IPL 3 seeks to rediscover season 1 magic
Mumbai, Mar 11 : Forced to shift tent to South Africa due to security fears last year, the Indian
Premier League returns to the country promising a heady mix of cricket and entertainment with last
season laggards Kolkata Knight Riders taking on defending champions Deccan Chargers in the
tournament opener here tomorrow.
The opening ceremony preceding the first match at the D Y Patil Stadium will see top international
performers Lionel Ritchie, UB40 and Bjorn Agan, besides Bollywood star Deepika Padukone,
give a rocking start to the 45-day event.
A spectacular fireworks display is to follow after which the debris from the field would be cleared
to set the stage for the opening clash between the no. 1 and no. 8 teams of the second edition.
Day two of the IPL will see two legends of the game crossing swords with each other at the famous
Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai.
The Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians would kick off their campaign to make up for indifferent
displays in the first two seasons against 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals captained by Australian
Shane Warne.
As was the case in the first two seasons, some international stars, busy with their international
commitments for their home countries, would be missing from action in the initial stages of the
tournament.
Those teams would have to use the other players in their roster intelligently to pick up points and
gain early momentum in the race to the top.
In IPL 3, the players have the added incentive of the players' auction ahead of IPL 4 to look up to
as most of them would go under the hammer for the next season that would see an additional two
teams in action.
The players would be aware that a top class display in this season would increase their demand
from the IPL franchises at the auction and fetch higher prices.
This time around, three more centers have been added to witness IPL action Ahmedabad,
Cuttack and Dharamsala while Deccan Chargers will not play their seven home matches strictly at
home in Hyderabad but in Navi Mumbai, Nagpur and Cuttack.
The 2.5-minute strategic breaks would be another important factor with both the fielding and
batting sides given specific overs to take them.
Pakistan register worst-ever WC performance, finish last
New Delhi, Mar 11 : Pakistan registered their worst-ever performance in the hockey World Cup
as a resilient Canada pushed the Asian team to last place in the megaevent with a golden goal
victory here today.
Scott Tupper converted a penalty corner in the 83rd minute to hand the Pan American side a 3-2
win in the extra time and an 11th place finish in the 12-team tournament.
This is the first time that Pakistan have finished in the last position in a World Cup. Their worst-ever
performance before today was the 11th spot finish in the 1986 edition of the tournament in London.
Canada, meanwhile, finished 11th for the third time after 1978 and 1990. Connor Grimes (12th
minute), Mark Pearson (58th) and Tupper (83rd) contributed in Canada's cause with a goal each
while Rehan Butt (4th) and Akhtar Ali (46th) sounded the board for Pakistan.
The 11-12th classification match between Pakistan and Canada was fought keenly with both the
sides finishing the regulation 70 minutes locked at 2-2.
There was hardly any difference between the two sides and even the additional time of 15 minutes
(7.30 min in each half) failed to decide the winner, which dragged the encounter into tie-break.
Australia beat Netherlands 2-1, to meet Germany in the final
New Delhi, March 11 : Australia defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final of the Hockey
World Cup and set up their third consecutive title clash with Germany.
Australia's penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner opened the scoring. Glenn Turner increased the
lead to 2-0 in the second half before Taeke Taekama pulled one back for the Netherlands through
a penalty stroke. Earlier England outplayed Germany 4-1 in the first semi-final.
Pakistan hockey squad steps down after World Cup debacle
New Delhi, March 11 : In a dramatic development, the entire Pakistan squad announced retirement
from international hockey Thursday owning moral responsibility for their poor performance in the
World Cup.
Hours after Pakistan recorded their worst-ever showing in the tournament, finishing with the
wooden spoon following a 2-3 loss to Canada in the play-off for the 11th-12th places, Pakistan
media manager Shahzad Malik issued a statement announcing the team's decision.
"The Pakistan hockey team has announced its retirement from the international hockey after their
poor performance in the World Cup," the statement said.
It quoted Pakistan captain Zeeshan Ashraf as saying that "all the eighteen players accepted the
defeat in the event and decided to retire from the international hockey."
Ashraf praised the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for doing a lot for the players, but regretted
the players could not deliver to their potential.
"We will support PHF in future and will be available if Pakistan needs any player any time," the
statement said.
India, Pakistan to revive hockey Test series
New Delhi, Mar 11 : India and Pakistan are set to revive their bilateral hockey Test series after
four years with the two national federations agreeing today to start an annual series for men and
women from this year.
The series will be for both men and women teams and junior teams will also be a part of it.
Hockey India and Pakistan Hockey Federation also decided to start an eight-team -- four from
each country -- double leg sub-continental league to be played in both countries.
