‘Sports’ Articles
Written by admin on 12 December 2012
Bangalore, Dec 12 (IANS) Arch rivals India and Pakistan will clash in the T20 World Cup for the sightless Thursday as both teams cruised through semi-finals Wednesday, beating Sri Lanka and England respectively at the Central College ground here.
India piled up 318 runs for eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs and restricted the Lankans to 195 for six wickets in their 20 overs to storm into the final by 123 runs.
In the other semi-final, Pakistan surpassed the modest target (182) by hitting 184 for loss of one wicket in just 12.2 overs after restricting England to 181 runs for nine wickets in their 20 overs.
Opting to bat first after captain Shekar Naik won the toss, India made a breezy start posting 78 runs in the first three overs as vice-captain Ajay Kumar Reddy (partially blind) carried his brilliant form to hit 134 off 55 balls, while Ketan Patel (totally blind) and Ganesh Bushara (partially blind) contributed valuable runs to make 54 in 31 balls and 59 not out in 25 balls.
Though in-form Prakash Jayaramaiah (partial vision) was out plumb while attempting an outlandish drive after posting 27 in eight balls with flurry of shots, the Indian batsmen accelerated the run rate, thanks to sloppy fielding and dropped catches in the outfield by the beleaguered Sri Lankans.
Chasing an imposing target of 319 runs, the Sri Lankans made a hash of their batting by losing wickets regularly and trailing behind in the run rate even in the slog overs.
Deshapriya (partial vision) waged a lonely battle for the Sri Lankans with an unbeaten 111 off 63 balls.
Reddy was adjudged man of the match for his century and two wickets for 23 runs.
Legendary former Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, who flew in to watch his team face off against the Indians said, blind cricket was a treat to watch the high commitment levels of the players, which is even more than that of many regular cricket players.
In the other exciting semis, England messed up its campaign and were outplayed by a surcharged Pakistan, whose in-form Mohammad Akram (partial vision) hammered 103 not out in 42 balls to reach the target in the 13th over, as he was ably assisted by Aamir Ishfaq (totally blind) with 36 not out in 22 balls and Aleem Murtaza (partially blind) scoring 29 in nine balls.
Pakistan won the semis by nine wickets.
Akram was declared man of the match.
Emotions ran high in a surcharged atmosphere in anticipation of an Indo-Pak final Thursday.
While the Pakistan contingent, fresh from emphatic win over England in the other semis, rent the ground with cries of “Pakistan Zindabad”, Indian fans responded with frenzy catch phrases “Jeetega bhai Jeetega, World Cup Jeetega!”
With both India and Pakistan in nick en route to the title clash, the stage is set for a cracker of a contest in the finale.
The players are classified into three categories – totally blind as B1, partially blind as B2 and with partial vision B3. Each team of 11 members comprises four blind (B1), three partially blind (B2) and four with partial vision (B3). The wicketkeeper is a B3 player.
Interestingly, for every run scored by the blind, one more is added. As a result, a hit to the boundary will be counted as eight and a sixer as 12.
Tags: Karnataka
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Mohinder Amarnath, who called the selectors a “bunch of jokers” when he was dropped from the India team, Wednesday alleged that cricket board chief N. Srinivasan prevented the five wise men from sacking skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the disastrous Test series in Australia.
Amarnath’s comments come at a time when India are struggling to save the home Test series against England and have lost 10 of their last 13 matches.
The 62-year-old said the selection committee, including himself, took a unanimous decision to sack Dhoni post the 0-4 loss in Test series Down Under and field a new captain for the following one-day series. But BCCI chief Srinivasan overruled it.
“It was a unanimous decision of all five selectors. The board president did not approve the decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath told CNN-IBN.
“When you respect a person, you don’t ask questions…but my question here is: you have a selection committee which thinks what is best for Indian cricket, then why it is not given a free hand?”
“We were trying to look ahead, we wanted a young captain to come in, specially in triangular one-day series so that we can go ahead and do something better in near future…If we don’t look ahead, we won’t have a good team in the future.”
“We selected 17 players for the triangular series but we did not select the captain. The captain was selected by somebody else,” said the former India cricketer.
Asked why the panel did not go against the board at that time, Amarnath said: “Yes, we did think about that, but the decision was not to resign at that time. We did not want to create a big stir there as the team was playing abroad and the series was going on.”
The former India all-rounder’s revelation did not go down well with the board while his contemporary Sunil Gavaskar called the move “incredibly courageous”.
“I will not go into what he (Amarnath) has said. I don’t think this has ever happened. I don’t think it is appropriate to give statements like this,” BCCI senior official Rajeev Shukla told reporters here.
“Whatever one has to say, one can say while participating in the selection meeting. Making comments about selection issues is not appropriate as it creates some kind of perception in the minds of players and fans.”
