, a finalist, both of whom are expected to pose a stiff challenge to ONGC and BPCL. PSPB has made its presence felt in a number of sporting disciplines and its players have won the national championship in most disciplines, he said. In Cue sports, the top four players in the national snooker ranking are Pankaj Advani, Aditya Mehta, Manan Chandra and Sourav Kothari. (PTI)

Inter Collegiate Badminton Tourney DC Udhampur, GCW Parade seal easy wins Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 5: DC Udhampur and GCW Parade emerged winners in men section while PG Department, Commerce College and MAM College got the better of their rivals in men section in the ongoing Inter Collegi-ate Badminton Tournament being played at Jammu University here today. In women section, DC Udhampur prevailed over Science College (Evening) by 2-1. In the first single, Shivani Kesar trounced Shivani Jamwal while Indu Priya lost to Sakshi in the second single. In doubles event, the duo of Shivani Kesar and Indu Priya edged out Neha and Vishali. In another match, GCW Parade overwhelmed WC Udhampur by 2-0. Anshumali Sharma defeated Nisha Bhatyal in the first single whereas Sonia Gupta beat Rohini Sharma in the second. In men section, PG Department thrashed Science College by 3-0 (Ashwani Kotwal beat Sumit Sharma, Atul beat Pradeep and Ashwani and Atul beat Sumit Pradeep). Commerce College had their work cut out against DC Udhampur before romped home with 3-1 margin. In the first single, Nitish Sharma lost to Kapil Kumar. Sahil Sharma outplayed Karan Singh in the next single whereas in doubles event, Sahil Sharma and Prateek Malhotra overcame Kapil Kumar and Amish Regra. In the third single, Shashi Shanker beat Rajesh Sharma. In the third match, MAM College got the better of Science College (Evening) by 3-0. Vikran Saini beat Sumit Ghai in the first single while Vipul Saini trounced Adish Pandit in the second. In doubles event, Vikram and Vipul had easy outing against Rohit and Adish. The matches were officiated by Vikram Jamwal and Ravish Vaid. Inaugural match ends in a draw Excelsior Sports Correspondent KARGIL, Feb 5: The inaugural match between Sunny Friend A and Drass B ended in a draw as the 1st CEC Ice Hockey Championship organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports got commenced at District Ice Hockey Ring here today. Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie, Chairman/CEC, LAHDC, Kar-gil declared open the sporting event. Haji Mirza, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Kargil, Executive Councilors Nasir Hussain Munshi, Haji Mohd Ishaq, Sonam Namgyal, Kacho Gulzar Hussain, R K Bhagat, Deputy Commiss-ioner, Kargil and Garib Dass, SSP Kargil were also present on the occasion. Lee could be rested during tri-series MELBOURNE, Feb 5: After Shaun Tait’s sudden withdrawal from the game, Australian selectors have realised the need to "rest" their other speedster Brett Lee, who will be used sparingly during the ongoing tri-series. Lee said he may get a rest at any time after the match against Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday in the wake of Tait’s surprise indefinite break to deal with physical and mental stress. "I have bowled a lot of balls this summer and my workload has increased a fair bit. We’ll have to wait and see (about a rest). I’m looking forward to playing in Sydney in front of my home crowd, and we’ll see what happens after that." Coach Tim Nielsen said that even though Lee was the leader of the bowling attack, he needed to be kept fresh. "His resilience has been outstanding, he is in such a great vein of form. That is why it is critical that we do give him a spell at some stage in order to increase his longevity for as long as possible," Nielsen said. "He has played a massive part in our team, he has been brilliant for us all summer. He has bowled long spells, aggressive spells. "We are certainly conscious of the fact Brett has worked hard. We will need to sit down and choose a time (to rest him) which suits Brett and the team. It is important that he is fresh and going well," the Australian coach said. (PTI)
Lord’s to host 2009 T20 World Cup final LONDON, Feb 5: The historic Lord’s has been nominated to host the final of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has spent the past few months since been awarded the right to host the prestigious competition deciding on the venues. Lord’s and the Oval will be two of the main venues for the two-week long event - with the third set to be put out to tender. Both would host warm-up, group and super eight matches - while the Oval would have a semi-final and Lord’s the final. Trent Bridge and Edgbaston are likely to be among those in the running for the third venue. ECB Chief Executive David Collier said, "I’m sure that Lord’s would provide the perfect stage for the final of this new and exciting global event.’’ "We have had an expression of interest from a number of other top venues for the remaining packages of matches,’’ he added. "The ECB is extremely proud of the world-class standard of venues that we can recommend to the ICC for their approval for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009.’’ The ECB will make their recommendations to the ICC board at their meeting scheduled for March 18 in Dubai. (UNI)
Sharma reported for disses against umpire BRISBANE, Feb 5: India’s middle order batsman Rohit Sharma has been reported for dissent as he refused to leave the crease even after being given out in the second tri-series one-dayer against Sri Lanka at the Gabba here tonight. Sharma lingered at the crease after being ruled out by umpire Rudi Koertzen, caught behind off Muthiah Muralitharan, as he believed he had not touched the delivery from the off-spinner. The television replays suggested that Sharma was right in his assessment as the ball did not touch the bat and interestingly, bowler Muralitharan also never quite appealed. (PTI) Paes criticises Sania’s decision to pull out NEW DELHI, Feb 5: Tennis sensation Sania Mirza’s decision not to play in India came in for sharp criticism from stalwart Leander Paes, who said nobody was greater than the game and playing in front of own fans was the greatest joy for any athlete. Paes, the seven time Grand Slam winner and the current Davis Cup captain, said controversies were part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life and one has to learn to tackle it. "Look at every celebrity, who does not have controversies. We all have adversities. Every celebrity have adversities in their lives. Its how dignified and honest you are. It’s about how you project yourself and how you handle them," Paes said, reacting to Sania’s decision to pull out of the Bangalore Open to avoid being dragged into fresh controversies. Paes, who has an estranged relationship with Mahesh Bhupathi, whose globosport company manages Sania’s career, said that no individual was greater than the game. "I do not want to get into it. I am not bothered but the greatest joy for any athlete is to play for the country and in the country and play for the people. Nobody is greater than the game. That’s something Sania has to be careful about it," Paes told reporters after the practice session of the Davis Cup team at the National Sports Club of India here. Former Davis Cup captain Naresh Kumar also criticised Sania’s decision to pull out, terming it as "juvenile and immature" one. "It is a sad decision. It is an immature and juvenile decision. It is going to affect her game more and get her more controversies. We cannot get a player like Sania." "They are saying that she will not play in the country for some time. But won’t there be controversies when she plays again," Naresh said. Mahesh Bhupathi, who is part of the Davis Cup team for the tie against Uzbekistan from Friday, showed up for the practice session in the morning but did not comment (PTI)
3 Sportspersons appointed under SRO-349 Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 5:Three outstanding sportspersons have been appointed by the State Government as teachers under SRO-349. As per a General Adminis-tration Department order, Sonika Bhandari, daughter of S C Bhandari, and Lalita Devi, wife of Rajiv Kumar Charak from Jammu district and Syed Ashiq Hussain, son of Syed Saif-ud-Din from Budgam district have been accorded sanction for temporary appointment as teachers in their respective districts. Their names were recommended by selection committee under SRO-349.