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The Sunday Times of , New Delhi, January 11, 2004 No honeymoon Temperamental Jens Laila’s gesture Ending all speculations, South Africa Jens Lehmann is in danger. Not Laila Ali will fight Guyanese boxer paceman Andre Nel will marry from a rival striker but from FA. The Gwendolyn O’Neil in Abuja for a sweetheart Deanne Weitz after the 2nd temperamental German was charged charity combatting AIDS and day’s play in the 4th Test against West with misconduct by FA for throwing human trafficking. It will be her Indies coming Saturday. Of course, Nel the ball at Southampton striker Kevin first fight since she defended the will be back for the Test the next day Phillips. Now he waits for the verdict IBA super middleweight title Tomba Singh declared AIFF Player of the Year

BRIEFLY hoping against hope SPORT Sourav is ’s AFP By Bobbilli Vijay Kumar time around, Australia were the all- TIMES NEWS NETWORK VB SERIES conquering champions; that superi- or ring has been dented if not busted Sydney: Don’t blame Zimbabwe if bout. ‘‘We are not here to make the over the last two months. they want to start off with a com- numbers here,’’ he had said, shortly next Marvel Zimbabwe watched the opening plaint before they take on Australia after losing to Australia A. On Sat- game of the VB series very closely in a day-nighter here on Sunday urday, shortly after a net session at India, from series to series, have had and learnt a couple of well-estab- THE SPORTING LIFE evening. the Sydney Cricket Ground, he de- just one, which is not enough to win lished paradigms. Australia showed They have virtually been ignored clared his mission: ‘‘We will try to Ayaz Memon consistently. as the hosts and India added one make the finals.’’ Nobody laughed. that you are never out of the game. But it is Ganguly’s remarkably var- Saurav Ganguly could chapter after another to their grow- But Streak was quick enough to One just has to create pressure and ied experiences as captain which, I be- well usurp Ricky ing rivalry over the last month. The sense the mood and conceded that it allow the other team to take care of lieve, gives him an edge over Ponting. Ponting’s status as only time they hit the headlines was won’t be easy.‘‘It will be a great chal- the rest. But then, they are not play- The Australians are unused to crisis. ’s succes- when their bowlers got thrashed or lenge as both the teams are in very ing India tomorrow. As the last series showed, they are sor. I mean this, of good form, especially with the bat,’’ Australia were so thrilled with prone to error (or panic) because they their batsmen got bamboozled by course, to be the man he conceded. their unexpected victory that they have been pretty much one-dimen- Australia’s second string. who will lead the best ‘‘We will have to bat consistently, were again brimming with confi- sional simply because there has been But captain Heath Streak will cricket side in the converting the 20s and 30s into big dence. Their sagging spirits and little opposition to them. Ponting has probably offer only a smile if cor- world in the next few years. 80s and 100s. We will also have to drooping bodies have lifted and they to live with that legacy for some while. nered about the step-motherly treat- Waugh’s departure leaves a void bowl to the best of our ability. We quickly jumped into the swimming Ganguly got the captaincy in the ment: quite a few of his mates, if not which most people expect Ponting to know that we can bowl out sides, or pool on arrival here and played some wake of the match-fixing controversy, he himself, understand what that fill by natural inheritance. But if Gan- at least contain them within reach.’’ naughty games inside. which was a sordid time in Indian means. ’s presence will guly builds aggressively on the gains They will be hoping to play simi- cricket. He has to fight many ghosts, ensure that even at the height of in- He was obviously being more made in the recent Test series, and his lar games in the middle too. and many insecurities. In the process, tense competition, they will not for- hopeful than optimistic. His inner experience, Australia may well have to Matthew Hayden, who had shown he has made silly mistakes and he has get their strife-torn country and suf- thoughts burst forth when he con- settle for second best. signs of self-destruction during the taken sensational decisions. He has fering compatriots. ceded that it was nice not to be under Over four eventful years, Ganguly current series, will be dreaming seen defeat, victory, controversy, Streak realises that he and his any pressure to win. ‘‘We are here to has been successful in re-establishing everything that can temper and sea- team have been caught in a kind of a enjoy the game and play it in the about the 400 that he had almost the credibility of Indian cricket. He son a player and man. If he has learnt whirlpool: they might produce a cou- right spirit. If we can pull off a cou- touched late last year. Adam has picked and nurtured youngsters Venus Williams of USA raises the trophy his lessons, he now not only has con- ple of stunning performances or ple of wins it will be a great achieve- Gilchrist too would aim to get a few without parochial considerations after she beating Russia's Maria siderable talent at his disposal, but Sharapova in a friendly match in Hong even anchor one or two upsets but in ment for the country.’’ runs while the One-day specialists which overturned a culture that exist- also wisdom. Kong on Saturday. Venus won 7-5, 6-3. the end the world’s two top One-day At least, they are in a much better have already started singing and ed for more than seven decades. He has India may have failed to beat Aus- teams will square off for another position during this visit. The last dancing. had differences with his peers, but has tralia in the Test series, but indicated not allowed that to obscure his vision. Rayudu to lead: Talented batsman Am- strongly that they are ripe to take over, He has gradually, it seems, accepted bati Rayudu of Hyderabad will lead the lacking just that little bit of luck and Fleming’s ton puts Kiwis ahead Bhandari flown in to his own limitations. More importantly, 14-member Indian cricket team in the un- that wee bit of ruthlessness to clinch he has radically influenced the mental der-19 World Cup to be held in Wellington: New Zealand cricket stand of 71 with Craig McMillan for the final Test and the rubber. That approach of the players — from pusil- Bangladesh from February 9-17. Tamil captain produced the fourth. strengthen attack good fortune is best friends with great lanimity to derring-do. Notch-by- Nadu’s will be Rayudu’s an unbeaten century to lead his team : Y Hameed c Styris b Oram 44, I teams is a truism that every sportsper- Kolkata: Medium pacer Amit Bhan- notch, all these have contributed in deputy while former Indian all-rounder to a seven- win over Pakistan Farhat c McCullum b Mills 17, S Elahi c Flem- son acknowledges, so Ganguly should dari is being flown to Australia to making the current side arguably In- will be the coach, BCCI joint and a 2-1 lead in their five-match ing b Styris 80,Y Youhana run out 36, Inzamam- not worry too much about luck. In- strengthen the bowling attack of the dia’s best ever, at least where results secretary Prof Ratnakar Shetty, said. One-day series here on Saturday. ul Haq c McCullum b Tuffey 0, Shoaib Malik c stead, he should focus on whipping up The team: Ambati Rayudu (capt-Hyderabad), Fleming b Tuffey 0, M Khan c Mills b Styris 10, Indian team in the ongoing triangu- are concerned. Fleming, who finished 115 , an obsessive desire to win in his play- Robin Uttappa, Gaurav Dhiman (both from Kar- A Razzaq not out 50, A Mahmood run out 11, S struck the winning runs from the lar One-day cricket series. The deci- Man for man, India look to be as ers. nataka), Praful Waghela (Mumbai), Faiz Fazal second ball of the 47th over as New Akhtar run out 2, M Sami not out 0. Extras (lb 2, sion to send Bhandari to Australia w 2, nb 1): 5. Total (for 9 wkts, 50 overs): 255. good as Australia today.The core team Only such desire could have made a (Vidharbha), , Abhishek Sharma Zealand, reached 259-3, overhauling was taken after a request was re- (both from Delhi), , Praveen Gupta, R Fall of : 1-50, 2-72, 3-144, 4-144, 5- is well settled. There is no really ‘old’ difference in the last Test, as indeed in Pakistan’s total of 255-9. The century ceived from the Indian team man- P Singh (all three from Uttar Pradesh), Dinesh 152, 6-186, 7-190, 8-234, 9-247. Bowling: player in the side, so continuity is as- the first One-dayer at the MCG on Fri- agement in Australia, the BCCI said Karthik (vice-captain, Tamil Nadu), V R V Singh was Fleming’s fifth in 210 One-day Tuffey 10-2-45-2, Mills 10-0-58-1, Oram 10-0- sured. The has as much depth day.This was not the first time that In- (Punjab), Sunny Singh (Haryana), Nikhil Rathod matches and came from only 125 48-1, Cairns 9-0-54-0, Vettori 8-0-34-0, Styris in a statement. Bhandari was select- as the Australians, can score as rapid- dia have lost a match they should have (Saurashtra). Coach: Robin Singh. balls, embracing a record partner- 3-0-14-2. ed by the members of the senior na- ly,but critically,also defend if need be. won, and it is not the first time that ship of 148 with Hamish Marshall for New Zealand: C Cumming c Hameed b Sami 3, tional selection committee, follow- The fielding has almost ‘caught’ up Australia have won a match everybody Hockey tourney: Teams from Pakistan the second wicket and an unbroken S Fleming not out 115, H Marshall c Sami b Ma- ing a telephonic discussion, after with the dynamic Aussies and South thought they had lost. and Bangladesh would participate in the lik 64, S Styris b Akhtar 20, C McMillan not out the Cricket Board advised the com- Africans. Both sides need a couple of To bridge that small but crucial gap MORE ON OUR WEBSITE DCM Sriram All India Hockey Tournament 35. Extras (lb 14, w-5, nb-3) 22. Total (for 3 mittee headed by to match-winning bowlers, which should is perhaps the biggest challenge of in Kota from January 17. The tournament, ODI Tri-Series wkts, 46.2 overs) 259. Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2- pick up a pace bowler following re- be Ganguly’s most urgent quest. All Ganguly’s career. He is clearly the to be played on a knock-out basis, would 158, 3-188. Bowling: Akhtar 10-0-43-1, Sami quest from the indian Team, the great sides in the history of the game man of the hour. He could also be In- Complete Coverage 10-0-67-1, Mahmood 10-0-43-0, Razzaq 8-0- feature 17 teams, including defending statement said. PTI have had at least three strike bowlers. dian cricket’s man of destiny. champions Central Reserve Police Force, visit www.timesofindia.com 47-0, Malik 8-0-40-1, Farhat 0.2-0-5-0. AFP runners-up Punjab and Sind Bank and AFP other top Indian institutions. to lead: will lead North Zone Delhi in the Deodhar Trophy cricket tournament, a DDCA press release informed on Saturday. North play their first match against East Zone in Cuttack on January 19. Delhi squad: Ajay Jadeja (captain), Dinesh Mon- gia (vice-captain), , Mithun Man- has, Akash Chopra, Ajay Ratra, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Sharandeep Singh, Amit Uniyal, Rahul Sanghvi, Amit Bhandari, Sanjay Gill, Pankaj Dhar- mani, Gagandeep Singh, Amit Mishra. Manager: Gyaneshwar Prasad. Owens retires: Women’s squash No.1 Carol Owens announced her retirement from professional play on Friday only weeks after winning the World Open for the second time. Australian-born Owens, 32, has left open the possibility she may still play for New Zealand at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Railways excel: Railway’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams sailed into the final of the Winter Bridge Nationals for the Ruia Gold Cup. Holders Railway ‘B’ team beat J P Gone- ka while the‘’A’ side overcame Trarnbak Rubber team. In the first session, the ‘B’ team took a commanding lead of 40 IMPs New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming plays a leg glance during his unbeaten at 44-4 and added 24 IMPs in the second 115 as Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan looks on in the third One-day international at Christchurch on Saturday session at 40-16. In the third session, they lost 8 IMPs at 21-29 and the last session got a lead of 34-31. FIFA WOMEN RANKINGS Indians clueless about Football Rank Country Points 1 Germany 2201 ground fielding, running 2 USA 2162 3 Norway 2133 By Allan Border tal of 288, they would have taken it. 4 Sweden 2097 It is obvious Clarke is coming of ricket is about momentum 5 China PR 2064 age. He could be the next superstar of and confidence which wins 6 Brazil 2042 Australian cricket. He has estab- generate. Australians have 7 Korea DPR 1994 C lished himself in one-day arena for started to roll and they would be that 8 Denmark 1981 sure and would be wanting to take 9 France 1968 much more difficult for the opposi- the next obvious step and aim for 157 India 1436 tion from now on. India have an ex- . His batting was out- cellent batting line-up and some source: www.fifa.com standing, he plucked four catches promising youngsters but need to and his ground fielding was sensa- BETTING METER carry the hard edge which takes them over the finish line. tional. He has been a vital cog in Aus- TENNIS I suppose the day-night game at the tralia’s wheels lately,is a brilliant lad Wimbledon 2004 (Men) Melbourne Cricket Ground had a bit and one who inspires high hopes. R Federer 2/1; A Roddick 5/2; of everything. Some excellent and I guess from the Indian point of L Hewitt 8/1; T Henman 10/1; some very poor cricket was witnessed view the dismissal of Sourav Gangu- M Philippoussis 12/1; A Agassi 14/1; from two teams who have come hard ly would be hard to digest. The Indian D Nalbandian 20/1; C Ferrero 33/1; at each other throughout the summer. captain was in brilliant form under M Safin 33/1; T Dent 33/1; lights and just the way he paced his G Rusedski 40/1. I thought Indian catching was brilliant but their ground fielding innings was fantastic. His run-out as per ladbrokes.com was terrible. I wish anyone has an was terrible news for Indian chase. TODAY’S ACTION answer to this curious situation. In- It is generally accepted that if both dians seemed so sure about their the partners go quickly for the other NATIONAL end, the chances of a run-out are min- Cricket: Football: NFL (various venues). movement whenever the catch was hit in the air but it came to stopping imal. It only happens when there is INTERNATIONAL the ball cleanly and intercepting it, hesitation. The new player must take Hockey: Azlan Shah Cup (Kuala Lumpur): India vs they were an eyesore. the blame for he was unsure of his re- Malaysia (3.00 pm); Pakistan vs Spain (5.00 pm). sponse or aware it was his captain — Live on Ten Sports. Australians too must be upset at who was key to his team’s fortunes. Tennis: Tata Open () - Live on Star Sports the way they went about their in- 5.00 pm. nings. Andrew Symonds and The way Sourav left the field must Football: English Premier League: Leicester City Michael Clarke were absolutely bril- have been frightening for his part- vs Chelsea (7.25 pm); Manchester United vs New- liant in reviving the innings but ner. That he followed it soon after castle United (9.30 pm); Spanish League (2.00 am they committed the terrible crime of meant he still would have caught his Monday) — Live on ESPN. one-day cricket by not batting captain in a foul mood. With every Cricket: VB Series: Australia vs Zimbabwe (Syd- through the overs. If they had kept wicket knocked down, the Indian ney): (8.45 am live on ESPN). their head, a total in excess of 300 dressing room would not have been Chess: Commonwealth championship (Mumbai). was a certainty. Still at the start of quite the home for the young man the day if Australia were given a to- who has just flown in from India. PTI

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