The Island, Monday 30th October, 2006 Impressive Australia overwhelm India MOHALI, India (AP) - World cham- Both Australia and the West Indies fin- pion Australia registered a runaway six- ished with four points from two victo- victory over India to secure ries in their three games, but Australia entry into the semifinals of the limited- topped the group standings on the back overs Champions Trophy on Sunday. of a superior run-rate. Damien Martyn, skipper Ricky In the semifinals, Australia will play Ponting and opener Shane Watson New Zealand on Wednesday in Mohali slammed half-centuries as Australia and the West Indies will take on South sprinted to 252 for four from 44.5 overs Africa on Thursday in Jaipur. in reply to India’s 249 for eight in 50. Openers Watson (50) and Adam Australia’s victory clinched its spot Gilchrist (23) hammered 61 from 53 in the semifinals from Group A, joining deliveries to launch the Australian defending champion the West Indies. assault, whose ferocity left the Indian

Scoreboard

India Australia (L), who top scored (65) for India yesterday, walks out to pavilion as Australia’s Andrew Symonds (2-LL) and Adam Gilchrist V. Sehwag lbw b Johnson 65 A. Gilchrist c Raina b Sreesanth 23 (R) congratulates the left-aarm ‘pacie’ Mitchel Johnson (partly hidden) who got the wicket of Sehwag. Australia beat India by six in S. Tendulkar c Gilchrist b McGrath 10 S. Watson lbw b Mongia 50 Mohali. Australia will play New Zealand in the semi-ffinal while South Africa will take on the West Indies. R. Ponting c Tendulkar b Sreesanth 58 D. Mongia c Hussey b Watson 18 (AP /Bikas Das) R. Dravid c Clarke b Lee 52 D. Martyn not out 73 A. Symonds b Pathan 20 b Lee 30 M. Clarke not out 2 pace bowlers stunned. from 259 matches. He has also scored 20 century from 160 one-day internation- M. Dhoni lbw b Bracken 28 Extras: (8lb, 18w) 26 Allrounder Watson continued the centuries. als. S. Raina c Watson b Bracken 13 TOTAL: (for 4 wickets) 252 run spree after Gilchrist’s dismissal, Martyn made India pay dearly for Dravid hit six boundaries off 63 balls Irfan Pathan c Martyn b McGrath 10 Overs: 45.4. Batting time: 201 minutes. reinforcing the experiment to promote his two dropped catches, going on to hit in his 72nd half-century in 300 one-day- not out 5 Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-111, 3-185, 4-230. Extras: (5lb, 4nb, 9w) 18 Did not bat: M. Hussey, B. Lee, M. him as an opener. His 46-ball knock fea- his 37th half-century in 206 one-dayers. ers, but India could not accelerate the TOTAL: (for 8 wickets) 249 Johnson, N. tured eight boundaries. His unconquered 104-ball knock includ- scoring after the ’s fall. Overs: 50. Batting time: 232 minutes. Bracken, G. McGrath. Martyn (73 not out) and Ponting (58) ed eight hits to the fence. Struggling in one-dayers for more Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-89, 3-126, 4-186, Bowling: Pathan 7-0-42-1 (3w), Patel 8.4- consolidated Australia through an Electing to bat first, India could only than a year, Sehwag was tentative at the 5-197, 6-224, 7-239, 8-249. 0-61-0 (7w), Sreesanth 8-1-43-2 (3w), authoritative 74-run partnership for the muster a modest score despite half-cen- start as he edged most of the shots. Harbhajan 10-0-49-0 (3w), Mongia 9-0-36-1 Did not bat: S. Sreesanth, M. Patel. third wicket before Ponting was turies by opener Virender Sehwag (65) Benefiting from a dropped catch on 10 (2w), Sehwag 3-0-13-0. Bowling: Lee 10-1-54-2 (3nb, 1w), Result: Australia won by six wickets. snapped by off pace and skipper (52). by Michael Clarke at point, Sehwag McGrath 10-1-34-2, Bracken 10-2-56-2 Toss: India. bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth. Sehwag provided the early flourish, went on to dominate the partnerships (1w), Johnson 8-0-33-1 (1nb), Watson 9-0- Umpires: S. Bucknor (WI) and B. Bowden Ponting hammered eight boundaries hitting nine boundaries off 90 balls as with Tendulkar (10) and Dinesh Mongia 48-1 (7w), Symonds 3-0-19-0. (NZ) off 69 balls to post his 54th half-century he struck form and posted his 24th half- (18).

