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Last updated : THURSDAY 15 MAY 2008

LOCAL SPORTS
Win for Nalbari College, Darrang College

By Our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI, May 14: Nalbari College and Darrang College won their respective matches in the Gauhati University Inter-College Cricket Tournament held at Nagaon on Wednesday. Nalbari College defeated Abhyapuri College by four wickets while Darrang College thrashed Gauhati University Law College by 116 runs.
In the match between Abhyapuri College and Nalbari College it was Abhyapuri who batted first and were bowled out for paltry 72 runs in 22.3 overs. In reply, Nalbari College reached the target in 16.5 overs losing six wickets. Nikhilesh Misra and T Dutta contributed 24 and 22 runs respectively.
Meanwhile in the other match of the day, Darrang College batting first scored 180 runs for the loss of six wickets in 25 overs. The star of the day was Roshan Basfore who made a well composed century and remained not out for 108 runs. Gauhati University Law College bowled out for paltry 64 runs thanks to a magnificent spell from Niraj Barua who bagged five wickets for five runs.

Ranking badminton from today:
All Assam Ranking Badminton Tournament will get under way at the Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phukan Indoor Stadium from Thursday. Around 250 participants from the different parts of the State are excepting to take part in the championship. The tournament is important for the participating shuttlers as different State team will be selected on the basis of the performance in this tournament.

GSA inter-club transfer from May 30:
The Gauhati Sports Association has reschedule the date of inter-club football transfer and now it will begin from May 30 and will be continued till June one. The football secretary of the Gauhati Sports Association Hem Das said that the decision to change the date was taken in the football section meeting held on Wednesday at the GSA office premises. The date of withdrawal was fixed on June two. It may be mentioned here that the earlier the inter-club football transfer was supposed to be held from the third week of this month.

Inter-district hockey from today:
Sub Junior Inter-District Hockey Tournament will get under way at Tezpur from Thursday. The inaugural match will be held between Tinsukia and Morigaon. The secretary of the Assam Hockey Association Tapan Das said that altogether 16 teams will take part in the championship. However, the schedule was changed in the last minute as Hailakandi all possibly would not take part in the tournament. As per the earlier schedule it was Hailakandi who had to play the inaugural match but due to railway communication problem in the hill section, the team would likely to withdraw its name. The inaugural function will be attended by the DIG S N Singh and former minister Bijit Saikia.

All Assam marathon:
The Second All Assam Marathon on memory of Gautam Basumatary will be held in Guwahati on June 15. The event, to be organized by Guwahati New Star Club, will start from the Nehru Stadium and will be conclude on the same venue. There will be cash award for champion and next six position holders.

 

India take on unbeaten Pak in Azlan Shah
Ipoh, Malaysia, May 14: Buoyed by back-to-back wins over Canada and Belgium, a resurgent India will take on the unbeaten-as-yet arch-rival Pakistan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament, here tomorrow.
The much-anticipated match is crucial for India as a win will boost its chances of a respectable finish in the event, while for Pakistan another victory would ensure a majestic passage to the final.
Pakistan, under the new coach Naveed Alam, has been in excellent form here ab intio, winning three while drawing against Argentina 3-3.
Their forward line looks formidable having scored 14 goals in just four matches, making it a phenomenal performance for a side that finished sixth here last year.
However, Indian coach Ajay Kumar Bansal is unperturbed by the Pakistanis’ remarkable run and exuded confidence of an Indian win tomorrow.
“We have to win tomorrow. If we have to go anywhere near a medal, this win is a must and my boys are aware of this,” he said. Bansal felt with both Sandeep Singh and Diwakar Ram in good form, the Indians have a real chance of ending Pakistan’s unbeaten run.
“There is no reason why they cannot be successful tomorrow also?” he said.
Pakistan coach Alam is, however, cautious in his appraisal. “We will look at the contest beyond the results. Our aim is to showcase the game for which we both nations are known for,” he said. The Indian coach, meanwhile, is busy finding the chinks in Pakistan’s armoury. (PTI)

 