“Selectors are independent. They are not under any pressure,” Shukla added.
Gavaskar, on the other hand, told NDTV that if someone has the courage of conviction, he has to be admired.
“He (Amarnath) is prepared to face the consequences. It is a testimony of his self-belief. It needs to be admired. What Jimmy has spoken is incredibly courageous and, maybe, lessons need to be learnt from that,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar said getting the team’s approval from the BCCI president was an age-old protocol.
“It’s a protocol, actually. Any team selected does go to the board for approval, not just the captain, even the 14 or 16 selected for a Test or for an overseas tour. That’s the protocol not just in India, but I understand that is the protocol even in Australia and England. The final approval is up to the board, so I don’t think it is out of the ordinary,” he summed up.
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
Nagpur, Dec 12 (IANS) England captain Alastair Cook was surprised with the way his team has bounced back in the Test series against India with back-to-back wins and hoped the momentum will continue in the fourth Test starting here Thursday.
“I am pleasantly surprised by the character shown by the team (after Ahmedabad) in the last two games. I am pleased. We have played good, tough cricket. But we have to continue that,” Cook told reporters here Wednesday.
England lead the series 2-1 and are now looking at their first series win in India in 28 years.
“The last game was a real team effort from everyone. At the beginning of the series we were desperate to win it and we are having an opportunity here to do it,” said Cook.
The England captain said his boys are focussed on finishing the job but expects India to bounce back.
“Everyone knows how important this game is. As a player you have to focus on the job at hand and keep emotions out. They (India) will be desperate not to let the home record broken,” he said.
Asked whether it could be Sachin Tendulkar’s last game, Cook said: “He’s an amazing player with a fantastic record like his one hundred 100s. It has been a pleasure playing against him.”
Tags: Madhya Pradesh
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
Nagpur, Dec 12 (IANS) Alastair Cook is in line to become the first England batsman to top the ICC Test Player Rankings since 2003, when his side takes on India in the fourth and last cricket Test starting here Thursday.
Captain Cook is currently ranked fourth on the table with 874 points, just five behind number-one ranked Shivnarine Chanderpaul. And although Michael Clarke is just one rating point behind Chanderpaul, Cook will have the first crack at the No.1 ranking as his Test finishes a day before the Australia-Sri Lanka Test, which begins in Hobart Friday.
With Cook having already scored 548 runs at a healthy average of 109.6 in the series so far, there is a strong possibility of him achieving the coveted No.1 position for the first time in his career.
The last England batsman to top the batting table was England captain Michael Vaughan, who surged to the top at the conclusion of the fifth and last Ashes Test in Sydney Jan 6, 2003. In that match, Vaughan scored zero and 183 as England won by 225 runs. Vaughan finished with 633 runs, including three hundreds in that Ashes series and was voted player of the series.
The other England batsmen to top the batting table are Graham Gooch in June 1994 and David Gower in February 1986.
At the age of 40, Gooch became the oldest to hold the top spot on the batting charts since Jack Hobbs in 1928. The oldest to be the No.1 ranked batsman ever was W.G. Grace in 1897 at the age of 49.
Cook has an opportunity to create history not just with his batting but also by hoping to achieve England’s first Test series win in India since 1984-85. England currently leads the four-match series 2-1.
Tags: Madhya Pradesh
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar Wednesday said it was ‘incredibly courageous’ of his contemporary Mohinder Amarnath to take on the Indian cricket board by revealing that the board chief overruled the national selectors when they wanted to remove Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the team’s skipper.
Amarnath raised a storm by saying that N. Srinivasan, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), overruled the selection committee’s decision to sack Dhoni after the team had lost all the four Tests in Australia last season. Amarnath was part of the selection panel, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
Gavaskar, reacting to Amarnath’s sensational disclosure, told NDTV that if someone has the courage of conviction, he has to be admired.
“He is prepared to face the consequences. It is a testimony of his self-belief. It needs to be admired. What Jimmy has spoken is incredibly courageous and, may be, lessons need to be learnt from that,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar said getting the team’s approval from the BCCI president was an age-old protocol.
“It’s a protocol, actually. Any team selected does go to the board for approval, not just the captain, even the 14 or 16 selected for a Test or for an overseas tour. That’s the protocol not just in India, but I understand that is the protocol even in Australia and England. The final approval is up to the board, so I don’t think it is out of the ordinary.
“Even in different committees they come to some sort of a decision. It goes to the Working Committee. From the Working Committee it goes to the full board,” Gavaskar said.
The batting great, however, said that any unanimous decision by the selection committee should be accepted by the board.
“Ideally, of course, if you have a committee to take a call, that committee takes a decision, particularly if it is a unanimous decision then that should be taken on board.”
