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(WORLD CUP)
Wasim
'the Great' Is Our Greatest Threat, Says Ganguly(Go
To Top) JOHANNESBURG: Indian captain Saurav Ganguly has described Wasim Akram as the biggest threat to his team in the crucial World Cup Pool 'A' encounter against Pakistan at the Centurion on Saturday. He told the News on Thursday that Akram and to a lesser extent Shoaib Akhtar were the biggest challenges facing his team in a match in which the intensity level would be extraordinary. "I regard Wasim as the best bowler in the world of cricket. He is a magician with the ball. He can make the ball dance. He can do whatever he wants with it. I have faced a lot of bowlers and they all have their qualities. Glenn McGrath is very accurate, but Wasim is in a different class since you don't know what he is coming up next with," Ganguly said. "I am not surprised that Wasim has reached the 500 wickets mark in One-day Internationals. He would have done it much earlier but he has missed quite a number of matches for Pakistan in recent years," he stated. Ganguly and coach John Wright who have brought about a resurgence of sorts in Indian cricket said that India's biggest challenge would be seeing off Wasim and Shoaib Akhtar with the new ball. "It is not easy. First you deal with Wasim and then you have Shoaib going at you from the other end. It is only after seeing off these two that you can think about Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq or Abdul Razzaq," the skipper observed. He also made it clear that when both teams meet on Saturday, it would not matter whether the Pakistani batsmen had been out of form or Inzamamul Haq had not been scoring runs in this World Cup. "I don't think all that will matter. This is a high intensity and pressure game. We are playing against each other after three years and the sentiments of the people of both countries is very high. This is a huge pressure game for both teams really," Ganguly stated. "And whether we are through to the Super Sixes or not in this World Cup. Honestly speaking we would like to win this huge game," he told the newspaper. The captain also said he was happy that India would be playing Pakistan after having beaten England convincingly and felt that after a long time India had the batsmen and bowlers to play its arch rivals on a even keel. "Again I say Wasim will be the big difference between the two teams. And Shoaib is not going to be easy at all. People talk a lot about his erratic bowling but, believe me, only we know what it is to face a bowler of his pace from 22 yards." The qualification of both teams depends a lot on Saturday's crunch match. If India win, they are through to the Super Sixes with 16 points from their six matches. If Pakistan wins, it is just one step away from qualifying from the next stage and will have the luxury of playing their last preliminary round game against Zimbabwe knowing where they stand. After the India-Pakistan tie, Australia take on England and that match will also decide whether England remains in contention for the Super Sixes or not. Ganguly, however, made it clear that while the cricketing tension on the field would be great, it would be a great cricket match and perhaps turn out to be one of the best of the World Cup. India has beaten Pakistan on all three occasions when they have clashed in the World Cup of 1992, '96 and '99. But in the last meetings between the two teams in Sharjah and in the Asia Cup final at Dhaka, Pakistan were the winners. It's Do-or-die,
Go on the Offensive: Imran to Pak (Go
To Top) ISLAMABAD: Former captain Imran Khan is of the opinion that Pakistan has a better chance of winning their crunch match against India if they shed their defensive mindset and go all-out on the offensive. "They have to be aggressive and must go into the match with an attacking mind," Imran, who led Pakistan to their solitary World Cup title in 1992, said on Thursday as the two cricket-crazy nations eagerly await Saturday's clash, reports Dawn. Pakistan face must-win encounters against India and Zimbabwe to qualify for the Super Six round and a loss to India would mean certain elimination from the premier tournament. "It is a do-or-die match for Pakistan," Imran added. He said toss would play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the match. "It is very important for Pakistan to win the toss and bat first. Pakistan has a formidable bowling attack which can contain India. If the batting puts up a decent total, Pakistan will go in as favourites." Zimbabwe
Defeat Netherlands (Go
To Top) BULAWAYO (Zimbabwe): Zimbabwe registered their third win of the World Cup tournament on Friday, beating Netherlands by 99 runs in their Group A match. Chasing 302 to win, the Dutch openers set a positive tone with 41 runs in 11 overs and that approach was maintained by Luuk van Troost (26), Daan van Bunge (37) and skipper Roland Lefebvre (30) as they finished on 202 for nine. Earlier, Flower (71), Andy Blignaut (58) and a captain Streak (22) lifted Zimbabwe to 301 for eight after their 50 overs. Fans
Celebrate Victory Against England (Go To
Top) NEW DELHI: Cricket fans in India on Thursday celebrated their team's 82-run victory over England in a crucial World Cup match at Durban in South Africa. In New Delhi, people were seen intensely reading newspapers and many were glued to television channels to relive the moments of the fabulous victory and the spectacular bowling by Ashish Nehra. Skipper Saurav Ganguly won the toss and opted to bat first. India started off brilliantly with Sachin Tendulkar slamming a delightful 50, blasting new ball bowlers Andy Caddick and James Anderson out of the way. Rahul Dravid (62) and Yuvraj Singh (42) lifted India to a challenging total of 250. Then left-arm bowler Ashish Nehra's match-winning haul of six for 23 restricted England to just 168 and led India to victory. The lanky New Delhi bowler, who almost missed the match due to an ankle injury, bowled India to an 82-run victory, making it easy for the team to enter the Super Six stage. Indian fans, who till about ten days