Daredevils look to arrest slide against lowly Deccan Chargers
New Delhi, May 14: With the semifinal passage turning from smooth to slippery following four defeats on the trot, the exasperated Delhi Daredevils sniff a chance to arrest the free-fall against points table laggards Deccan Chargers in their Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.
The defeat against King’s XI Punjab notwithstanding, Sehwag’s side apparently could do no wrong as they won four of their first five matches, thumping the likes of current and former table toppers Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.
Mumbai Indians, however, started the rot and the Daredevils ran into a wretched stretch, still struggling to wriggle out of the hole.
Subsequently, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals avenged the first leg defeats and last night Kolkata Knight Riders added to their woes by walking away with a 23-run win.
Accordingly, the Delhi outfit no more finds itself ensconced among the top four and the semifinal berth that seemed very much theirs for taking is now clearly in jeopardy.
Over-reliance on the top order has been the side’s Achilles’ heel and the rickety middle order does not look in a mood to change the perception.
The Daredevils have looked formidable as long as Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, and Shikhar Dhawan too to some extent, fired. Once the trio were back in the hut, they looked a different side altogether, a fact that did not elude their opponents as the IPL inched closer to its business end.
And as if there was any doubt about it, Shoaib Akhtar made it explicit when he blew away the top order with a devastating spell and Delhi collapsed chasing down a total as modest as 134 last night. Tillakratne Dilshan and Amit Mishra did wage a grim battle in the middle but the Daredevils had completely lost the plot even before they were midway through their innings. In contrast, their bowling attack has been spot on throughout the tournament, especially their pacers.
Glenn McGrath’s retirement from international cricket seems a mere rumour as the master craftsman remains the same mean, miser operator, making life miserable for the willowers, that too in a format with an obvious bias towards the batsmen.
McGrath and fellow leather-flingers, the home grown Pradeep Sangwan and Sri Lankan import Ferveez Maharoof, did an excellent job as they tied down the Knight Riders to 133 for 6 in 20 overs but once again, it was their batting colleagues who let them down last night.
The Daredevils, however, would be looking forward to buck the trend when they host lowly Deccan Chargers, tournament’s joint favourite punching bag, alongside Bangalore Royal Challengers.
The Chargers have already lost their regular captain VVS Laxman to injury, while stand-in skipper Adam Gilchrist refuses to harbour false hopes and has made it clear that the squad, after seven defeats in nine matches, are virtually out of the reckoning.
Gilchrist has managed to keep his reputation, while runs have also flown from middle order bat Rohit Sharma’s blade. But as a team, the Chargers have not clicked and their bowling, despite having RP Singh and Chaminda Vaas, has neither the firepower nor the sting to mow down any batting order. Naturally, the hosts would hold an edge when they take on Gilchrist’s side tomorrow. String of setbacks have in fact simplified things for Sehwag and his men, who now have their back against the wall and win is the only way forward. (PTI)

 

Badrinath, Dhoni lift Chennai to 156
MUMBAI, May 14: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who said he would have fielded first had he won the toss, watched his side slump to 46 for 4 but an important 95-run stand with S Badrinath set up a fighting total on an evening when the swing bowlers had a major say at the Wankhede Stadium here tonight.
Sachin Tendulkar’s return meant that Shaun Pollock wasn’t leading Mumbai today but his immaculate early spell (4-1-9-1) led an impressive bowling effort in what was a see-saw battle first up. Mumbai’s seamers dominated the first half before Dhoni and Badrinath redressed the balance.
The pair improvised when the opportunity presented but it was Dhoni’s fierce hitting that gave the bowlers no chance - even if he wasn’t in position the power behind the shots was always going to take it to the boundary ropes. Badrinath, whose repertoire ranges from the square drive on the back foot to the paddle over short fine leg, brought up his second successive fifty in the rescue mission.
It was a slew of medium-pacers who propelled Mumbai to an upset win over the Rajasthan Royals in the previous game and they utilised bowler-friendly conditions here too. The ball swung around through the innings and the six medium-pacers shaped the ball either way to make life difficult for the batsmen.
Pollock turned in a typically miserly spell, including a maiden to finish off against a relatively new Dhoni. He should have had Stephen Fleming in the first ball of the second over - when an edge fell just short of first slip - or even in the third - when Sanath Jayasuriya muffed a skier at point - but he had to settle for S Vidyut’s wicket two balls later when Rohan Raje clung on to another skier at mid-off.
Suresh Raina fell poking to an away-swinger from Dwayne Bravo before Chamara Kapugedera, the right-hander, did exactly the same to Dhawal Kulkarni’s nippy away-cutter. (Agencies)

