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ZABARWAN TIMES
Agencies
MONDAY OCTOBER | 14 | 2013
Australia rout India by 72 runs to take 1-0 lead
NEW DELHI: Australia crushed India by 72 runs to win the first one-day international at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the seven-match series. Scorecard India were staring down the barrel after losing Ravindra Jadeja and captain MS Dhoni in successive overs. Clint McKay bowled Dhoni with a beauty of a delivery in the over before Australian captain George Bailey took a good diving catch at mid-off to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja off James Faulkner. Shane Watson trapped Virat Kohli plumb in front of the wicket to reduce India to 166/5. Kohli hit 6 fours in his 85-ball 61 before playing across to a delivery that missed his bat and thudded into his pads. Kohli reached his 25th halfcentury after James Faulkner and Mitchell Johnson dismissed Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh respectively in successive overs. Kohli reached his half-century off 64 balls. Yuvraj got off the mark with
a superb six over mid-wicket off Faulkner but in the next over Johnson pushed him back with a couple of short deliveries and then bowled a good length delivery that took the edge off Yuvraj’s bat safely into the hands of Phil Hughes. Raina tried to hit over long-on but got an edge that went to third man where Xavier Doherty took a low good catch. Raina smashed a six and two fours in his 45-ball 39. Batting cautiously, Kohli and Raina brought up India’s 100 in the 22nd over and their 50-run stand off 63 balls. Shane Watson gave Australia the second breakthrough when he had the well-set Rohit Sharma caught behind by part-time wicket-keeper Phil Hughes. Rohit hit six fours in his 47-ball 42 before
falling to Watson. Hughes is keeping wickets for Australia as Bard Haddin is off the field after being accidentally poked in the eye by James Faulkner, who gave Australia an early breakthrough when he had Shikhar Dhawan caught behind by Haddin in the seventh over. Chasing a 305-run target, Indian openers Dhawan and Rohit could manage to score just 15 runs in the first five overs. Earlier, gritty half-centuries by Aaron Finch and captain George Bailey and big hitting by James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson and Clint McKay in the slog overs powered Australia to 304/8. Bailey was ably aided by Maxwell who came in during the batting powerplay and smashed the Indian bowlers to all corners to get the innings going at good pace once again. The finishing touches were provided by Faulkner and subsequently by McKay in the final over as he took the score past 300. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers while Yuvraj picked up two crucial wickets. The Indian pacers were scratched away for runs. A good wicket to bat on is what
Opener Aaron Finch struck his second successive half-century of the tour while captain George Bailey scored a fine 85 as
the Australian side made mincemeat of the insipid Indian bowling attack to pile on a huge 304 for eight in the first ODI in Pune on Sunday.Finch, who helped the visitors make an imposing 200-plus total at Rajkot in the tour-opening one-off T20 International, was again in attacking form with a well-made 72 off 79 balls with eight fours and three sixes after Australia opted to bat.
Finch and fellow opener Phil Hughes (47) got Australia off to a solid start with 110run opening stand before India fought back through their left-arm spin twins Ravindra Jadeja (1 for 35) and Yuvraj Singh (2 for 34). Thereafter Bailey, who made a duck in the T20 game that Australia lost by four wickets, kept the innings together with a superbly paced 82-ball knock, studded with 10 fours before he was caught at deep mid wicket off Ravichandran Ashwin.James Faulkner (27 off 22 balls) struck breezily towards the end to help the visitors cross the 300-mark after a mid-innings stutThe Indian bowlers, barring Jadeja and Yuvraj, looked off colour, particularly Ishant Sharma (1 for 56), who gave away lot of runs for a late wicket. Even the ground fielding left a lot to be desired.Ashwin started poorly before making it up with two late wickets, including that of Bailey. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0 for 41) and Vinay Kumar (1 for 68) proved too expensive on a good batting track. Australia, who set the hosts a target at an asking rate of 6.1, made a very cautious start, with openers Finch and Hugues preferring to adopt the wait and watch policy in the first few overs before opening out.
Agencies
Australia had at their disposal and they have made the most of it by posting a 300-plus score. A very good start was provided by Finch and Hughes who put on a century stand for the first wicket. There was a slight slide in the middle overs but skipper Bailey held up one end and knocked himself away to a wellknit 85. McKay hit a six and a four in the last over bowled by Ishant Sharma who dismissed Faulkner (27) by having him caught by Vinay Kumar in the covers. Johnson smashed two consecutive fours off the penultimate over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Vinay Kumar conceded 16 runs in the 48th over with Faulkner hitting two consecutive sixes. Ravichandran Ashwin had Australian captain George Bailey caught by Suresh Raina at deep mid-wicket to reduce Australia to 264/7. Bailey struck ten fours in his 82ball 85 before falling to Ashwin. Glenn Maxwell smashed three sixes and a four in his 23-ball 31 before Vinay Kumar had him caught by Rohit Sharma in the covers. Ashwin struck next when he trapped Brad Haddin plumb in front of the wicket.
Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services & Sports, Mr. Taj Mohi ud Din today asked children to come out of the environment of inferiority and face their competitors elsewhere with confidence, grace and hard
sense of competition at national and international levels. The Minister appealed youth to explore possibilities in education and employment outside state and country and bring laurels to their families and the State alike. He said there is abundance
work. Addressing an award distribution ceremony here today, the Minister said time and again it has been proven that the State has a human capital second to none. But, he said, the only problem with it is that it lacks exposure and
of talent among youth of the State and they should display it at national and international level. He suggested changes in the educational system to hone the skills and talent of youth. In his address, Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Gh-
ulam Hassan Mir stressed the need for quality education while chasing the target of universalisation of education. He also suggested changes in education policy so that the best among the lost is promoted who can deliver in the field on national and international level. Mr. Mir asked children to adopt the culture of hardwork and prepare themselves to meet the challenges of future. He said we should strive to achieve best in all spheres of life while retaining the core of our values, principles and ideas. Director, RMSA & Local Bodies, Mr. Hilal Parray, Deputy Commissioner, Shopian, Mr. Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Director, Business & IT Schools, Kashmir University, Prof. S. M. Mufeed, Director, Libraries, Mr. Atta ur Rehman Natnoo, noted educationist, Prof. A. G. Madhosh also addressed the gathering.
Ivan Dodig-Marcelo Melo win Shanghai Masters title
Bailey, Finch lead Aussies to huge total Agencies
Taj, Mir ask children to be competitive, hard working to face future challenges
Agencies The Croatian-Brazilian team earned $226,000 and 1,000 ATP ranking points for their victory in one hour and 44 minutes and moved up to third position in the ATP doubles rankings. Marcelo Melo of Brazil and Ivan Dodig of Croatia pose for photographers after defeating David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain during the doubles final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center in Shanghai, China. Marcelo Melo of Brazil and Ivan Dodig of Croatia pose for photographers after defeating David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco of Spain during the doubles final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center in Shang-
hai, China. - Getty Images Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo improved their chances of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time by capturing the Shanghai Rolex Masters title in Shanghai on Sunday. The fifth seeds defeated eighth-seeded Spaniards and fellow London contenders David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 10-2 in a thrilling final for their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown that was also their first team title, reports Xinhua. The Croatian-Brazilian team earned $226,000 and 1,000 ATP ranking points for their victory in one hour and 44 minutes and moved up to third position in the ATP doubles rankings.
Marrero and Verdasco failed to convert four break point opportunities in the first set which lasted 45 minutes. Dodig and Melo won the first six points in the tiebreak with Dodig producing some excellent returns. The duo won 79 per cent of their first service points. In the second set, Verdasco saved a deciding deuce point at 2-2 with a powerful forehand volley winner and Marrero withstood mounting pressure two games later with clutch serving at 30-30 and 40-30. Playing with greater aggression, Marrero and Verdasco won the first five points in the tiebreak. The duo squandered three set point opportunities from 6-3 including Marrero’s failure to clinch the set when serving at 6-5. On their fourth set point at 7-6, Verdasco struck a backhand return winner to earn a super tiebreak. The second set lasted 47 minutes.Dodig and Melo played with confidence in the super tiebreak by mixing up their service placement and getting each return back into play.
SLC spends staggering Rs. 15m per month on coaching Agencies Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) The Nation learns is spending around a staggering 15 million rupees per month paying the salaries of 42 personnel working in their Coaching Department. But the big question is whether all that amount of money paid has brought any dividends and the expected returns.Since the advent of spinner Ajantha Mendis to the international cricket arena the coaches have failed to produce any national cricketer of international repute. Mendis burst into the scene five years ago and was dubbed mystery spinner when he started bemusing the best batsmen in the world with his five varieties of bowling that included the ‘carrom ball’ flicked with his middle finger. Over time with the amount of technology available today batsmen were soon able to sort him out especially the ones in the subcontinent and play him with ease. However he still remains a mystery spinner to the rest of the world who don’t face him that often.
