MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012
sp orts
South Africa corner Australia in Brisbane
AHMADABAD: England players (from left) Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Matt Prior appeal successfully for the dismissal of Indian state of Haryana batsman S Rana during a practice match. —AP
Trott slams century in Test series warm-up AHMEDABAD: Jonathan Trott warmed up for the upcoming test series against India with a fluent century yesterday that completed the visiting England side’s domination over Haryana in a four-day practice game that ended in a draw. Trott, who was 61 not out when England resumed on an overnight score of 118-0, reached 101 with 13 fours and one six as England declared its second innings on 254-6 to set an improbable target of 442 in less than two sessions of play. England was left four wickets away from victory as Haryana was reduced to 133-6 in its second innings. Seamer Tim Bresnan was the pick of the England bowlers, taking 2-13 in seven overs. Bresnan also had the tourists’ best figures of 3-66 in the first innings. England is looking to win its first test
series in India in 28 years during the four-game series that commences Thursday at Ahmedabad. Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur are the other venues for the series. For India, it is a chance to avenge a 40 defeat in a four-test series in England last year that led to it losing its No. 1 ranking. After the four tests, England also plays two Twenty20 games before returning home for Christmas. It will then come back to play five one-dayers in January. Scores England XI 521 and 254-6 declared (Jonathan Trott 101 ret., Nick Compton 79, Ian Bell 48; Sanjay Budhwar 3-51) drew with Haryana 334 and 133-6 (Nitin Saini 50, Tim Bresnan 2-13).—AP
Mohammed Nooh of GTE-Olayan inaugurating the Tournament and presenting the man of the match award to Renju of KEA.
TEC, KEA enter semi-finals KUWAIT: The 15th Prof. Ramachandran Memorial Cricket Tournament (RMC) conducted by College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumini Association (CETAA) and sponsored by GTE Olayan Co began on November 2, 2012 at the NCC grounds at Mina Abdullah Industrial area. Mohammed Nooh of GTE Olayan Co inaugurated the tournament in the presence of KG Mohan, President and Venugopal, Secretary of CETAA. TEC and KEA entered the semi-finals from pool B by winning both their matches while TKM and AECK won from Pool A to strengthen their chances from Pool A. In the first match, KEA scored 102 for 4 in 12 overs against NSS mainly due to the fine efforts of Binu (45 - man of the match) and Shiva (37) who added 75 runs for the 3rd wicket. Only Aneesh among NSS could make any impression with 2 wickets in the first over. NSS in reply made a valiant effort but fell short by 16 runs with only Praveen (23 and Sachin (21) putting up a real challenge. Anish and Dany took 2 wickets each for KEA. In the 2nd match, hosts CET lost early wickets and finished on a none too impressive 73 for 7 off their 12 overs with only skipper Zamir (19) and Arief (14 no) putting up any real resistance. Merton (man of the match with 3 wickets) was mainly instrumental in restricting CET. In reply, TEC made heavy weather initially but won in the last over by 7 wickets with good contributions from Ramesh (27) and Prasoon (21). In the 3rd match, MACE could make only 61 for 4 off their 12 overs against TKM
in spite of a bright start with Anfar (2 wickets) being the pick of the bowlers. Only Roy (18) and Sageer (16) made any noteworthy contribution for MACE. TKM led again by Anfar (40 no - man of the match) hit of the runs with 1.2 overs to spare loosing. The 4th match saw a record breaking performance by reigning champs AECK who scored 234 for 1 in their 12 overs. Both openers Melvin 109 (man of the match) and Mahesh (111 n.o.) scored hundreds with a run rate of nearly 20 per over. Facing a daunting task, NIT folded up for just 25 in 9.3 overs to leave AECK winners by 209 runs. Sajeeb (4 wickets) and Raman (2 wickets) helped skittle out NIT. In the 5th match, TEC scored 105 for 3 in their 12 overs against NSS mainly due to their skipper Suresh (45 - man of the match) supported well by Ramesh (35 ). Aneesh again bowled well for NSS with 2 wickets. In reply NSS fought gamely but again fell short by a margin of 23 runs with only Praveen (37) and Sachin (17) making any impression. Dinto and Jinesh took 2 wickets each for TEC. In the last match of the day, CET repeated their earlier performance by loosing early wickets and could make only 68 in their 12 overs against KEA. Brilliant keeping by Jim Chacko added to CETs woes with Anish taking 3 wickets & Prasoon and Sreejith 2 each. In reply, KEA after a slow start comfortable hit off the runs in 9.3 overs loosing only 1 wicket. Renju (36 no - man of the match) and Biju (21) were the batting stars for KEA.
Shaji Jose presenting the man of the match award to Melvin of AECK.