Scoreboard
Chennai Super Kings
Vidyut c Raje b Pollock 16
Fleming b Kulkarni 26
Raina c Takawale b Bravo 1
Badrinath c & b Bravo 53
K’gedera c Takawale b Kulkarni 0
Dhoni not out 43
Morkel c Uthappa b Kulkarni 5
Extras: (lb 3, w 9) 12
Total: (6 wickets; 20 overs) 156
FoWs: 1-18, 2-28, 3-46, 4-46, 5-141, 6-156
Bowling: Pollock 4-1-9-1, Nehra 4- 0-31-0, Bravo 4-0-37-2, Kulkarni 4-0-33-3, Raje 3-0-33-0, Thornely 1-0-10-0

Gilchrist determined to lift the team from the pits:
They might be languishing at the bottom of the points table, but new Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist has not lost hopes of making the semifinals of the Twenty20 extravaganza. Gilchrist, who took over the reins of the Hyderabadi team after VVS Laxman injured his wrist, said the team was now eying winning all the remaining matches to book semis berth. “It’s time to look forward. Now we have nothing to lose but to win the remaining five games. If we can win all the next five matches, we can still change the calculations for semis in our favour. That’s what we are trying to do now,” the 36-year-old Aussie said on the sideline of a launch event. However, the left-handed wicket-keeper batsman did not hide his disappointment on missing out the services of VVS Laxman “VVS Laxman is one of the best batsmen in the world. We are certainly going to miss his experience and skills out in the ground.” “It’s a loss on our part as nobody can replace a quality player like Laxman,” Gilchrist said ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Delhi Daredevils at Ferozshah Kotla ground.(PTI)

KRK fined for slow over rate again :
The Kolkata Knight Riders completed a dubious hat-trick after the Sourav Ganguly-led squad was fined, for the third straight match, for slow over rate in their last night’s Indian Premier League tie against Delhi Daredevils. The Knight Riders, who beat the Daredevils by 23 runs in an exciting match at the Eden Gardens last night, were found two overs behind the schedule and were handed down a USD 1000 fine. The IPL follows the ICC Playing Conditions and Rules, which states any team bowling a slow over rate would be fined USD 500 per over. In their previous match against the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers too, the Knight Riders were two overs behind the schedule and Match Referee Talat Ali fined them an equal amount.(PTI)

Ponting wary of improved Windies:
Australian captain Ricky Ponting doesn’t believe his team will win the three test series against the West Indies without a fight.The Australian team, which trained in Kingston, Jamaica ahead of their opening three-day match against a Jamaica XI on Friday, is keen to put aside views suggesting that it will be a one-sided contest in favour of Australia when the test series begins from next week. The first test begins at Sabina Park on Thursday, May 22. Ponting said he expected a more improved West Indian outfit this time than the one swept 3-0 in Australia in 2005-06. “I don’t think we’ll lose the series, I think we’ll win. But I expect it to be a pretty good tussle between two good teams,” (ANI)