"Hockey India and Pakistan Hockey Federation have decided to conduct an annual bilateral series
for both men and women. This series will be played by the senior and junior national squads on a
home and away basis," a joint HI-PHF release said.
The announcement was made after a meeting HI general secretary Narinder Batra and his
counterpart Asif Bajwa here.
In addition to the Test series, the two federations also decided to exchange players for their
domestic hockey leagues and will also commence an eight-team double leg sub-continental league
to be played in both countries.
We could never recover from loss to India: Pakistan Coach
New Delhi, March 11 : Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan Thursday said his team could not recover
from their 1-4 loss to India in the opening game and that led to their finishing with the wooden
spoon, the four-time title holders' worst-ever performance in the World Cup.
"When you come to a tournament hoping to finish in the top four-five and lose the first match, it is
difficult to stage a comeback. We played well only in patches. But against Australia and Spain, we
did well," said Shahid.
Visibly dejected after the 2-3 defeat to Canada in the classification game for the 11th-12th places
at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Shahid blamed the senior players for not playing to
their potential.
"Yes, some of the players underperformed but that was not deliberate. Such things happen in
sport," the coach said. He also rubbished the allegations of match-fixing for the team's below par
performance as "ridiculous".
ICC rejects PCB complaint against IPL
Karachi, March 11 : The ICC has rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s complaint against the
Indian Premier League for snubbing Pakistani players, saying that it cannot act against a domestic
event.
Well-placed sources in the PCB told PTI that Pakistan had written to the ICC complaining about
the treatment meted out to the players.
“Unfortunately for the PCB the ICC response was not very positive and the PCB officials are not
very happy at the response from the ICC,” a source disclosed.
The source said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has written to the PCB informing that the
governing body could not interfere in what was primarily a domestic event.
“The ICC told the PCB that since the IPL was primarily a domestic tournament of the Indian
cricket Board it couldn’t do anything,” the source said.
“The ICC also took the same stance as the IPL that the franchises which bid for the players were
also private enterprises and the ICC had no control over them,” the source added.
He disclosed that after getting this response from the ICC the PCB decided to let the matter go and
adopt a policy of not allowing its players to appear in the IPL or Champions League this year or
next year.
A lot of hue and cry was raised here after no Pakistani player found a buyer in the IPL auction with
the government also slamming the franchises and the Indian board.
Vijay Kumar keeps lead, Chowrasia in second place
Mewat, March 11 : Lucknow's Vijay Kumar maintained his two-stroke lead in the Solaris
Chemtech Open Golf Championship 2010 with a four under-68 to take his total to nine under 135,
here Thursday.
Kolkata's S.S.P. Chowrasia was in second place at seven under 137 and the cut was declared at
three over 147. Fifty-four professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Vijay (67-68), came out firing on all cylinders in round two. He birdied the first, third and fifth,
hitting his approach and chip shots to pin-point precision. A bogey followed on the seventh but
Vijay bounced back with another birdie on the 10th where he hit his sand wedge from 115 yards to
within one foot of the hole.
The former Indian Open champion made bogey-birdie on the 13th and 14th before closing the day
with a birdie on the 18th. The birdie on the final hole came as a result of an excellent chip from 60
yards that landed within six feet of the flag.
"I hit it close for most part of the round and did not leave myself any long putts. My best shot of the
day was perhaps the chip from 60 yards on the 18th that set up a six feet birdie putt for me.
Henin advances at Indian Wells
Indian, Wells, California, March 11 : Justin Henin beat Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2, 6-2, in the
first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, her first competitive match since a surprising
run to the Australian Open final in January.
After being idle since the Australian Open final, Henin didn’t serve well at just 48 per cent, but won
20 of 26 first serve points and saved the four break points against her in the 68-minute match.
“It was a very good feeling. This is a tournament I like a lot,” said Henin, who will meet Gisela
Dulko of Argentina in the second round. “It’s been a break of one month with no competition so I
was glad the way I went into the match today. Not everything was perfect, but I found a pretty
good rhythm and felt I could go a lot to the net and I felt really good on the court, actually.”
Also moving into the second round on Wednesday were Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, a 6-1, 6-2
winner over Tathiana Garbin of Italy; Vera Dushevina of Russia, with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over
Jelena Dokic of Australia; Olga Govortsova of Belarus, who beat Czech Iveta Benesova, 6-0, 4-6,
7-6 (8); Alicia Molik of Australia, with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Tatjana Malek of Germany; Peng
Shuai of China, who outlasted Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4; Sorana Cirstea of
Romania, who ousted Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4; and American Jill Craybas, a 6-
0, 7-5 winner over Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.