ago were burning posters and effigies of the cricket team members after their dissapointing loss to Australia, are now excited and hopeful about their team's performance in further matches. "The whole team is playing very well, (Ashish) Nehra was fabulous yesterday, so was (Sachin) Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly. The whole team is doing great," gushed Palak Vohra, a shopkeeper. "India hadn't have any chance to win but still they won the match. And I feel very good," said Mehak, a student. Large pictures of Nehra, who had never taken more than three wickets in a one-day match before Wednesday, were splashed on all the leading dailies. Joydeep, a student, is confident of India winning the World Cup. "They have a very good chance of winning the World Cup, but the main matches start after the Super Sixes. So, if they qualify for the semis, then it's a matter of two matches. They should be able to make it," he remarked. India now have 16 points from five matches, with a tie scheduled against traditional rivals Pakistan on Saturday (March 1). England, with 12 points, will have to beat world champions Australia in their last group match on Sunday (March 2) to stay in the hunt for a berth in the next stage. 500-dlr
Fine for Cairns, McCullum Over Durban Night Club Brawl (Go
To Top) JOHANNESBURG: A 500-dollar fine has been imposed on New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns and wicket keeper Brendon McCullum for their part in a night club brawl in Durban last Friday. In a statement issued on Thursday, Martin Snedden, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, who has completed a review of the circumstances surrounding the brawl, said that a directive had been given to manager Jeff Crowe in relation to team protocol and procedures concerning player behaviour. "Behaviour exhibited by some of the players at the Tiger Tiger night club on the evening in question was unacceptable and should not be allowed either by the players or team management to recur," Snedden was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, besides Cairns and McCullum, both of whom have admitted misconduct and apologized, nine other players who were at the night club - Andre Adams, skipper Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Darryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori and Lou Vincent - have also been reprimanded. Disadvantage
Pakistan (Go To Top) JOHANNESBURG: Feb. 27 (ANI): For Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis it is their final World Cup appearance and they want to see Pakistan emerge victorious from its crucial Pool 'A' clash with arch-rivals India at the Centurion on Saturday, reports the News. Pakistan goes into Saturday's sell-out game with a big psychological disadvantage as they have never beaten India in the World Cup. On three occasions in 1992, '96 and '99, India had the better of Pakistan and thrice it has been while batting first. "But obviously playing against India just adds to the pressure and excitement," says Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis. "We are playing against each other after nearly three years and not only people back home but I think the Pakistani and Indian community all over the globe are looking forward to this game. I would think it would be the showpiece match of this World Cup," he stated. The fact that for both teams the game is of paramount importance if they want to qualify for the Super Sixes of this World Cup is adding to the hype and anticipation around the match. And the strained relations between the two neighbouring countries and the suspended cricket ties since June 2000 only give the match a cutting edge. But Wasim at 36 and having been around for 18 years at the international level knows what it is all about. "The hype was similar in the 1999 World Cup. The organizers went crazy with the security for that match. But on the day of the match itself nothing untoward happened and the better team won on that day." "I think even on Saturday in this World Cup the better team will win and people are mature enough to accept that." Wasim, however, conceded that he also was feeling the pressure and expectations around the match. "Yes I know it is very special for many people. And we are all praying that we should be able to give our best on that day. India has a very strong batting line- up and they have found some degree of form. "But if we play totally to our potential then we can beat them. As it is we have held the psychological edge over them in the overall number of matches played between us," he reminded. Both the Ws agreed on one point-that for Pakistan to succeed it was crucial for Inzamamul Haq to strike some form. The big man who has shed 14 kilos of weight in the last few months, unfortunately for Pakistan, also appears to have lost his appetite for runs and has scored two successive ducks in this World Cup. "Inzamam is a class player and he has always delivered. At this time we just have to keep faith in him and in our hearts we know he will come good sooner or later. We all hope it is against India," said Waqar. Making it clear that he had no personal animosity with any Indian player nor did he expect any extra tensions on the field, Wasim who reached the landmark of 500 one-day wickets on Tuesday against Holland, stated he personally didn't know many of the Indian players as they were a young side. "I know Sachin (Tendulkar), Sourav (Ganguly) fairly well. Zaheer (Khan) and Ashish (Nehra) have called me up a couple of times to seek some advice as we all belong to the same fast bowlers club. I have given them some tips. But that is all." And the big left-arm fast bowler, whom the Indians tend to fear more than even the erratic Shoaib Akhtar, made it clear that he would not be targeting any specific Indian batsman. "Ideally I would like to get all their top players." Yousuf Youhana, who won the Man of the Match award against Holland on Tuesday, told the News that it was sheer bad luck and a psychological thing that the batsmen were not scoring enough runs. "Believe me we are all in fine form in the nets and we are all timing and stroking well. Nor is it a case of us being technically weak to play on the South African pitches. It is just that we have all faced bad luck and nothing is going right for us." "I can say we are facing a combination of bad luck and a sort of mental block. And this has meant a severe loss of confidence for the batsmen. When we go into bat we are all shaky and afraid to play our natural game for fear of failing again and that is only adding to the pressure and undermining our confidence," said Youhana. Warne