BRISBANE: Centuries from Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla put Australia on the ropes before South Africa’s bowlers landed some early blows of their own to leave the hosts struggling at 111 for three after the third day of the first Test yesterday. The tourists were reduced to 10 fit batsmen after an injury to JP Duminy on Friday but 147 from the evergreen Kallis and 104 from the in-form Amla helped them to an imposing first innings tally of 450. Their much vaunted pace attack took over just after tea and, finding movement on the Gabba track that had evaded the Australians, removed opener David Warner (4), debutant Rob Quiney (9) and Ricky Ponting (0) in quick succession. Ed Cowan, who finished the day 49 not out, and captain Michael Clarke, unbeaten on 34, restored some stability to the Australia innings with a stand of 71 before stumps were drawn but South Africa still have high hopes of a win. “If we can nip out a couple tomorrow morning and put some real pressure on Australia, who knows?” Kallis told reporters. “I think we’ve just got to give ourselves an opportunity, I think the game’s far from dead. There’s enough in the wicket as well. As long as we keep applying the pressure, that’s all that we can do. If Oz play well, then fair enough.” Morne Morkel took 2-25 but Dale Steyn perhaps had the bigger impact, tempting Warner into an outside edge that Kallis caught in the slips and then, fielding at fine leg, flicking a Quiney hook shot back inside the boundary rope and catching it infield. Ponting exited after he had faced just five balls when he went for a Morkel delivery well outside his off stump and Kallis again took the catch in the slips to leave Australia on 40-3. Morkel had yet to concede a run and memories of last year’s Cape Town test, where South Africa bowled Australia out for 47, were surely flashing through the minds of both teams. “It wasn’t ideal but the partnership we have at the moment is the crucial one for us,” Australia’s Ben Hilfenhaus said of Cowan and Clarke. “Hopefully, they can continue that tomorrow and make our way closer to their total.” The tourists had resumed on 255 for two after the second day had been washed away by rain and Amla soon had the 10 runs he needed for his 17th test hundred, a third in his last four tests. The 29-year-old cut James Pattinson for the seventh four of his innings to reach the mark, continuing the purple patch that included a century against England at Lord’s and an unbeaten 311 at the Oval. Amla had added just one more run to his tally when a Peter Siddle ball caught him high on the pad and umpire Asad Rauf sent him back to the pavilion. TV replays confirmed the ball would have gone over the stumps but Amla decided not to appeal after consulting Kallis and their 165-
run partnership was over. There was now a stiff breeze blowing across the Gabba but in the next over, Kallis smacked two runs through midwicket to bring up his 44th test hundred. Australian quick James Pattinson (3-93) had the experienced all rounder caught at gully by Quiney four overs after lunch and then came back in his next over to remove AB de Villiers for 40. Vernon Philander (11) brought up the 400 mark for South Africa with a huge six before he too was caught, in the slips by Clarke off Peter Siddle.
Steyn survived an lbw decision off the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus thanks to the TV review system, leaving Jacques Rudolph (31) to become Australia’s seventh victim and Lyons’ second. The Gabba paused for two minutes’ silence in memory of the dead of the two World Wars but reflection failed to galvanise the Australians and South Africa batted on until Hilfenhaus removed Steyn (15) and Morkel (0) just after tea. South Africa’s number one ranking is on the line in the series, which concludes with matches in Adelaide and Perth after Brisbane. —Reuters
BRISBANE: Australia’s wicker keeper Matthew Wade attempts a run out during day three of the first cricket Test between Australia and South Africa at the Gabba stadium. —AP
SCOREBOARD BRISBANE: Scoreboard at the close of play on the third day of the first test between Australia and South Africa at the Gabba yesterday: South Africa first innings (overnight 255-2) G. Smith lbw Pattinson 10 A. Petersen c Hussey b Lyon 64 H. Amla lbw Siddle 104 J. Kallis c Quiney b Pattinson 147 AB de Villiers c Warner b Pattinson 40 J. Rudolph c Quiney b Lyon 31 V. Philander c Clarke b Siddle 11 D. Steyn c Wade b Hilfenhaus 15 R. Kleinveldt not out 17 M. Morkel c Siddle b Hilfenhaus 0 JP Duminy absent hurt Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-3, nb-6) 11 Total (all out, 151.4 overs) 450 Fall of wickets: 1-29 2-119 3-284 4-374 5-377 6-403 7-426 8-446 9-450 Bowling: Hilfenhaus 32.4-9-73-2 (w-1), Pattinson 34-6-93-3 (w-2, nb-3), Siddle 36-6-
111-2 (nb-3), Lyon 37-4-136-2, Hussey 4-021-0, Quiney 7-3-10-0, Clarke 1-0-4-0. Australia first innings E. Cowan not out 49 D. Warner c Kallis b Steyn 4 R. Quiney c Steyn b Morkel 9 R. Ponting c Kallis b Morkel 0 M. Clarke not out 34 Extras (lb-8, nb-7) 15 Total (for three wickets, 26 overs) 111 Fall of wickets: 1-13 2-30 3-40 Still to bat: M. Hussey, M. Wade, P. Siddle, B. Hilfenhaus, J. Pattinson, N. Lyon. Bowling: Steyn 8-2-27-1, Philander 8-0-24-0 (nb-2), Morkel 7-1-25-2 (nb-1), Kleinveldt 30-27-0 (nb-4).
