Scoreboard: India vs. New Zealand, 1st ODI

Published>Sun, Nov 28 10 04:48 PM

Guwahati, Nov 28 (IANS) Scoreboard of the first One-Day International between India and New Zealand at the Nehru Stadium here Sunday.

India:

Murali Vijay c Hopkins b Tuffey 29

Gautam Gambhir c How b McKay 38

Virat Kohli c How b McKay 105

Yuvraj Singh c Hopkins b Tuffey 42

Suresh Raina c How b Mills 13

Yusuf Pathan c Taylor b Mills 29

Wriddhiman Saha c Hopkins b McKay 4

Ravichandran Ashwin c&b McKay 0

Ashish Nehra run out (Taylor) 0

Sreesanth c How b Mills 4

Munaf Patel not out 1

Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 8, nb 1) 11

Total (all out in 49 overs) 276

Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Vijay, 7.1 overs), 2-92 (Gambhir, 15.2), 3-180 (Yuvraj Singh, 34.2), 4-220 (Raina, 40.4), 5-250 (Kohli, 43.6), 6-256 (Saha, 45.1), 7-256 (Ashwin, 45.3), 8-257 (Nehra, 46.4), 9-275 (Pathan, 48.2)

Bowling:

Kyle Mills 10-0-42-3

Daryl Tuffey 8-0-56-2

Andy McKay 10-1-62-4

Grant Elliott 5-0-24-0

Nathan McCullum 9-0-53-0

Scott Styris 6-0-26-0

Kane Williamson 1-0-11-0

New Zealand:

Martin Guptill c Patel b Ashwin 30

Jamie How c Vijay b Nehra 9

Kane Williamson c Saha b Yuvraj 25

Ross Taylor c Patel b Ashwin 66

Scott Styris c Pathan b Yuvraj 10

Grant Elliott c Pathan b Sreesanth 5

Daryl Tuffey c Raina b Yuvraj 4

Gareth Hopkins c Pathan b Ashwin 16

Nathan McCullum c Gambhir b Sreesanth 35

Kyle Mills c Saha b Sreesanth 32

Andy McKay not out 0

Extras (lb 1, w 3) 4

Total (all out in 45.2 overs) 236

Fall of wickets: 1-32 (How, 6.4 overs), 2-46 (Guptill, 9.6), 3-113 (Williamson, 25.1), 4-131 (Styris, 29.3), 5-136 (Elliott, 30.3), 6-144 (Tuffey, 31.4), 7-157 (Taylor, 33.3), 8-169 (Hopkins, 35.3), 9-236 (McCullum, 45.1)

Bowling:

Ashish Nehra 9-0-44-1

Sreesanth 5.2-0-30-3

Ravichandran Ashwin 10-1-50-3

Munaf Patel 8-0-39-0

Yuvraj Singh 10-0-43-3

Yususf Pathan 2-0-24-0

Suresh Raina 1-0-5-0

Toss: New Zealand, who chose to field

Result: India won by 40 runs

Man of the Match: Virat Kohli (India)

Umpires: Nigel Llong (England) and Shavir Tarapore

TV umpire: Sanjay Hazare

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)

Source: Web Search

Bhupathi-Mirnyi to clash with Nestor-Zimonjic in World Tour Finals

Published>Sun, Nov 28 10 04:16 PM

London, Nov 28 (IANS) India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus cruised past Polish duo Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the year-end doubles title clash in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Third seeds Bhupathi and Mirnyi will face second seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, the 2008 winners, who saved a match point to beat three-time former champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 in 71 minutes Saturday.

Bhupathi and Mirnyi are chasing their second title of the season, having triumphed two weeks ago at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris-Bercy.

They are through to the championship match at the season finale for the first time after failing to advance past the group stages on their previous two appearances in 2003 and 2004.

The third seeds started brightly and broke through in the seventh game courtesy a forehand volley error by Fyrstenberg, before Mirnyi went on to seal the set with a service hold in the 10th game.

The Poles were under pressure right from the start of the second set, with Matkowski forced to save three break points in the first game. Their resistance crumbled in the third game, though, as Fyrstenberg's serve was broken and Bhupathi and Mirnyi established a 3-1 lead.

The Polish duo saved two match points on Matkowski's serve in the ninth game before saving a further two match points in the following game. Mirnyi was strong on the duo's fifth match point chance, though, punching a backhand volley down the middle forcing an error from Fyrstenberg after 82 minutes of play.

It is the fourth win in four meetings this season for Bhupathi and Mirnyi over their Polish opponents.

In contrast, Nestor and Zimonjic had to battle past the formidable Bryans.

In a tense match tie-break, Zimonjic played a fine backhand half-volley down the line at 7-8 that settled his nerves.