Not to Appeal Against Ban (Go
To Top) SYDNEY: Leg-spinning wizard Shane Warne has told the Australian Cricket Board that he will not appeal against his one-year ban from all forms of the sport for taking a banned diuretic. His decision came after the ACB on Wednesday released the findings of its anti-doping committee, which heard the case and found Warne to have given "vague, unsatisfactory and inconsistent" evidence. "Not appealing is a very, very tough decision for me to make. But after much advice from a lot of different and various people, I have decided not to appeal the 12-month suspension. Although I find this penalty very harsh and I am extremely disappointed that this has happened, I have decided that I no longer want to put my family under even more stress. Enough is enough," read a statement by Warne. "This has been the toughest two weeks of my life and I have decided that it is best for all concerned to try and move on the best way we can. I have made a simple and innocent error of judgement. I take full responsibility for my own actions. I have decided to accept the decision of the committee on the chin and try to move on and deal with it the best way I can," it said. Chances
of Winning 50:50 Against England: Ganguly (Go
To Top) DURBAN: Skipper Sourav Ganguly gives his side a 50-50 chance of winning Wednesday's crucial game against England. The players must "stick to the basics", according to him. In his opinion, "it's 50-50 game tomorrow". India will play according to a plan, Ganguly added. Wasim Akram's
New Milestone (Go To Top) PAARL (South Africa): Pakistan's Wasim Akram became the first player in history to take 500 wickets in one-day ties when he bowled Dutch opener Nick Statham for a duck in the World Cup Group A match on Tuesday. Wasim had moved on to 499 wickets on Saturday when he had England opener Marcus Trescothick caught behind for one. A Kenyan
Shock for Sri Lanka (Go To Top) NAIROBI: Lowly Kenya defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs here on Monday and this unbelievable win gives them a chance to enter the Super Six league. And the man who made this possible was leg spinner Collins Obuya (21) who took five wickets for 24 in 10 overs, the ninth best bowling figures in tournament's history. The visitors scored 157 in reply to the 210 for nine made by the hosts in the Group B match. Earlier, Chaminda Vaas, the top wicket-taker in the tournament, took three for 41 and off spinner Muralitharan four for 28, his best World Cup figures. Obuya's brother, Kennedy Otieno, top-scored with 60. Windies
Rout Canada (Go To Top) JOHANNESBURG: Brian Lara's 73 that included five sixes helped the West Indies crush Canada in their World Cup Group B match at Centurion on Sunday. Lara reached the quickest half-century of the tournament off only 23 balls. Wavell Hinds made a quickfire 64. Earlier, John Davison smashed the fastest century off 67 balls and went on to make 111, including eight fours. Canada lost their last nine wickets for just 47 runs. Namibia's
Fourth Defeat in a Row (Go To Top) JOHANNESBURG: Sachin Tendulkar and Captain Sourav Ganguly both scored a century each in India's 311 against Namibia in their World Cup Group A match at Pietermaritzburg on Sunday. The Cup debutants Namibia were skittled out for 130 in 42.3 overs. Namibia did not mount even a semblance of a fight, after being reduced to 47 for five in the 15th over. India's third victory, giving them 12 points alongside Australia and England, kept the side in the hunt for a Super Six berth. It was Namibia's fourth defeat in a row. War Cry
Caused NZ Night Club Brawl: Report (Go
To Top) JOHANNESBURG: The night club row involving New Zealand's World Cup squad which injured star player Chris Cairns was sparked by a rendition of the traditional haka war cry, according to a newspaper report. Cairns was knocked to the ground and suffered a cut on the mouth after being punched from behind following a scrap at the 'Tiger, Tiger' night club in Durban in the early hours of Friday. The Johannesburg-based Star newspaper quoted witnesses as saying Cairns and a few other players removed their shirts and thundered out the All Blacks' famous rugby war cry. Club owner Guy Van Der Post, who ordered the players out of the premises, said they were drunk. Some of the guests at the club took offence to the performance of the haka and insulted the Kiwis when they went out of the premises, the report added. New Zealand had left South African cricket fans in a state of shock when they defeated Shaun Pollock's home team at the Wanderers here last Sunday. The newspaper quoted a police source as saying the man who hit Cairns was a known trouble-maker and had been banned from other clubs in Durban. Armed security guards, employed by World Cup organisers to protect the team, rushed the players back to their beachside Durban hotel. Ironically, the Kiwis were scheduled to play their World Cup game against Kenya in Nairobi on Friday, but were forced to take a break in Durban after refusing to travel for security reasons. Cairns did not accompany the rest of the New Zealand team which flew in to Johannesburg later on Friday on its way to Kimberley where it takes on Bangladesh on Wednesday. This is not the first time the Kiwis have got themselves into trouble in South Africa. In 1994-1995, three players - Dion Nash, Matthew Hart and Fleming - were hauled up for reportedly smoking dope by the poolside in Paarl and were temporarily suspended from the game. ANI |
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