Asked why have the selection panel when the veto power lies with the president, Gavaskar said: “You need a selection panel as it has people who have played the game. They have the required experience. And if you have that in place, then you have to rely on it.”
Asked whether there was not a conflict of interest when the board president owns an Indian Premier League team and the captain of that team happens to be Dhoni, Gavaskar said: “It is a tough call for anyone in that situation but to think that the president will go against the well being of Indian cricket, is a going a little too far.”
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) The Indian cricket board Wednesday condoled the death of famous Ranji cricketer B.B. Nimbalkar, who passed away Tuesday at age 93 due to age-related ailments in Kolhapur.
“Bhausaheb Nimbalkar was an outstanding batsman, who averaged 57 in first-class cricket. He still holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in first-class cricket – 443 not out for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in 1948-49. After his retirement, he was a source of inspiration to budding cricketers,” board secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.
“The BCCI honoured him with the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, for his contribution to the sport, in 2002. On behalf of the Board, I extend my condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace,” he added.
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
London, Dec 12 (IANS) Trafficking of wildlife products is one of the world’s biggest illegal trades worth 12 billion pounds ($19 billion) a year, conservationists have warned.
Species such as rhinos, elephants and tigers are being poached in Africa and Asia, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said.
Exhibits of rhino heads at British museums have also been targeted by thieves as criminals seek to cash in on demand for rhino horn as a cancer medicine or “hangover cure” in Asia, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Across the world, illegal trade in wildlife including timber and unregulated and unreported fishing has become a lucrative business for criminal syndicates, with profits that can be used to finance civil conflicts and terrorism, a report for WWF found.
It is also pushing some species to the brink of extinction, hitting local communities in some of the poorest parts of the world and raising the threat of spreading infectious diseases.
The internet is also making it easier for criminals to trade in illegal products around the world, the research by Dalberg Global Development Advisors warned.
The report warned that species with high value to illegal traders had seen dramatic declines in recent years.
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
Nagpur, Dec 12 (IANS) As calls for Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement got stronger, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Wednesday that it was wrong to speculate on the batting maestro’s future.
“When it comes to Sachin, I feel the best thing to do is not to speculate. He has proved everybody wrong throughout his career. But I am not Sachin Tendulkar, maybe when he comes for p.c. (press conference) you will have to ask him,” Dhoni said on the eve of the fourth and the final Test here against England.
As India gear up to prevent a series defeat, Dhoni said Tendulkar’s presence in the dressing room in such a situation means a lot to the team.
“He’s the best man to have in the side in a game like this. The kind of experience he has and the kind of performances he has come up with over the years… he is someone we all look up to,” Dhoni said.
Tags: Madhya Pradesh
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
Nagpur, Dec 12 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not surprised with his team’s rough patch in the Tests and said Wednesday that his boys are high on morale ahead of the fourth and the final Test against England that will be their only chance to avoid a sries defeat at home.
“Everybody was talking about this phase in Indian cricket when the big players would move on and the pressure will come on the youngsters and we may go through a rough patch. I think everybody expected this kind of a patch,” Dhoni said.
“Of course, we have struggled in the last two Tests. If you ask big questions depending on two Test matches…it (a situation) may come in the future too where we may lose two Test matches and people will say, okay all these youngsters should go out and someone else should come in,” Dhoni said.
Asked if his position as the skipper was threatened, Dhoni said: “When people appreciate me a lot, I don’t feel as if I am in seventh heaven. And it’s the same when people criticise me. We (Indians) have extreme opinions.”
“We praise and then start pulling the same individuals down. I would say it’s very important to be in the middle path because that’s how you will enjoy the sport.”
On criticisms by former cricketers like Rahul Dravid and Mohinder Amarnath, Dhoni said: “As ex-cricketers we respect their opinions but we have our own problems to solve.”
“If you are part of the Indian cricket set-up, everything is under the microscope and everybody has an opinion. You can ask plenty of questions on why that guy was not picked and why this guy was not given the new ball. It’s a team sport. It’s getting very critical,” he said.
Dhoni insisted that the spirit of the team was high.
“Spirit in the team is really good. When you go through a bad patch, you fail to enjoy. Dressing room atmosphere is great,” said Dhoni.
The skipper said the true character of his team will evolve in the tough situation they are facing.
“As a captain and an individual such a situation does not happen often. It was a similar situation against South Africa too (in 2010) when we played at home and were down in the series and the last game was at Kanpur (and won the match to draw the rubber).”
“But such situations are very few. Won’t say it’s a very good situation to be in, but the true character of a person as well as the team comes out in tough situations. In a way it’s good we are in a situation like this. We have nowhere to go and have to do well in this game,” he said.
Asked if he would prefer three spinners, Dhoni said: “The wicket looks good and hard. The combination of the team…you have to wait and watch. Can play the third spinner if you can weigh how important roles the fast bowlers and spinners can have on this wicket.”