Women’s Athletic Blatter apologizes to Australian soccer Championships Like father like son fans over World Cup refereeing by Revata S. Silva c’ship widely regarded the most impor- Mithun Perera, the 19-year-old son of tant annual club competition in the Oldest National SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - FIFA presi- were up to beat Italy ... you go into extra former Sri Lanka champion golfer island. dent Sepp Blatter has apologized to time and you are 11 against 10. But that is Nandasena Perera, won the annual Hettiaratchi lost to Mithun (7/6) in a Australian soccer fans for the country’s presumptuous.” ‘Royal Colombo Golf Club C’ship – 2006’ pre-quarterfinal meeting, and Sidath’s record shattered second-round loss at the World Cup, say- Football Federation Australia chief yesterday beating Rusi Captain with a 7- son, Sanjay, too played and reached last Priyanga Madumanthi, ing Australia deserved to beat eventual executive John O’Neill said he accepted into-5 result in the final. 16 in the 20-player draw. Sidath met women’s high jumper from champions Italy. Blatter’s apology, but added it was proba- It was a repeat of the feat by the Captain in a top-half pre-quarterfinal Kurunegala, broke the longest Australia was eliminated after Italy bly said for Australian consumption only. President’s College, Kotte, schoolboy. He and lost 6/8 as torrential Colombo rains standing athletic national record was awarded a penalty in the final sec- “It’s well after the event,” said O’Neill. first won this prestigious title in 2004 did havoc disrupting proceedings yesterday at the Women’s onds - Fabian Grosso went down in the “The position he’s stated is what all of before finishing second last year. His throughout the last two weekends where Athletics Championships held at penalty area under pressure from Australian football fans felt at the time. father Nandasena, 51 now, earned an the event was conducted. the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo. Socceroos defender Lucas Neill. It’s now four months after the tourna- inimitable recognition in the sport with Results: Former athletic fame Sriyani Spanish referee Luis Medina pointed ment. It’s a nice gesture, but it doesn’t his Asian silver medal, won in Beijing, Semi-finals [Shifted from Sat. (28) to Kulawansa’s 15-year-old high jump to the penalty spot and Francesco Totti change the result.” China in ’90, while clinching this RCGC Sun. (29) due to rain]- Rusi Captain bt. record of 1.75m, set in 1991, was scored to give Italy, which had been Blatter said the standard of refereeing title for three years during the late ’80s. Stewart Ritchie 4-3 upstaged by Madumanthi yester- reduced to 10 men, a 1-0 win. at the World Cup was not as high as he Significantly, former SL national Mithun Perera bt. Binupa day jumping a 1.76m height, bet- “I would like to apologize to our foot- would have liked. cricketers, Sidath Wettimuny and Wijesinghe 3-2 Final - M. Perera bt. R. tering it by a very thin margin. ball fans in Australia,” “I said at the referees’ committee after Nirmal Hettiaratchi, participated in the Captain 7-5. Madumanthi who recently set a Blatter said in an interview Sunday on the World Cup, when compared to the per- record in the National Youth SBS Television. formance of 2002, you have improved, but Games in the same event is not in “The Socceroos should have gone into in my opinion not enough,” he said. “I the Sri Lanka team for the forth- the quarterfinals in place of Italy. They think the referees were not at their best.” coming athletic Asiad. Ferrari offer Schumacher new role Derwin Perera, SL Amateur Ferrari want seven-times world role inside Ferrari yet,” said the 37-year- Athletics Association head told champion Michael Schumacher to assist old German. “The Island” yesterday that new team boss Jean Todt. “I will take a break in the coming Madumanthi’s recent form might Sharapova beats Petrova to “Michael will be a super assistant to months and then I will be more clear earn her a place in the Asian Jean Todt,” Ferrari president Luca di about what I want to do. Games team. Meanwhile, win Generali Ladies Montezemolo said at Monza on Sunday. “Ferrari have left me free to decide Tharanga Vinodini and Dulanjali But Schumacher, who retired after and have given me the time that I need to Ranasinghe, who have had a best LINZ, Austria (AP) - Maria Sharapova lost her serve. performance of 1.73m apiece, are won her fifth title of the season Sunday, The top-seeded Russian then saved last week’s Brazilian Grand Prix, has make up my mind,” the German added. the women’s high jumpers in the beating defending champion Nadia two set points and later held serve and yet to decide on any future role at the Ferrari are in the process of rebuild- present Asian Games team. “None Petrova 7-5, 6-2 in the final of the broke Petrova before serving out the set. team. ing their team following the departures of them won’t lose their position,” Generali Ladies. “I started very well, but got a bit tired “I can’t say anything precise about of technical director Ross Brawn and Perera added. (Champika) Sharapova, who is 15-4 in finals, has towards the end of the first set,” what I will do - I don’t want to define my engine supremo Paolo Martinelli. won 16 straight matches, including the Sharapova said. “Saving the two set U.S. Open and the Zurich Open finals. points gave me a huge boost. I always She pulled out of the Kremlin Cup prior play my best tennis when under pres- to the quarterfinals. sure.” National water polo finals on Friday With the win, Sharapova will take In the first game of the second set, over second place in the WTA rankings Petrova lost serve again. She then had by Dayawansa Withanachchi S. Thomas’ College won the consola- behind Amelie Mauresmo. She needs to few chances against Sharapova’s strong tion final while Bishop’s College win the season-ending WTA serve. Championship in Madrid, Spain, to fin- “I am so disappointed,” Petrova said. Sri Lanka Air Force and MAS quali- secured the third place in the women’s ish the year with the top ranking. “I really got my chances in the first set. fied for the finals of the National Water category. “It is my dream to end the year on the But after missing them, I just did not polo Championship that’ll be worked off Preliminary round events of the No. 1 spot again,” Sharapova said. play up to my usual standards any- on Friday at the Sugathadasa National Diving and Water polo champi- Sharapova dominated from the start more.” Swimming pool in Colombo. Vishaka onships were worked off yesterday. The Sunday and broke Petrova in the first Petrova, who won her first career College will take on Bishop’s College in Diving and Synchronised Swimming game, but at 4-3 she double-faulted and title in Linz last year, is 12-6 in finals. the women’s final. events will start on Thursday.

Monday 30th October, 2006