Mumbai, Mar 11 : Forced to shift tent to South Africa due to security fears last year, the Indian
Premier League returns to the country promising a heady mix of cricket and entertainment with last
season laggards Kolkata Knight Riders taking on defending champions Deccan Chargers in the
tournament opener here tomorrow.
The opening ceremony preceding the first match at the D Y Patil Stadium will see top international
performers Lionel Ritchie, UB40 and Bjorn Agan, besides Bollywood star Deepika Padukone,
give a rocking start to the 45-day event.
A spectacular fireworks display is to follow after which the debris from the field would be cleared
to set the stage for the opening clash between the no. 1 and no. 8 teams of the second edition.
Day two of the IPL will see two legends of the game crossing swords with each other at the famous
Brabourne Stadium in South Mumbai.
The Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians would kick off their campaign to make up for indifferent
displays in the first two seasons against 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals captained by Australian
Shane Warne.
As was the case in the first two seasons, some international stars, busy with their international
commitments for their home countries, would be missing from action in the initial stages of the
tournament.
Those teams would have to use the other players in their roster intelligently to pick up points and
gain early momentum in the race to the top.
In IPL 3, the players have the added incentive of the players' auction ahead of IPL 4 to look up to
as most of them would go under the hammer for the next season that would see an additional two
teams in action.
The players would be aware that a top class display in this season would increase their demand
from the IPL franchises at the auction and fetch higher prices.
This time around, three more centers have been added to witness IPL action Ahmedabad,
Cuttack and Dharamsala while Deccan Chargers will not play their seven home matches strictly at
home in Hyderabad but in Navi Mumbai, Nagpur and Cuttack.
The 2.5-minute strategic breaks would be another important factor with both the fielding and
batting sides given specific overs to take them.
Pakistan register worst-ever WC performance, finish last
New Delhi, Mar 11 : Pakistan registered their worst-ever performance in the hockey World Cup
as a resilient Canada pushed the Asian team to last place in the megaevent with a golden goal
victory here today.
Scott Tupper converted a penalty corner in the 83rd minute to hand the Pan American side a 3-2
win in the extra time and an 11th place finish in the 12-team tournament.
This is the first time that Pakistan have finished in the last position in a World Cup. Their worst-ever
performance before today was the 11th spot finish in the 1986 edition of the tournament in London.
Canada, meanwhile, finished 11th for the third time after 1978 and 1990. Connor Grimes (12th
minute), Mark Pearson (58th) and Tupper (83rd) contributed in Canada's cause with a goal each
while Rehan Butt (4th) and Akhtar Ali (46th) sounded the board for Pakistan.
The 11-12th classification match between Pakistan and Canada was fought keenly with both the
sides finishing the regulation 70 minutes locked at 2-2.
There was hardly any difference between the two sides and even the additional time of 15 minutes
(7.30 min in each half) failed to decide the winner, which dragged the encounter into tie-break.
Australia beat Netherlands 2-1, to meet Germany in the final
New Delhi, March 11 : Australia defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final of the Hockey
World Cup and set up their third consecutive title clash with Germany.
Australia's penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner opened the scoring. Glenn Turner increased the
lead to 2-0 in the second half before Taeke Taekama pulled one back for the Netherlands through
a penalty stroke. Earlier England outplayed Germany 4-1 in the first semi-final.
Pakistan hockey squad steps down after World Cup debacle
New Delhi, March 11 : In a dramatic development, the entire Pakistan squad announced retirement
from international hockey Thursday owning moral responsibility for their poor performance in the
World Cup.
Hours after Pakistan recorded their worst-ever showing in the tournament, finishing with the
wooden spoon following a 2-3 loss to Canada in the play-off for the 11th-12th places, Pakistan
media manager Shahzad Malik issued a statement announcing the team's decision.
"The Pakistan hockey team has announced its retirement from the international hockey after their
poor performance in the World Cup," the statement said.
It quoted Pakistan captain Zeeshan Ashraf as saying that "all the eighteen players accepted the
defeat in the event and decided to retire from the international hockey."
Ashraf praised the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for doing a lot for the players, but regretted
the players could not deliver to their potential.
"We will support PHF in future and will be available if Pakistan needs any player any time," the
statement said.
India, Pakistan to revive hockey Test series
New Delhi, Mar 11 : India and Pakistan are set to revive their bilateral hockey Test series after
four years with the two national federations agreeing today to start an annual series for men and
women from this year.
The series will be for both men and women teams and junior teams will also be a part of it.
Hockey India and Pakistan Hockey Federation also decided to start an eight-team -- four from
each country -- double leg sub-continental league to be played in both countries.