“There will be some reverse swing (depends on) whether we are going with that or with the fact that as the game progresses the additional spinner can be very effective in the second innings. We have to take into consideration all these and then decide on the playing combination.”
Despite media reports that he was upset with Gautam Gambhir, Dhoni praised the southpaw.
“The best thing about Gautam is his aggressive character. He has batted very well in the last two games. Being aggressive is not only about stepping out and hitting the ball but also about positively defending,” he said.
Tags: Madhya Pradesh
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
Kolkata , Dec 12 (IANS) Aditi Ashok blew her opposition away with a stunning three-under 66 that gave her the Billoo Sethi Trophy for the Strokeplay segment of the Usha All India Ladies Amateur Golf Championships here Wednesday.
The 15-year-old Aditi, bidding to retain her National title and also win the Order of Merit, was in awesome form and closed with three birdies in last four holes and had a 36-hole total of one-over 139.
Millie Saroha, who led after the first round, was second with a card of 73 that gave her a two-day aggregate of 143 while Gursimar Badwal (75-72) was third at 147. Ridhima Dilawari (75-75) and Gurbani Singh (74-76) shared the fourth place.
The stage is now set for the Matchplay segment with the top-16 moving into this part of the Championship. All the leading players qualified for this part, though Anisha Padukone had to beat Vidushi Sinha in the sudden death play-off hole to make the cut.
Tags: West Bengal
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Former selector Mohinder Amarnath Wednesday revealed that Indian cricket board president N. Srinivasan overruled the selection committee’s unanimous decision to remove Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India captain following the disastrous tours to England and Australia last season.
Amarnath said the five-member selection panel, headed by Krishnamchari Srikkanth, had approved Dhoni’s removal after the whitewash Down Under and wanted him replaced for the following triangular series with Australia and Sri Lanka.
“It was a unanimous decision of all five selectors. The board president did not approve the decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath told CNN-IBN.
“When you respect a person, you don’t ask questions…but my question here is: you have a selection committee which thinks what is best for Indian cricket, then why it is not given a free hand?”
“We were trying to look ahead, we wanted a young captain to come in, specially in triangular one-day series so that we can go ahead and do something better in near future…If we don’t look ahead, we won’t have a good team in the future,” Amarnath said.
“We selected 17 players for the triangular series but we did not select the captain. The captain was selected by somebody else,” said the former India cricketer.
Asked why the panel did not go against the board at that time, Amarnath said: “Yes, we did think about that, but the decision was not to resign at that time. We did not want to create a big stir there as the team was playing abroad and the series was going on.”
“We were expecting them to do well. To be honest, I lost interest after that though I did attend the selection committee meetings, but I was the last person to join the discussions.”
The one-day series took place in February-March.
“I was not happy, I was upset. I did not call anybody. I knew they were not going to play much cricket after that, except the T20 World Cup. So, I did not want to create a scene over there. I’m the last person to create controversy,” Amarnath said, explaining why he kept silent on the issue.
While Amarnath wanted Virat Kohli to captain the one-day team in Australia, he now wants Gautam Gambhir to take the responsibility in the longest, Test format as he thinks Dhoni is not good enough to be in the playing eleven.
“He does not deserve to be part of the team. Why should he continue? I don’t create controversies, I don’t do things to get mileage…he is not good enough to play Test cricket at this moment.”
Talking about the team’s future, the 62-year-old said: “I would definitely go ahead with Gambhir, because he has the experience. He has the potential. He has been captaining the side. He has the right temperament and is a frontline batsman. As a captain you have to lead from the front. I don’t know what the selection committee would do, but I think he is the right guy.”
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Written by admin on 12 December 2012
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) The Indian cricket board Wednesday rubbished former selector Mohinder Amarnath’s claim that it had overruled the decision of the national selectors to remove Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain, and said it was inappropriate to discuss such matters in public.
Amarnath has stirred a controversy by saying Dhoni’s removal as captain of the struggling Test side was stalled owing to politics in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
BCCI senior official Rajeev Shukla, however, said the selectors had a free hand in deciding the team.
“I will not go into what he (Amarnath) has said. I don’t think this has ever happened. I don’t think it is appropriate to give statements like this,” Shukla told reporters here.
“Whatever one has to say, one can say while participating in the selection meeting. Making comments about selection issues is not appropriate as it creates some kind of perception in the minds of players and fans.
“Selectors are independent. They are not under any pressure,” he added.
Amarnath had told television channels that someone in the BCCI did not want to act against Dhoni after the disastrous tours to England and Australia.
“Yes, definitely the selection committee didn’t want Dhoni after the humiliating series in Australia… We wanted to replace him, but I think somebody from the BCCI didn’t want that,” Amarnath had said.
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