Bhajji banned for 5 ODIs, warned of life ban
Mumbai, May 14: Temperamental off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today got away with a five-match ODI ban for slapping his India teammate S Sreesanth but was warned by the Cricket Board of a life ban for any further misconduct on his part.
A day after BCCI-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati submitted a 14-page report to the Board, the BCCI’s Disciplinary Committee acted swiftly to impose the ban on the beleaguered spinner who will now miss the forthcoming tri-series in Bangladesh and two matches of the Asia Cup in Pakistan.
The 27-year-old Harbhajan, who had already been banned from the ongoing Indian Premier League and fined a whopping Rs three crore match fee for the level 4 offence, was summoned by the Disciplinary Committee, headed by president Sharad Pawar, to hear his views on the incident which happened after an IPL match in Mohali on April 25.
“The Committee accordingly decided to ban Harbhajan Singh for five one-day internationals, starting today and further observed that any further instance of misconduct will invoke a life-ban,” the BCCI said in a statement after the committee’s hearing.
“The Committee invoked Rule 3.2.1 of the BCCI Regulations for Players, Team officials, Managers, Umpires and Administrators. Under this provision, the maximum punishment that can be meted out to a player is a ban up to a maximum of 5 ODIs and/or 3 test matches,” Pawar told reporters.
He said a copy of the report was given to Harbhajan who was heard by the committee before taking a final decision on the quantum of punishment.
“The player admitted his guilt in the concerned matter. He prayed for leniency and assured the Committee that there would not be any misconduct on his part in the future,” the Board said. Pawar and other members of the committee, President-Elect Shashank Manohar and Vice-President Chirayu Amin, met at the Cricket Centre to discuss Nanavati’s report on the issue.
With the ban coming into effect immediately, the off-spinner will have to sit out of the tri-series in Bangladesh to be held from June 8-14 and the first two matches of the Asia Cup scheduled to be held in Pakistan from June 24-July 6. The Board also told Sreesanth to mend his way.
“The Disciplinary committee also considered Sreesanth. He has to improve a lot and if he is does something similar in future, he will be dealt with firm hand,” Board secretary Niranjan Shah said.
Asked how Harbhajan reacted to his ban, Shah said, “He is okay, he knows that he is guilty and the BCCI has also given a warning that if he gets involved in any further misconduct, he will be banned for life.” “He has learnt his lesson, he knows exactly where he stands,” he said. Shah refused to call it an exemplary punishment but made it clear that the Board would not brook any such indiscipline.
“It is sure that if any indiscipline is seen on the field the board would be very strict. It won’t allow itself to be taken for granted,” he asserted.
Harbhajan slapped his national teammate Sreesanth at the conclusion of King’s XI Punjab’s IPL match against Mumbai Indians in Mohali on April 25. Harbhajan, who was bought by Mukesh Ambani’s franchise for a whopping Rs 3.40 crore during the landmark auction, was subsequently banned from the remainder of the IPL, apart from losing nearly Rs 3 crore of match fee, for breaching the ICC’s Level 4.2 Code of Conduct.
As per the ICC Code of Conduct, a level 4 offence results in a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum of 5 Tests or 10 ODI ban. But in this case, the Board went by its own regulation and invoked Rule 3.2.1 of the BCCI regulations.
Sreesanth, who was at the receiving end of Harbhajan’s wrath, was also warned against aggressive on-field behaviour and told that his conduct would be taken seriously.
Mumbai Indians manager Lalchand Rajput was fined 50 per cent of the match fee for not stopping the off-spinner’s attack on Sreesanth playing for Kings XI Punjab.
The BCCI, under whose jurisdiction IPL is being held, decided to conduct a separate probe into the incident by appointing Nanavati who viewed a video recording of the incident, summoned the warring players to Ahmedabad and conducted the probe.
Nanavati also considered statements by IPL match referee Farokh Engineer and umpire Amish Saheba while preparing his report.
Nanavati described the slapping incident as “shocking” after viewing the video recording of the sordid episode, one of the worst-ever in the history of Indian cricket, in the BCCI office here last week. (PTI)