Sri Lanka’s top paid coach is former fast bowler Chaminda Vaas who was appointed as the fast bowling head coach seven months drawing a salary of over Rs. six lakhs. National batting coach and a former team mate of Vaas, Marvan Atapattu is paid Rs five lakhs while Champaka Ramanayake, the former fast bowling coach is paid Rs 435,000 and Jerome Jayaratne the head of the coaching department Rs. 350,000. Recently ten of the employees attached to the Coaching Department had their salaries revised with an increase of upto Rs. 60,000 starting from Rs. 20,000. Coaching department sources state that with the SLC struggling to make ends meet whether such a large fleet of staff is required to run the day to day affairs of one section. SLC has today been turned into a political corporate body where they have to accommodate individuals with no proper coaching qualifications and also increase the salaries on recommendations of those with politi-
cal connections.The sad thing is that nobody cares where the hard earned money brought by our national cricketers goes. The bottom line is ‘the more the merrier’ and the cricket bandwagon rolls on. One glaring example of waste is the Rs.
New Delhi: BCCI President N Srinivasan has rejected accusations that the
Indian Cricket Board censors commentators employed by it, insisting that it does not “interfere with the freedom of the press”. “We don’t censor commentators. This word cen-
sorship is incorrect. BCCI doesn’t tell the commentator you say this, you cannot say this and things like that,” Srinivasan told ESPN Cricinfo. A controversy was triggered recently when former Australian captain Ian Chappell refused to take up a commentary assignment in India after being presented with a set of dos and donts. Srinivasan refused to be drawn into that matter, saying Chappell was not employed by the BCCI. “What has he said? Ian Chappell is not employed by us. We have never said anything to him. We are talking about people employed by us. BCCI doesn’t tell the
commentator anything,” he said. “BCCI in no way interferes with the freedom of the press. But, a commentator should be a commentator, and a journalist should be a journalist,” Srinivasan asserted. Asked why the BCCI ventured into TV production, Srinivasan said, “Television production was disorganised. It wasn’t professional. There were lots of freelancers involved, the production house was not coordinating things. “We wanted to make it systematic and we wanted the domestic cricket covered professionally so that we can monitor performances, evaluate umpires,” he added.
utilized properly. The Nation learns that some of the coaches employed in that department are not dedicated in their work and are more interested in playing games on their laptops and passing their time rather than go out to the provinces and hunt for potential cricketers.An inside source stated that the coaching department needs to undergo a major rehaul and a member of the SLC executive committee with a cricketing background should oversee it because for all the money that is being spent on the coaches and support staff is not being properly utilized.Sri Lanka cricket today finds itself in a dilemma with no quality cricketers coming through the system to supplement the national team. Sri Lanka is today struggling to find proper replacements for middle order batsman Thilan Samaraweera and opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan because of the paucity of Test cricketers produced.If this trend continues very soon Sri Lanka will not have a proper side of Test match strength and will fall into the category of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, the two weakest sides in Test cricket today.
Novak Djokovic beats Juan Martin Del Potro to win Shanghai title
We don’t censor commentators: Srinivasan Agencies
3.5 million spent in getting down a 77-year-old coach Les Lenham of Sussex and England to conduct a coaching program for coaches in Sri Lanka recently. Sources state that there were only a handful of coaches who followed the courses with any seriousness.Sri Lankan cricket needs the expertise of foreign coaches but not ones who are outdated and cannot inspire the younger generation of coaches. One of the few good things that former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga did during his short term as SLC interim committee chairman in 2008 was to separate the coaching department which at that time came under cricket operations. Ranatunga found that the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association was not doing enough to produce quality school cricketers and made the coaching department a completely separate entity by moving it to the Khettarama Stadium. But sadly the purpose for which it was separated has not been
Agencies The 26-year-old took advantage of the Argentine’s sloppy service game in the first set before his opponent fought back to take the second and level. Del Potro saved two match points in the 10th game of the decider, but the Serb proved too strong in the tie-break. The Shanghai crown is Djokovic’s fifth ATP Tour title of the year. The victory also caps a good two weeks in the country for the six-time major winner, who came into the tournament having beaten world number one Rafael Nadal to land his fourth China Open title.In Sunday’s final, Djokovic raced through the first set as his opponent failed to find any rhythm with his first serve, winning just eight points from 14. The figures were worse on his second serve - three from 11. The Australian Open champion broke Del
Potro in the second and fourth games before the Argentine finally opened his account for 5-1. However, Djokovic took a one-set advantage when the world number five’s return went wide in the next game. Del Potro improved in the next set and
carved out two breaks points in the second game, taking his chance at the first attempt with a great return that brushed the line. He then held serve and took the set with a love game in the ninth.There was little between the players inside the Qizhong Arena during the decider until the 10th game, when Djokovic had two match points at 5-4. He wasted the first with a long return and was then deceived by the kick of Del Potro’s serve.However, Djokovic made the most of his opportunities in the tie-break - and produced arguably the shot of the match when he hit an incredible cross-court dipping volley to take the mini-break to go 4-2 up. The former world number one then held his nerve to take his 15th Masters title, while Del Potro’s search for his first continues.