Nestor and Zimonjic could not convert one match point opportunity at 9-8 when Bob hit an ace. Nestor saved one match point with an unreturned serve at 9-10, before Zimonjic hit a mid-court backhand winner at 11-10 for a place in the final.

'We've had a lot of great battles over the years,' said Nestor. 'Today was a typical match between the two teams where it's very evenly matched. We were fortunate to win in the end.'

'We did a lot of good things. But basically we're playing with good energy. We're serving well. I served well when I had to. I wasn't necessarily serving well the whole time. Nenad has been serving well the whole week.'

It was Nestor and Zimonjic's first win over the Bryans since October 2009 at the Swiss Indoors Basel final.

Source: Web Search

AOA to approach Union Sports ministry for financial package

Sun, Nov 28 10 03:36 PM

Itanagar, Nov 28 (PTI) Arunachal Olympic Association (AOA) will soon approach the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports M S Gill to ask for a special financial package for development of sports in the state. A meeting convened between all heads of state level sports associations here yesterday resolved to approach the state government for expansion, renovation and modernisation of the congested Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Naharlagun, AOA sources said today. Newly appointed president of Arunachal Pradesh Football Association and Member of Parliament Takam Sanjoy suggested the AOA for holding a joint meeting with the state Government involving the Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu to discuss various sports related issues, including immediate formulation of the long-pending sports policy, fund allotment, infrastructure development, creation of posts in sports and youth affairs department, proper implementation of the five per cent job reservation for meritorious sports persons in various state government departments. Sanjoy also stressed on the need to re-constitute various district level sports bodies and associations to make them more efficient. Regretting the lack of coaches in almost all sports disciplines, excepting football, badminton and karate, the MP suggested AOA for appointment of coaches on contract basis. He advised the heads of various sports associations to place their demands and requirements before AOA well in advance so that it could arrange for them their requirements, the sources added.

Source: Published>

Strauss, Cook dominate to revive England

Published>Sun, Nov 28 10 03:08 PM

Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook both posted centuries on Sunday to wipe out England's first innings deficit and bring the tourists right back into the first Ashes test against Australia.

Starting the fourth day of the test 202 runs in arrears, England had reached 309-1 with a lead of 88 at the close of play with Cook on 132 not out and Jonathan Trott (54) at the crease.

Although they could not match the heights of Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin's partnership of 307 that put Australia in charge on the third day, Strauss and Cook's opening stand of 188 could end up being just as important at the end of the five-test series.

Where touring sides of recent years might have crumbled, Strauss and Cook showed England's boasts of their teams' resilience was not just talk.

"It was very important that we came back into the game today," said England captain Strauss. "Yesterday was a very frustrating day for us and some of our batmen needed to score some runs today. Fortunately Alastair and I were able to."

Strauss was removed for a duck in the third ball of the first innings but seized his chance in the second to claim his 19th test century -- his first since his 161 in the Lords Ashes test last July -- soon after lunch.

"It was my fourth Ashes hundred and every one of them is very special," said Strauss. "I had a bit of luck, it wasn't the best technical innings I've ever played, but in terms of importance it's up there."

VERY DISAPPOINTED

Cook had scored more slowly but was given fewer chances than his skipper and clinched his 14th test century, only his second against Australia, with a cut shot that sent the ball fizzing to the boundary just after tea to add to his first innings 67.

By that stage England's best partnership in a test at the Gabba had been broken and Strauss was furious with himself after coming down the wicket to occasional spinner Marcus North only to be stumped for 110 by wicketkeeper Haddin.

"It was not the sort of dismissal we were looking for," he said. "I was very disappointed with myself, both as a batsman and a captain."

Cook was joined by Trott, who rode his luck a little with some loose shots but helped put on 121 for the second wicket as Australian heads dropped after a long, hard day in the field.

Questions will be asked about the Australian paceman, in particular Mitchell Johnson, who failed to get anything out of the Gabba strip and remains wicketless in the test at the cost of 131 runs.

"We weren't able to sustain pressure for long enough," said Shane Watson, who thought it was unfair to single out Johnson.

"Unfortunately all of us as a bowling unit weren't able to execute for long enough to build up the pressure."

Australia's misery was compounded by three missed catches, Johnson dropping Strauss when the England captain was on 70 and Peter Siddle and Michael Clarke spilling two more difficult chances to dismiss Trott.

Even the umpire referral system, which saved Hussey's innings early on Saturday, went against the hosts when umpire Aleem Dar's refusal of Ben Hilfenhaus's appeal for lbw against Trott was upheld after the review of the TV footage.

"It's ebbed and flowed," said Watson of the match. "And it's always going to be like that throughout the whole series. A couple of little passages will decide it and I hope there's a little passage in it for us tomorrow."

