Valuable knocks by JP Yadav and Amay Khurasiya helped Madhya Pradeshto score 214 for five off 90 overs at stumps on the first dayof their Central Zone Ranji Trophy league match against Rajasthanat Gwalior on Monday.Winning the toss, MP were given a steady start with openers Yadav and AnkitShrivastav (17) putting on 40 runs off 20 overs. Then came the best part of the batting with Yadav and Khurasiya adding 114 runs for the second wicket off 36.4 overs. But at 154, MP suffered a double blow. First, Yadav was bowled by Rahul Kanwat for 70. He faced 162 balls and hit seven fours. In the following over, Khurasiya was leg before to Krishan Kumar for 59. Khurasiya faced 126 balls and had just one boundary hit.There was another double blow for MP shortly afterwards when at 174 theylost two more wickets, those of Abbas Ali (17) and Devendra Bundela (4).However Nikhil Patvardhan (21) and CA Pandit (14) added 40 runs for theunbroken fifth wicket off 23.4 overs to put their side in a more comfortingframe of mind at close of play.
Fear of the dark Just after seven o’clock, the players were warming up when the lights went out and the laser show started. Most of them just stood around looking rather helpless. This is supposed to be a cricket league, but entertainment clearly comes first.Southern Spice A day after Mohali triumphed over Delhi in the battle for northern pride, it was the south’s turn. Quite a few Chennai Super Kings’ fans were present at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and their bright yellow shirts and cheers were in evidence as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Michael Hussey went berserk in the final stages of the innings. After dinner, with the Bangalore Royal Challengers making a good fist of the chase, the locals discovered their voices, with chants of “Chennai, go back” greeting every big hit.And the band played on Suresh Raina is one of India’sspecial talents, and he showed it again with a superb little cameo. One six down the ground was struck so cleanly that it bounced on to the elevated stage where the band had played earlier. Music to the [Chennai] supporters’ ears.Umpiring’s a dangerous job When Michael Hussey propelled one down the ground at blistering pace, Billy Doctrove had next to no time to react. The ball struck him on the shoulder, and almost certainly saved Bangalore four runs. Good thing the game wasn’t that close.Pace like fire Quick bowlers are certainly hit and miss in this form of the game, and bowling them at the end of an innings is always laced with risk. Dale Steyn had conceded just 16 in his first three overs, but when Dhoni started to tee off, he had no answer. Even yorkers were smashed away with a bat-swing that resembles a whiplash. The over cost Bangalore 24 runs, and perhaps the match.Despair to ecstasy Against the Mumbai Indians, Palani Amarnath conceded 57 in his four overs, the most expensive spell in the IPL’s short history. When Wasim Jaffer was dropped by Manpreet Gony off the first ball he bowled today, the man named after a temple town in Tamil Nadu where people usually get their heads tonsured must have felt like tearing his hair out. Two wickets later, the follicles were a bit safer.Optical illusion? When Jaffer clubbed Albie Morkel over midwicket for six, there were more than a few gasps of disbelief. That turned to joy when he flicked one effortlessly over fine leg for six more. For a man with no great pedigree even in the ODI arena, a 33-ball 50 was someeffort.Much ado about drumming After Chennai clinched victory, Sivamani, the drummer rushed on to the field, drum-kit in tow. As officials and police tried to stop him, Dhoni intervened on his behalf. A few triumphant beats of the drums later, Sivamani was done. Both thedrums, and Bangalore, were beaten into submission.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports has been forced to dismiss an appeal by the World Anti Doping Agency over the reprieves for the Pakistan fast bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, saying it had no jurisdiction to overturn the decision.The CAS panel said in a statement that the conclusion had been reached “with some considerable regret”. Shoaib and Asif tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in internal tests conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last year, and were banned for two years and one year respectively in November 2006.However, a month later, both were controversially reinstated by a Pakistani appellate committee, prompting WADA to appeal to CAS in Lausanne. Dick Pound, the chairman of WADA, had told the BBC last December that the ICC – the game’s governing body – was “a signatory to the anti-doping code” and that Pakistan, as a full member of the ICC, was bound by its rules.However CAS, which set up a special panel to examine the issue, found that the PCB does not provide a right of appeal to the international sports court. Furthermore, it added, the ICC’s code did not contain any rules that obliged the Pakistan board to allow appeals to CAS.Shoaib and Asif were both removed from their country’s squad for the World Cup in March and April, although the PCB insisted they had missed the event because of injuries. That explanation, however, was countered by Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, who said at the beginning of the tournament in March that the duo had escaped a drugs test by not being selected for the World Cup.The PCB had announced beforehand that 11 of its 15-man squad and seven reserves had passed domestic, pre-World Cup dope tests, but Shoaib and Asif were left out of the testing.