"Hockey India and Pakistan Hockey Federation have decided to conduct an annual bilateral series
for both men and women. This series will be played by the senior and junior national squads on a
home and away basis," a joint HI-PHF release said.
The announcement was made after a meeting HI general secretary Narinder Batra and his
counterpart Asif Bajwa here.
In addition to the Test series, the two federations also decided to exchange players for their
domestic hockey leagues and will also commence an eight-team double leg sub-continental league
to be played in both countries.
We could never recover from loss to India: Pakistan Coach
New Delhi, March 11 : Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan Thursday said his team could not recover
from their 1-4 loss to India in the opening game and that led to their finishing with the wooden
spoon, the four-time title holders' worst-ever performance in the World Cup.
"When you come to a tournament hoping to finish in the top four-five and lose the first match, it is
difficult to stage a comeback. We played well only in patches. But against Australia and Spain, we
did well," said Shahid.
Visibly dejected after the 2-3 defeat to Canada in the classification game for the 11th-12th places
at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Shahid blamed the senior players for not playing to
their potential.
"Yes, some of the players underperformed but that was not deliberate. Such things happen in
sport," the coach said. He also rubbished the allegations of match-fixing for the team's below par
performance as "ridiculous".
ICC rejects PCB complaint against IPL
Karachi, March 11 : The ICC has rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s complaint against the
Indian Premier League for snubbing Pakistani players, saying that it cannot act against a domestic
event.
Well-placed sources in the PCB told PTI that Pakistan had written to the ICC complaining about
the treatment meted out to the players.
“Unfortunately for the PCB the ICC response was not very positive and the PCB officials are not
very happy at the response from the ICC,” a source disclosed.
The source said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has written to the PCB informing that the
governing body could not interfere in what was primarily a domestic event.
“The ICC told the PCB that since the IPL was primarily a domestic tournament of the Indian
cricket Board it couldn’t do anything,” the source said.
“The ICC also took the same stance as the IPL that the franchises which bid for the players were
also private enterprises and the ICC had no control over them,” the source added.
He disclosed that after getting this response from the ICC the PCB decided to let the matter go and
adopt a policy of not allowing its players to appear in the IPL or Champions League this year or
next year.
A lot of hue and cry was raised here after no Pakistani player found a buyer in the IPL auction with
the government also slamming the franchises and the Indian board.
Vijay Kumar keeps lead, Chowrasia in second place
Mewat, March 11 : Lucknow's Vijay Kumar maintained his two-stroke lead in the Solaris
Chemtech Open Golf Championship 2010 with a four under-68 to take his total to nine under 135,
here Thursday.
Kolkata's S.S.P. Chowrasia was in second place at seven under 137 and the cut was declared at
three over 147. Fifty-four professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Vijay (67-68), came out firing on all cylinders in round two. He birdied the first, third and fifth,
hitting his approach and chip shots to pin-point precision. A bogey followed on the seventh but
Vijay bounced back with another birdie on the 10th where he hit his sand wedge from 115 yards to
within one foot of the hole.
The former Indian Open champion made bogey-birdie on the 13th and 14th before closing the day
with a birdie on the 18th. The birdie on the final hole came as a result of an excellent chip from 60
yards that landed within six feet of the flag.
"I hit it close for most part of the round and did not leave myself any long putts. My best shot of the
day was perhaps the chip from 60 yards on the 18th that set up a six feet birdie putt for me.
Henin advances at Indian Wells
Indian, Wells, California, March 11 : Justin Henin beat Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2, 6-2, in the
first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, her first competitive match since a surprising
run to the Australian Open final in January.
After being idle since the Australian Open final, Henin didn’t serve well at just 48 per cent, but won
20 of 26 first serve points and saved the four break points against her in the 68-minute match.
“It was a very good feeling. This is a tournament I like a lot,” said Henin, who will meet Gisela
Dulko of Argentina in the second round. “It’s been a break of one month with no competition so I
was glad the way I went into the match today. Not everything was perfect, but I found a pretty
good rhythm and felt I could go a lot to the net and I felt really good on the court, actually.”
Also moving into the second round on Wednesday were Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, a 6-1, 6-2
winner over Tathiana Garbin of Italy; Vera Dushevina of Russia, with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over
Jelena Dokic of Australia; Olga Govortsova of Belarus, who beat Czech Iveta Benesova, 6-0, 4-6,
7-6 (8); Alicia Molik of Australia, with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Tatjana Malek of Germany; Peng
Shuai of China, who outlasted Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4; Sorana Cirstea of
Romania, who ousted Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4; and American Jill Craybas, a 6-
0, 7-5 winner over Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.