Play was abandoned early because of bad light and will begin 15 minutes early at 09:45 local time (2345 GMT) on Monday.

Source: Web Search

FIFA should be begging England to stage 2018 World Cup: Venables

Published>Sun, Nov 28 10 02:06 PM

London, Nov.28 (ANI): Former England football manager Terry Venables has said that, England never should have bid for the 2018 World Cup, but should have allowed FIFA to beg it to stage it.

"Our rivals from Spain and Portugal, Russia and Holland and Belgium may beg to differ, but, when it comes to hosting the tournament, I believe we are the outstanding candidate. The logical choice. The most sensible solution," Venables writes in an article for The Sun.

"We have the fans, facilities and foundations to put on the greatest World Cup ever. All we need now is the nod from the bigwigs in Zurich on Thursday. It is certainly time the showpiece came to these shores again. We have not hosted it since that glorious summer of 1966. That means come 2018, it will be 52 years since the country that gave football to the world last staged the world's biggest football tournament," he added.

England hase not hosted a major tournament since Euro 96, when, of course, I was in charge of the Three Lions.

According to Venables, "It was a summer none of us will ever forget, a watershed moment in English football as we put on an extravaganza still talked about today. Even 141/2 years on, people still stop me to talk about it."

He said staging the 2018 World Cup would reproduce that feel-good factor. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Stars'' no-show hits attendance in Guwahati

Sun, Nov 28 10 01:52 PM

Guwahati, Nov 28 (PTI) Absence of stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the Indian team has affected attendance in their first ODI against New Zealand, the last match to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. Being the only stadium in the seven North Eastern states to host international cricket matches, the venue used to draw huge crowd who do not mind spending even chilly nights out to get in due to the early start of the games. However, the scene was different today for the one-day match between a new-look India under Gautam Gambhir and the Kiwis as attendance was far from satisfactory. Only about 16,000 tickets were sold for the match in the 23,000 capacity stadium, a senior Assam Cricket Association (ACA) official said. "Yes, this time the response was far from satisfactory as the stars preferred to take rest for the opening one-day match," he said. "The response was less even from the students who get concession on the price of the ticket," he said. Besides skipper Dhoni, India have rested star players Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh due to injury concerns ahead of the World Cup. The five-match series against Daniel Vettori''s men is India''s last outing in the sub-continent before they begin their campaign in the World Cup to be held in February-March next year to be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. To make the matter worse for the spectators, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori had to sit out due to injury. "Today''s match should have been a memorable one as it is the last match is the stadium, but there is disappointment because of absence of stars", Rajib Saikia, a student of Cotton College, said. The ACA has decided to host future matches at the Barsapara stadium exclusively built for cricket as the Nehru Stadium is a multi-purpose venue. "Several cultural events and other sports including football is played in the stadium and the curator gets hardly a month to prepare the ground", the ACA official said. The vendors selling placards, Indian flags, and hats were also dejected as business was dull. "We hardly get an international cricket match in this region and people wait for it. We finish selling the articles within half an hour but today we have to go back with our bags full", Ranbir Roy, a vendor, said outside the venue.

Source: Published>

Scoreboard of India's innings against New Zealand

Published>Sun, Nov 28 10 01:46 PM

Guwahati, Nov 28 (IANS) The following is the scoreboard of India's innings in the first One-Day International against New Zealand at the Nehru Stadium here Sunday.

India:

Murali Vijay c Hopkins b Tuffey 29

Gautam Gambhir c How b McKay 38

Virat Kohli c How b McKay 105

Yuvraj Singh c Hopkins b Tuffey 42

Suresh Raina c How b Mills 13

Yusuf Pathan c Taylor b Mills 29

Wriddhiman Saha c Hopkins b McKay 4

Ravichandran Ashwin c&b McKay 0

Ashish Nehra run out (Taylor) 0

Sreesanth c How b Mills 4

Munaf Patel not out 1

Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 8, nb 1) 11

Total (all out in 49 overs) 276

Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Vijay, 7.1 overs), 2-92 (Gambhir, 15.2), 3-180 (Yuvraj Singh, 34.2), 4-220 (Raina, 40.4), 5-250 (Kohli, 43.6), 6-256 (Saha, 45.1), 7-256 (Ashwin, 45.3), 8-257 (Nehra, 46.4), 9-275 (Pathan, 48.2)

Bowling:

Kyle Mills 10-0-42-3

Daryl Tuffey 8-0-56-2

Andy McKay 10-1-62-4

Grant Elliott 5-0-24-0

Nathan McCullum 9-0-53-0

Scott Styris 6-0-26-0

Kane Williamson 1-0-11-0

Toss: New Zealand, who chose to field

Umpires: Nigel Llong (England) and Shavir Tarapore

TV umpire: Sanjay Hazare

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)

Source: Web Search