The rankings might suggest a cosmic difference between the two sides, but, as the first one-day international showed, West Indies had it in them to fight tooth and nail. Despite their poor effort on the field, and despite stuttering in the middle overs, they managed to take the game to the penultimate ball. India’s much-vaunted batting line-up was no doubt tested and it ultimately boiled down to a few lucky breaks at the death.Brian Lara admitted as much after the match. “I don’t think we’re getting the respect we deserve. We might be No.8 in the rankings but we still have a very good game. It’s just that we need to deliver more consistently. India needed every last ounce of energy to beat us. We need to take our game one level up.”West Indies need to address two maladies urgently: the multitude of extras and the shabbiness on the field. India overwhelmed Sri Lanka and Pakistan mainly because of their superiority in the two departments. They conceded 28 extras yesterday, but that can confidently be termed an aberration. Greg Chappell admitted that the players were caught unawares in the morning: “We thought the chances of getting play were zero. Once it started the players took some time to adjust to the conditions. It was really hot and humid out there and we struggled because of that.”India will acclimatise soon. “We’ve done a lot of work on that area,” said Chappell about guarding against the dehydration of players. “Even as recently as the last few weeks, we’ve done a bit of work on finding out the best research, spoken to a few world leaders and discovered a few things that might make a difference. We’ve started testing the players from a few days up, making sure they’re keeping their fluids up. There are few other products available these days that weren’t available earlier. We’ll experiment with a few of those and come up with a few answers.”The two big positives for India came in the form of Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif. The first troubled the likes of Lara and Chris Gayle with turn; the second produced his first fifty in 15 games. One has often failed while bowling away from home, when he doesn’t have his favourite SG ball; the other, with nine single digit scores in the last 15 innings, would have seen the axe looming. “We see Kaif as an important member of our side while planning for the World Cup,” Chappell stated, “and we knew he would come out of the bad run. He’s a very experienced player and this will help his confidence.”On the eve of the game, West Indies had optional nets while the Indians, who were scheduled to have a light stint, were forced to have a pool session. Rain and sunshine alternated, keeping everyone guessing about the forecast. Weathermen predict Saturday to be another day with scattered thunderstorms in Kingston. One certainty, though, is that it won’t take too long for Charlie, the groundsman, and his boys to get Sabina Park ready for the clash. The lukewarm spectator response – the ground was hardly half full – disappointed the local authorities but they expect a larger turnout for Saturday’s contest.With another royal sweatfest on the cards, don’t forget to bring your handkerchiefs and towels.TeamsWest Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Runako Morton, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Marlon Samuels, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Fidel Edwards.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Rahul Dravid (capt), 3 Yuvraj Singh, 4 Mohammad Kaif, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Munaf Patel.
Deb K Das talks exclusively to Gladstone Dainty, the president of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA)Gladstone Dainty has made clear that he is far from impressed with the International Cricket Council (ICC), and furthermore, he is refusing to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) with it regarding Project USA, the ICC-sponsored initiative for the development of cricket in the USA.Dainty said it was important for US cricketers, and the cricket world in general, to understand why he was taking this position. This was why he had sought me out on the sidelines of the US National Championship finals in Los Angeles.Project USA was uppermost in his mind at the time. He said that the ICC was pressing the USACA to sign a Memorandum of Agreement that would validate the role that Project USA would play for the next ten years in the USA. And he did not like the terms that were being offered, let alone ICC’s attitude, which was more of an ultimatum — “take it or leave it” was the way it was described.Dainty’s objection, he made clear, was a fundamental one. He was opposed to the idea that funds raised by Project USA would be transferred to an “offshore” bank account, and would be administered by officials based outside the United States at their own discretion and judgment. He had no problems with an independent body being in charge of administering the funds. However, in Dainty’s view, such a body should include individuals based in the USA, with background and experience with the circumstances that applied to US cricket.Over the past few years, he said he had seen persons and organisations from inside and outside the USA operating within the US cricket scene under their own agendas, which were not always in the best interests of US cricket. And further, US cricket was simply not understood by the ICC — this was exemplified, he continued, by its obdurate refusal to simplify ICC eligibility requirements or to provide sufficient funds as “seed money” for proper development for a vast country like the USA, although the complexities of the marketplace had been repeatedly communicated to the authorities.There were other difficulties cited by Dainty. For instance, there could be possible problems with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in maintaining USACA’s non-profit status. Then there was the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), whose tendentious and protracted post-9/11 procedures had led to ICC’s eligibility requirements becoming a stranglehold on development. A comprehensive MOU would need to address these issues as part of any overall agreement between USACA and ICC. Yet none of these items had been included in any of the discussions that had taken place so far. USACA could hardly sign an agreement that did not cover these points.These matters of detail boiled down to a single overriding principle, according to Dainty. US cricket was not just a marketplace for the ICC to sell itself and its programs, and dole out money as and when it wished — this was a kind of “colonialism” which he wanted no part of. To him, Project USA would work only if it combined marketing and development in a single US-based entity, and this was something he was pushing for.We parted on a note of mutual acknowledgement. I had never met Dainty before. He had been described by supporters and critics alike as a kind of godfather of US cricket, inaccessible to all except the few he chose to communicate with, and yet exercising absolute control over USACA affairs.Nothing he said to me dispelled any of those impressions, but I became aware of something I had not known before — his passion and total commitment to what he saw as US cricket, and his willingness to do whatever he could to sustain his vision.
