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SPORTS
IMPHAL TUESDAY 14 OCTOBER 2014
Aussies beat Pak by one run for series sweep F1: Hamilton wins Russian GP
SOCHI, Oct 12
Pakistan look to
revive home tours
Ahmed Shahzad of Pakistan is stumped by Brad Haddin of Australia during the third match
ABU DHABI, Oct 13 (AFP)
Glenn Maxwell bowled a
maiden final over and got two
wickets to seal a thrilling onerun win for Australia in the
third and final one-day
international against Pakistan
in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 232-run
target, Pakistan needed just
two runs in the final over but
Maxwell (2-41) kept his cool
dismissing Sohail Tanvir (10)
with the second ball of the
50th over and Mohammad
Irfan (nought) with the final
ball to complete Australia`s 30 series whitewash.
It was Australia`s third
cleansweep against Pakistan
after a 3-0 win in Pakistan in
1998 and a 5-0 triumph on
home ground four years ago.
Pakistan once again lived
up to their reputation of
throwing away a winning
position as they needed just
28 runs to win with four
wickets in hand at one stage.
Tanvir and Zulfiqar Babar
(14 not out) took them to
within two runs of the win
but Australia staged a strong
comeback. For Pakistan, Asad
Shafiq hit a solid 50 while
Sohaib Maqsood made 34.
"It`s always tough to win a
series overseas so it`s very
satisfying to win 3-0," said
Australia captain George Bailey. "We didn`t quite play our
best in all three games, but
it`s a positive when you find
ways to win despite that."
Pakistan were without
captain Misbah-ul-Haq who
surprisingly dropped himself
after a poor run of scores,
handing the captaincy to
Shahid Afridi. "In the batting,
from the first T20 till the last
ODI, the thing we are missing is partnerships," said
Afridi. "The World Cup is not
very far, and we have to learn
quickly, it`s the most important thing for us."
With the series already in
the bag, Australia rested
paceman Mitchell Johnson
and off-spinner Nathan Lyon
who shared nine wickets in
the first two matches.
That significantly weakened the bowling attack as
Pakistan raced to a solid 56run start with Ahmed Shahzad
(26) and Sarfraz Ahmed (32)
batting with confidence.
But left-arm spinner
Xavier Doherty provided
Australia with a breakthrough
when he bowled Shahzad
with his first delivery.
Pakistan lost two wickets
at 80 with Ahmed run out
and Fawad Alam scooping a
catch off a miscued sweep off
Doherty with slip fielder
Smith running from slip to
leg-slip to grab the ball.
Shafiq
and
Sohaib
Maqsood, one of four
changes in Pakistan side,
added an invaluable 74 for the
fourth wicket before Pakistan
lost three wickets in the space
of just 20 runs. Maqsood was
caught off paceman Kane
Richardson (2-36) who also
had Afridi (two) and Shafiq
fell to James Faulkner.
Umar Amin (19) and
Anwar Ali (14) brought Pakistan close to the win but
both fell within four runs of
each other, leaving Pakistan
at 208-8. Australia had got
LAHORE, Oct 13 : Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan said
Monday that tours from second-tier and smaller teams could
help revive domestic cricket hit by the fear of terrorist attacks.
Pakistan have not hosted any international cricket since
the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore
in March 2009. Bangladesh twice backed away from touring for a short series in 2012 and a year later, citing security
fears. Ireland were due to play a short limited over series
in Pakistan last month, but terrorist attacks on Karachi
airport resulted in the tour being called off.
PCB chairman Khan said he had visited Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and India to lobby for a revival of cricket tours
to Pakistan. "I toured India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and
the response was very good," Khan told AFP.
"The aim of the exercise is to revive the Asian spirit and
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are ready to send their Under19 teams, women`s and `A` teams to Pakistan." Khan, a
former foreign secretary and a career diplomat, said the
process of bringing cricket back to Pakistan would be a
gradual one.
"The real objective is to slowly and gradually open the
doors for teams to come to Pakistan. I have had several
confirmations from Associate countries. "For me the day is
not far off and I will announce it when teams decide to
come," said Khan. Khan also said India had given assurances of playing six series in the next eight years,
commencing from December 2015. "I met Indian cricket
chief (Narayanaswami) Srinivasan in Dubai on Sunday and
he has said `come what may I am committed to the six
series` and he has his government`s approval," he said
In April this year Pakistan and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding to play six series -- four of which
to be hosted by Pakistan -- between 2015-2023. Pakistan
will host India for two Tests, three one-days and a
Twenty20 in December 2015, likley in United Arab Emirates. Khan said he has also requested former Indian spinner
Bishen Bedi to bring an Indian XI of retired players to play
an exhibition match in Pakistan. "Bedi came to see me and
he told me that he can bring an Indian XI for an exhibition
game, with retired players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul
Dravid to Pakistan and that too can help," said Khan. (AFP)
off to a confident start of 48
before Aaron Finch miscued
a drive and was caught at midoff for 18. Steve Smith added
an invaluable 54 for the second wicket with Warner as
Australia tried to consolidate
the innings. Warner hit spinner Zulfiqar Babar for six to
reach his ninth half-century
off 41 balls before he gave a
return catch to Afridi.