It’s going to be a close call for fourth semi-finalists
Kolkata Knight Riders have stolen a march over Delhi Daredevils but it’s going to be a close call for the fourth semi-finalists of the Indian Premier League. Kolkata have a match ahead against each of the three top teams of the league –Jaipur, Mohali and Chennai. Delhi, in contrast, only need to face Mohali among the biggies. Delhi also play four of the five left matches at home. Kolkata have three of the five remaining at Eden Gardens.
Still the fall from grace has been stunning for Delhi Daredevils. Initially, they lacked the balance due to a frail middle order and the absence of a spinner. Now when that has been set aright, it’s the top order which is wobbly. Good as Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are, and also Shikhar
Dhawan, they are not structuring their innings properly. A leaf out of Shaun Marsh’s book, or David Hussey, Shane Watson and even our own Rohit Sharma, can be instructive. They score at a similar clip but are far more solid. Its a case of adapting to the situation. If sehwag departs early then Gambhir has to take stock of the fact that he is accomplished enough to score at a fair clip without trying the extraordinary. Discretion after all has always been a better part of valour. I read with interest when Sehwag quipped that they looked to bat too freely against Shoaib Akhtar and paid the price. So perhaps the fault is identified. Shane Warne said the other day they wanted to take the pace off the ball against Sehwag-Gambhir pair. Opposition is also trying to bowl wide at Delhi openers. Teams are planning overtime against the Delhi pair and they can’t allow themselves to walk into a trap. The challenge for them is to bat for at least the first 10 overs. If they do so, Delhi would be logging 100 on the board. All those swinging arcs of bats at widish deliveries can wait. Delhi now are up against Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers which perhaps has the weakest bowling attack of all in the competition. But it is balanced by arguably the most destructive line-up in the league. Hyderabad’s problem has been a bat or two alone fire in a match. They all don’t come good together. Now that they more or less have no pressure, Hyderabad can really come out firing. Their batsmen can sink any opposition on any given day.
Delhi though would be pleased by how Tillekratne Dilshan, Fervez Maharoof and Amit Mishra have shaped up in the last two games. The plan clearly has been to identify bowlers who are also handy with the ball. With due respect to the Pakistani duo Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Asif, they are one-dimensional cricketers.I say Shoaib Malik as well because the confidence in his bowling seems to have disappeared. It also is judicious to rest Dinesh Karthik if AB de Villiers can keep the stumps. The problem, as I said, is for the openers to use patience as a vital tool. Manoj Tiwari must play all the games cause I believe he would be the one to make a difference if Delhi has to qualify for the final. His bowling has also to be thought off. (TCM)

From foe to friend, Rawalpindi Express wins Kolkatans’ hearts
Kolkata, May 14: Nearly a decade ago, the Eden Gardens used to be silent on the appearance of Shoaib Akhtar, the then No 1 foe among the cricket frenzy Eden crowd, and his lethal deliveries.
However, last night, the same arm became touchstone for the 65,000-strong crowd, who went wild and endeared the Pakistani as ‘saviour’.
Since his arrival, the 33-year-old speedster has aroused curiosity in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
His non-inclusion in last two matches on fitness grounds fuelled speculations, though he remained the first catch for the media. His movement has been a prime writeup matter for scribes whether he was really hiding any injury.
But on his debut in the IPL and a magical 3-0-11-4 spell wiped out all doubts after flooring Delhi Daredevil’s four top order batsmen beginning with hitman Virender Shewag.
He remained true to his commitment saying Eden was his favorite ground.
Nearly 100, 000 cricket lovers in Eden were spellbound as two successive deliveries sent back master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in 1999.
Since then the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ had become most fearsome paceman, thus the Indian crowd, particularly, Kolkata rating him as the most dreaded enemy.
However, he changed the equation since his arrival here from one month suspension of his five-year punishment by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on disciplinary ground and Kolkata taking him as their “own boy’’.
When Shoaib Akhtar called Kolkata his new home, everyone wondered what he meant. “My money comes from Kolkata Knight Riders,’’ he replied during an interview yesterday.
The “man-of-the-match’’ Akhtar told the crowd at the Eden Gardens that KKR had badly needed a win in the 8-team competition and he was fortunate enough to be a part of the winning team.
The win jacked up KKR to the fourth spot on the IPL table, two points clear of the Delhi Daredevil’s eight points from nine outings.
Calender date 13, perhaps to augur a fresh turning point for the controversial pacer, whose Eden feat last evening coincided with his birth date of August 13, 1975.
He justified his paypack of moderate 425,000 dollars, the sum he was auctioned by the Shar Rukh Khan’s KKR, though the movie mogul knew the “Ralwalpindi Express” was embroiled in controversy with PCB.
“SRK’s special affinity with speedster and Sourav Ganguly’s firm belief in him made the Pakistani bowler a humble man, who still has to fight a legal battle to clear his indisciplined tag in his real home (Pakistan),’’ said a cricket fan. (UNI)

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

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