Michael Vaughan is confident he will be fit to play in the second Test against New Zealand, after scans on his injured knee revealed "no real damage"."It’s terribly disappointing to miss a Test match", said Vaughan, "but the positives are that it doesn’t look like I’m going to be out for too long."After injuring his knee at practice on Monday, Vaughan was carried off on a stretcher, causing much concern to his team-mates and England fans alike, considering his previous history of knee trouble.”What happened was a bit freaky," he admitted. "But I have had the knee operated on a couple of times and there are a few tears in the cartilage that I have had dealt with before. It was a big precaution to be carried out of the nets in the way I was, but it is a knee that needs looking after. What might have looked a bit dramatic was the right thing to do at the time.”Vaughan praised the choice of Marcus Trescothick, who has not captained England in a Test match before, as his replacement: “He is a level-headed guy who will give it his best shot; the team are in the capable hands of an astute man out there in the middle."
Dr Ali Bacher, executive director of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, addressed the media today at a scheduled press conference between the conclusion of the preliminary round of CWC 2003 and the start on Friday of the Super Sixes.Dr Bacher addressed the following issues:The competing teams:I wish to congratulate the six teams who have qualified, and wish them every success in the matches ahead. I would also like to pay tribute to the Associate Member Countries teams that competed with such commitment and a sense of fun. They have been like a breath of fresh air.The exit of the South African team: We are all very disappointed, and we share the disappointment of the nation and the players. But what we have been able to do is to show the world that we have the capacity to manage a global sporting event of this nature. What we need is the people of South Africa to continue to buy into the importance of this tournament, and to continue supporting it the way they have done. The South African team might be out of the World Cup, but South Africa is still in it.Crowd attendance and gate receipts:For the 34 preliminary round games in South Africa some 400 000 people have attended, representing some 70% of capacity. It is estimated that a further 200 000-250 000 will attend the 12 remaining games of the tournament giving a grand total (including the Opening Ceremony) of 675 000 out of the 825 000 total capacity.I am very heartened by these figures. We have now banked R80 million from ticket sales and our initial budget was R25 million.Attendances have shown how the South African public have embraced the tournament as a great cricketing occasion. For example, attendance for the Kenya-Bangladesh match at the Wanderers on 1 March was 17 897, Bangladesh-Canada at Kingsmead on 11 February was 10 482, and Canada-Kenya at Newlands on 15 February was 12 590. In addition, for the six matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya, total attendance was 29 549.Security at the grounds in South Africa:I would like to thank the South African and international supporters for their exemplary behaviour and good spirit.The worst crowd incidents reported were three minor scuffles, each lasting about 30 seconds, at the India-Pakistan game at Supersport Park. They were quickly stifled and 6 people were ejected from the ground. I am pleased to say that no one has been injured at any game, there have been no pitch invasions and no attacks on players.It is clear to me that the policies of our Security Directorate have worked.I wish also to make special mention of the SA Police Service for its unstinting commitment and support for CWC 2003.The ‘look’ of the CWC 2003 stadiums:The clean consistency of the blue, gold, black and white ‘look’ of the stadiums has been remarked upon very favourably by many knowledgeable people. I would like to think that we have now launched an ICC Cricket World Cup brand that will be used again and again, not necessarily in the same colours but with the same consistency. I would be bold enough to suggest that, having attended two Olympic Games, the CWC branding is as good, if not better, than the Olympics.The pitches and playing areas:These have truly done credit to an event of this magnitude. Our pitch consultants, groundsmen and curators must be congratulated on producing playing surfaces of the highest standard.In addition, the upgrades at all the stadiums are truly fantastic and I have been very impressed with the new scoreboards and replay screens.The CWC 2003 Ticketing System:This is one of the unsung success stories of the tournament, a fully computerized system that provides absolute security and crowd control. It is interesting to note that, through the security built into the turnstiles and tickets, 12 870 people have tried unsuccessfully to gain access to grounds without valid tickets. Without this ticketing system, they would have gained entry undetected.Volunteers 2003:This has been another success story of the tournament. Wherever I go, volunteers are friendly and helpful. I get so many good reports about them and the country is truly proud of them. This is a legacy that we will leave South African sport.Marketing, PR and Communications:One of our main objectives at the outset was to rally the country behind this event. I believe that this has been achieved and that these campaigns have resulted in South Africans embracing the event.We have always said that, even if South Africa doesn’t win the World Cup, we want this to be a very special event for South Africa, Africa and the International Cricket Council. It’s time … now for the country to continue to show its support for the important matches that lie ahead.Availability of tickets for the Super Sixes:The public are reminded that, in keeping with an assurance made earlier this year, a limited number of tickets will become available in the ticketing system for the nine upcoming Super Six matches. People wishing to attend these matches should keep a check on the CWC ticket sales channels by either visiting their local CWC stadium ticket office, calling the ticket hotline on 083 123 2003 or logging onto the website www.cricketworldcup .Tickets now on sale will be limited to four per person.