D Harika best woman in Poker Masters Chess
ISLE OF MAN (UK), Oct 13
Grandmaster and former world
junior champion D Harika was
adjudged the best woman player
after she settled for a draw with
Alon Mindlin of Israel in the
ninth and final round of Poker
Masters Isle of Man Chess
tournament that concluded here.
Harika knew that a draw
would be enough for the first
place and did not exert much
in the last game of the tournament. The Indian finished with
5.5 points -- enough to clinch
the top prize in the women's
category (2000 pounds).
Grandmaster Nigel Short of
England won the tournament
with an impressive victory
over overnight joint leader and
compatriot David Howell in
the final round.
Short came up with an excellent King side attack
leaving Howell's kingside in
tatters. The victory was worth
6000 Pounds for Short. Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet
Gupta could not reverse his
fortunes and had to split the
point with Jorden Van Foreest
of Holland. Gupta ended up in
12th place on 5.5 points.
Harika took the honours in
Women's section by going for
the sharp Ragozine defense as
black against Israel's Alon
Mindlin. Mindlin thought he
had some chances after he
stopped Harika from castling
but soon after trading of the
queens, it was clear that black's
position was impregnable.
When more exchanges became imminent the players
decided to share the point. The
game was over in a mere 22
moves. The second prize in
the women's section was
shared by Elisabeth Paehtz of
Germany and ELina L'Ami of
Romania who both finished
with five points apiece.
In the open section, Short
finished a full point ahead of
nearest contenders ending on
7.5 points in all. There was a
four way tie for the second
spot and the prizes were
equally shared by Sergei
Tiviakov of Holland, Laurent
Fressinet of France, Gil
Popilski of Israel and Howell
scored an identical 6.5 points.
Popilski held second seed
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of
France to a draw while
Tiviakov went for a quick
draw with Fressinet in other
top games of the final round.
Pietersen salutes Dravid in autobiography
File: Kevin Pieterson and Rahul Dravid
LONDON, Oct 12
Maverick England batsman
Kevin Pietersen struggled to get
along with coaches of his own
team most of his playing career
and his quest for a “genuine
guru” ended in faraway India
where, he says, former captain
Rahul Dravid made a lasting
impact on his technique.
In his autobiography ‘KP’
released this week, Pietersen
refers repeatedly to an e-mail
the Indian batting legend
wrote to him about playing
spinners which made a massive difference to him.
“Rahul was a great and
heroic Indian batsman in his
day. He is also a genius at
dealing with spin bowlers.
Our conversations and emails
were a private master class
from a genuine guru,”
Pietersen writes in the book.
“Rahul improved my
cricket and helped me develop the way I think about
the game. His generosity will
stay with me always.”
In the email quoted by
Pietersen, Dravid refers to
him as a “champ” and goes
on to give him a pep talk:
“KP, you are a really good
player, you need to watch the
ball and trust yourself...
Don’t let anyone tell you that
you can’t play spin, I have
seen you and you can!”
Pietersen wrote that he
often reads this particular
email and it beings a smile to
his face.
“My playing of spin has
gone up a number of levels
since I’ve spent time in the
IPL, and in particular, since
I’ve spoken to Rahul
Dravid...In England, batsmen
get taught to play with the
spin against spin bowlers. In
India, the best players of spin
get taught to play against it,”
he adds.
The South African-born
cricketer has created a stir
among the England cricket
establishment with claims of
bullying within the English
dressing room, led by the then
coach Andy Flower.
It has led to England captain Alastair Cook accusing
him of tarnishing a successful
era for the squad.
In his autobiography,
Pietersen is outspoken about
the unfriendliness of his
teammates and is all praise for
the Indian Premier League
(IPL) for the “adrenalin rush”
and bonding atmosphere.
“The IPL is the future... I
could talk about money and
the IPL all day to you, but for
the friendships alone I would
play for free,” says the Delhi
Daredevils player.
“I’ve built all my relationships with foreign cricketers
while in the IPL. That doesn’t
help in the England dressing
room... there are not many of
those friendships,” he adds.
Pietersen also claims the
general culture towards the
game of cricket is better in
the sub-continent and describes Indian players as “free
spirits” who truly love
cricket.
“There is a culture in India
that appreciates if you double
down and go for the big shot.
It’s a game of cricket, not
economics. Not life or death.
Take a risk. IPL crowds don’t
want to see you batting out
singles as you pick and
choose which balls to hit. Life
is too short,” he writes.
Pietersen’s England team
career effectively ended in
February this year when his
central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board
(ECB) was terminated.
In the book, he expresses
a desire to return to Test
cricket and says he would
“jump at the chance” to play
for England again.
But IPL is where he seems
to have found his true home:
“The IPL is professionalism
taken to its logical extreme.
All the bullshit and hypocrisy
have been turned off.” –– PTI
Bailey fell for nought
while Maxwell holed out off
Afridi for 20. Paceman Tanvir
then had Smith, who hit an
impressive 77, Phil Hughes
(five) and James Faulkner
(33) to finish with 3-40 in his
ten overs while Afridi finished with 2-44. Both teams
now play a two-match Test
series with the first starting in
Dubai from October 22.