Preview
West Indies to ‘stay hungry’ in Bangladesh DHAKA: West Indies captain Darren Sammy wants his players to “stay hungry” and to build on recent successes when they meet Bangladesh tomorrow in the first of two Tests. Sammy’s men are buoyed by victory in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last month following a 2-0 home Test win over New Zealand. They are looking to continue the good work in a Bangladesh tour which also includes five one-day games and a Twenty20. Sammy, who led the West Indies to a 1-0 Test victory over Bangladesh here last year, said his team must maintain the momentum. “I think World Twenty20 was a great achievement for us but we have got to stay hungry. We can’t keep thinking because we won the World Twenty20 that we have turned the corner,” he said. West Indies, a major force in world cricket from the 1970s to the 1990s, slumped miserably in the new century. They have, however, shown an improvement under the unassuming Sammy as captain and hardworking coach Ottis Gibson. With Chris Gayle in good touch and the ever-reliable Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who has played in 144 Tests, they boost a strong batting line-up. Gayle plundered 150 and 64 not out in the first Test against New Zealand in July-his first Test after a two-year exile following a falling-out with the cricket administration. Sammy said his mission is to win every match. “We have definitely improved as a team. We
are a bit more consistent and won both the Tests against New Zealand and our mission here is to win all matches in Bangladesh,” he said. The West Indies have won four of their eight Tests against Bangladesh. Their 2-0 home series loss came in 2009 when they had to field a depleted squad after main players fell out with the Caribbean cricket board. Bangladesh have just three wins in 73 games since attaining Test status 12 years ago, but Sammy is not taking them lightly. “Bangladesh is a team we have never taken lightly, they are always difficult opposition at home,” said Sammy, whose team will be without spearhead paceman Kemar Roach. Roach injured his knee and was replaced by Fidel Edwards in the squad, which also has Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul and Narsingh Deonarine as spinners. Bangladesh will need to make a big effort in what will be their first Test for 11 months-a gap which opener Tamim Iqbal termed disappointing. “Our situation isn’t good, we play Tests after long gaps. We should have this mentality of adapting ourselves from one format to the other,” said Iqbal. Bangladesh will rely more on their spinners in the absence of injured paceman Mashrafe Mortaza and have included uncapped off-spinner Sohag Gazi in the 14-man squad. The second Test will be played in the new venue of Khulna from November 21. —AFP
LEVI: Sweden’s Andre Myhrer slaloms past a pole on his way to clock the fastest time during the first run of an alpine ski, men’s World Cup slalom. —AP
Myhrer wins World Cup race LEVI: Slalom world number one Andre Myhrer started the new season the way he finished the last when he won the opening World Cup race in Levi yesterday. The Swede snatched the slalom globe by winning the last two races of the season last winter to narrowly beat Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, the overall World Cup champion. Myhrer again beat Hirscher by a 0.06 of a second margin to triumph in a combined time of one minute 49.55 seconds. World silver medallist Jens Byggmark completed a fine day for the Swedes by taking third place, 0.61 behind his team mate in difficult conditions with rain and fog forcing the skiers to take risks. Myhrer’s fifth World Cup victory was an important one as the 29-year-old Swede, also known for his guitar skills,needed to prove his victory in the 2012 World Cup owed nothing to chance. “I spent the holidays doing nothing. I just rested as my back was hurting. But now I feel well and I trained well,” he said. “To see Jens and Marcel go down and take so many risks was an inspiration to try as hard.”.
A winner in Schladming last season, Myhrer said the world title in the Austrian slalom haven in Feburary was his main goal of the season. Hirscher was also delighted by his runner-up spot as he had never made it to the podium in Levi. “It’s not a course for me. I think I have never made it into the top 10 here,” he said. The difference was that the Austrian was using for the first time a new line of skis he personally designed and also took a relaxed approach to the competition. “I tried not to think about the race. I just drank beer. As for my new skis I felt as excited as a kid building a model,” he said “I know that everybody back home expects me to win every race but for me, it’s a perfect start to the season. It’s not about defending my World Cup title, it’s about skiing well,” he added. Third in the opening giant slalom two weeks ago in Soelden, Hirscher was named Austrian sportsman of the year a week ago and he leads the World Cup overall standings on 140 points, ahead of Italy’s Manfred Moelgg and Soelden winner Ted Ligety of the U.S. — Reuters