Portugal are the 2001 ECC Trophy champions.The European Cricket Council’s tournament for ICC Affiliate Member nations fromthe continent was decided on Saturday at the Seebarn No.1 Ground, Vienna, whenPortugal easily defeated the host nation Austria by nine wickets in the 35-overs-a-side final.Austria, winning the toss after batting first, made 158 for 9 from their 35overs. Austrian captain Andrew Simpson-Parker was top score with 43 whileIntesab Mehdi (4/21) and Humayun Shahzad (3/36) were the best bowlers forPortugal.A 126-run first-wicket stand between Portuguese captain Akbar Saiyad and hisopening partner Nadeem Butt set the visitors on their way to an easy victory.Saiyad was dismissed for 44, Butt remaining unbeaten on 91 from 92 balls.The ten-team tournament began on August 10 with teams playing in two groups,situated at Seebarn and the southern Austrian town of Velden. Belgium, Croatia,Finland, Greece, Malta, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland were the otherparticipants.Both Portugal and Austria, by reaching yesterday’s final, qualify for theEuropean Cricket Championships to be staged in Ireland in July 2002. They willcompete alongside ICC Associate Member countries in Europe (Denmark, France,Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland) and anamateur XI from England.Greece won the last ECC Trophy tournament staged in Corfu two years ago,defeating Portugal, the winners of the inaugural competition in 1997, by ninewickets.Cricket in Portugal among expatriate Englishmen can be traced back as far asthe days of the Duke of Wellington, but it was in 1994 that the FederacaoPortuguesa de Cricket was formed, with Affiliate Membership of the ICC beinggranted in 1996.
Middlesex Crusaders secured a six wicket victory over Glamorgan Dragons at Cardiff in the last round of National League matches.With three needed of the final ball young Irishman Joyce took an ambitious swing, and bottom edged the ball to the third man boundary.A nail biting finish never seemed on the cards after seamer Aaron Laraman had taken a career best 6-42 to restrict the Glamorgan Dragons to an under par 191-9. The Welshmen relied heavily on in form Michael Powell and his better than a run a ball contribution of 86 with 8 fours and a six off Ramprakash.Middlesex Crusaders seemed to be cruising, with Langer remaining undefeated on 75, but when Ramprakash top edged a hook, and Laraman was bowled the innings faltered, and the Londoners were grateful for Joyce’s fortuitous last ball heave.It was a sad ending for Maynard who was also dismissed for 0 in his last game as Glamorgan’s captain.
Chelsea have defied the odds to come back from a deficit against Napoli in the Champions League, beating the Italian side 4-1 after extra-time on Wednesday night.
The west London club were 3-1 down from the first encounter in San Paolo, but fought back bravely with support of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Didier Drogba opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half, before captain John Terry doubled their lead early in the second half.
Gokhan Inler pulled one back for the visitors, but a Frank Lampard penalty forced the game into extra time. With penalties looming, Branislav Ivanovic proved to be an unlikely hero, popping up with the winning goal after 105 minutes.
Skipper Terry heralded the win as one of the best during his career at Stamford Bridge, and hit back at the team’s critics.
“This could top them all, for sure,” the England defender told ITV.
“The lads put in a great display, really solid, really resilient, with the firepower going forward.
“We proved we’re a team tonight. That desire, that togetherness. We showed what Chelsea are made of,” he stated proudly.
Frank Lampard was equally as impressed by the team’s performance, and applauded match-winner Ivanovic and the way he took his goal.
“We’re just happy to be in the hat. We’ll enjoy tonight and wait and see. If we play with that ability and desire, we can take on anybody.
“He (Ivanovic) finished it unbelievably, like a striker really. He deserved that, he was fantastic on the night and was a symbol of the determination we showed the way he played.
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“It was important we showed a desire and spirit to keep ourselves in the competition. It’s been a difficult season but a performance like that can change things for us,” he stipulated.
The draw for the quarter-finals will be made on Friday in Nyon; the other teams in the mix are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Marseille, APOEL, Benfica, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.