SC refuses to
advance BCCI
AGM dates
NEW DELHI, Oct 13 : Supreme Court on Monday refused
to advance the dates of the BCCI's
Annual General Meeting
(AGM).
Aditya Verma of Cricket
Association of Bihar (CAB)
had filed a petition in the the
apex court against cricket's
governing body on grounds that
it flouted the BCCI constitution
by deferring the AGM by almost two months.
The CAB is also locked in
a legal battle against N
Srinivasan and the BCCI over
corruption charges in the IPL
2013. It is being widely speculated that Srinivasan, who is
now the President of the ICC,
wants to carry on as the BCCI
boss. The all-powerful working committee meeting of the
BCCI was held on September
26 to discuss about deferring
the AGM. After this meeting
in Chennai , the BCCI decided
to have the AGM on November 20. This was the second
occasion in the history of Indian cricket that an AGM has
been deferred. –– Agencies
Lewis Hamilton won the
inaugural Russian Formula
One Grand Prix and extended
his championship lead to 17
points on Sunday in a
Mercedes one-two that
clinched the team’s first
constructors’ title.
The Briton, who started
on pole position, chalked up
his fourth win in a row and
ninth of the season after
German team-mate Nico
Rosberg locked up at the
first corner and damaged his
tyres in a costly error.
With 100 points still to
be won from the final three
races, thanks to double
points in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton has 291 points to
Rosberg’s 274 with everything still to play for.
Hamilton, the 2008 champion, also became only the
fourth driver in F1 history
to win nine races in a single
season and equalled Nigel
Mansell’s British record of
31 career victories.
On a warm and sunny afternoon in the Black Sea
resort, Rosberg kept himself
firmly in contention with a
fine recovery drive from
20th place after his second
lap pitstop.
“Nico did a great job to
return from his mistake,”
said Hamilton. “To get the
first championship for
Mercedes Benz is amazing,
a beautiful day. “It’s very
cool to have won the first
race here.”
Finland’s Valtteri Bottas
finished third for Williams,
and set the fastest lap, in a
race watched by Russian
President Vladimir Putin at
a circuit snaking around
some of the landmark venues from this year’s Winter
Olympics.
Putin also presented the
trophies, in what Hamilton
described as a ‘kind of surreal’ moment, with the
drivers making sure he had
Lewis Hamilton reacts after winning Russian Grand Prix
left the podium before
spraying the champagne that
had lain virtually untouched
last weekend following
Jules Bianchi’s horrific accident in Japan.
The one-two was the
ninth of the season for
Mercedes, one shy of
McLaren’s 1988 record, and
formally ended Red Bull’s
run of four titles in a row.
Before the start, the 21
drivers had stood silently in
a circle on the starting grid
in a tribute to Bianchi, who
remains critically injured.
While Hamilton had an
easy afternoon on the track,
others remained haunted by
Suzuka. Marussia entered
only one car for the race,
keeping Bianchi’s in the
garage, with Britain’s Max
Chilton lasting just 10 laps
before returning to the pit
lane and retiring.
Rosberg, who started
alongside Hamilton on the
front row, got ahead of his
team mate at the start but
then locked up and went
wide, ‘flat spotting’ his front
tyres in the process.
“It was just a mistake on
my side...after that the tyres
were just square, vibrating
so much. I thought that was
it,” said the German.
After a change from the
soft to medium tyres, he rejoined with only Brazilian
Felipe Massa behind him in
the second Williams, asking
over the radio ‘what’s the
strategy now?’.
“We think we need to go
to the end on these,” came
the reply and Rosberg did
just that, making the tyres
last for the remaining 52
laps.
McLaren’s Jenson Button
finished fourth with Danish
team mate Kevin Magnussen
fifth. –– Agencies
Shastri, Gavaskar earn more
from BCCI than even Dhoni
File: Ravi Shastri (L), MS Dhoni (center) and Sunil Gavaskar (right)
NEW DELHI, Oct 13
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has
been leading the Indian team,
across all formats for quite
some time now. In fact, the the
Jharkhand-lad is arguably the
most successful Indian skipper
of all time as well.
But, former Indian skippers, Sunil Gavaskar and
Ravi Shastri earn more than
Dhoni as the paid-retainers
from the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI), the
autonomous body which runs
cricket in the country. At
least, the report in a leading
English daily suggested the
same.
The report says: With
added bonus of about Rs 2
crore for their new roles —
Shastri as Director Cricket
and Gavaskar as head of IPL
operations — the two will be
getting around Rs 6 crore each
annually.
The two already had a Rs
4 crore per year contract as
BCCI-endorsed commentators, which means they are on
air for all of India’s international matches.
The report further stated:
In contrast, Dhoni, in the last
12 months, has got Rs 2.59
crore for playing 35 international matches for India
across all formats. That includes match fees as well as
his Rs 1 crore retainer fee.
Interestingly, even after not
being among the highest-paid
retainers of the BCCI, Dhoni
holds the fifth spot in the
Forbes list of most valuable
athlete brands. –– Agencies