Sunday, 2 August:After catching a cold by not bringing a spare opening batsman for the Ashes series in England, Australia almost went down with swine flu by bringing only one specialist wicketkeeper. Perhaps it is because Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist shared the keeper's duties for 20 years (1988-2008) – if we overlook Phil Emery's solitary appearance in Lahore in 1994 – that Australia appear to take their keepers for granted.
The selectors thought long and hard about putting all their eggs in Brad Haddin's basket when they sat down to pick their squad for this trip. Some thought that Mike Hussey or Phillip Hughes could keep in an emergency. That would have left them looking red-faced on Thursday morning when Haddin, Australia's leading run-scorer in the series, was forced out of the side with a broken finger. England's sporting behaviour in allowing Graham Manou to play after the team had been confirmed, with Haddin in it, was ridiculously overplayed yesterday.
The real story would have been if Andrew Strauss and the England management had refused. If there is no spirit within cricket, the game is simply not worth playing. There was never any chance of England saying no. Manou was rushed into the team so quickly that he did not even have time to pick up his baggy green cap. That was awarded to him on Friday. He is 30, just as Wally Grout was when he won his first cap for Australia in 1957. This might persuade people to think that he and Haddin are the only two keepers in Australia, which would be unfair.
Manou has come through ahead of Luke Ronchi, of Western Australia, Chris Hartley (Queensland), Matthew Wade (Victoria) and Tim Paine (Tasmania). Ronchi, 28, became Australia's No2 keeper after Gilchrist retired. He is an outstanding top-order hitter, with a strike rate of 205.40 from his four one-day internationals. Wade, 21, who is also an Australian Rules footballer, is a left-hander capable of playing long innings. Hartley, 27, and Paine, 24, are also keepers who can bat. But none of them have played in a Test match.
England, with great wicketkeeping traditions, still have the greater strength in depth. Tim Ambrose and the unlucky James Foster have played 17 Tests between them and, although Chris Read and Geraint Jones look unlikely to play for England again (Matt Prior is becoming established and the selectors await the qualification of Somerset's Craig Kieswetter next year), there is plenty of experience in the shires. While the world has been full of classy wicketkeeper-batsmen in recent years (just who do Prior, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahendra Dhoni, Mark Boucher and Brendon McCullum think they are?), Manou is something of a throwback.
He has good hands – he is considered better behind the stumps than Haddin – and looks something of a late-order hitter. Two of his first three balls in Test cricket were hit to the ropes on Friday, though he did not last long. Manou might be a tyro at this level, but he was given a contract and picked for this tour because he is battle-hardened, having played 88 games for South Australia in a decade as a first-class cricketer.
When he was out for a first-ball duck at Northampton, the warm-up game for the Edgbaston Test, he might have wondered whether he would feature again on this tour. But he scored an unbeaten half-century in the second innings and then, on Thursday, came his big chance in a Test. He looked tidy in the little time we had to view him on Friday, though the ball did not move around for the Australian fast bowlers as it had done for England's.
Today we might be able to make a sounder judgement. He has some character. He was dropped by South Australia after a poor run with the bat in 2006 and missed the game against England that winter. But he scored a career-best 190 against Tasmania in 2007 and was given the captaincy of the side last season.
Two Pura Cup centuries in his 647 runs, together with his 33 dismissals, eased him ahead of his rivals and on to the plane for England. The previous season, he had replaced Shane Deitz in the state team and proved himself to be a batsman of some substance. With 596 runs at an average of 37.25, he was the leading scorer in the South Australia side.
A promising junior, he was voted player of the tournament when he captained his state in the 1997-98 national under-19 carnival in Melbourne. In 1999-2000 he replaced Tim Nielsen, the current Australia coach, in the side. His athletic and technically sound keeping caught the eye immediately, though batting was a battle for him at first – he made ducks in four of his first five innings in the first-class game. His girlfriend is Tamsyn Lewis, the Australian middle-distance runner who has won three Commonwealth Games gold medals.
He was born with a hole in his heart, which was discovered after he felt chest pains when he was 11. Two years ago, he organised a 960-mile Tour de Heart bike race from Alice Springs to Adelaide to raise money for cardiac research. He did this again last year, but had to cancel his plans for another event this year because of the Ashes tour.
BCCI's worry: Deadline penalty
MUMBAI: Whether Indian cricketers agree to adopt the anti-doping norms or not, the more serious issue awaiting BCCI right now is whether it would ICC let its players get penalised for missing the July 31 - first information filing - deadline. BCCI president Shashank Manohar, secretary N Srinivasan, the board's chief administrative officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty simply refuse to comment. "That will be decided after tomorrow's (working committee) meeting," is the reply.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) says a majority of players from across all countries have agreed to adopt the norms, with India being the only exception. The World Anti-Doping Authority (Wada) code requires players in ICC's international testing pool, to sign the 'whereabouts' clause. Missing the deadline, for the record, incurs severe penalties. Even the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) has said "if Indian players do not pay the fine, the rule will have to be applicable to everybody else." This should further put BCCI in a fix.
So, the issue concerning penalties on players will be on top of the mind of those attending the working committee meeting on Sunday. Senior cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag will be present in the meeting and TOI has learnt that the players will be arriving armed with their standard argument that they are not comfortable with the "out-of-competition" testing clause.
ICC's company lawyer Iain Higgins is in Mumbai to explain the intricacies of the Wada clause and also convey ICC's point of view. The Indian board, however, has already decided that it is going to solidly back its players. "Remove that one clause and we're okay with it," is the board's stance. The ICC generally believes that if cricket, as a sport, needs to get global, then becoming an Olympic sport - or at least aiming for a slot - should be the main primary aim. In such a scenario, it becomes mandatory for the sport to sign up the anti-doping policy norms.
BCCI, on the other hand, is not concerned with the idea. "The testing happens during ICC events. We're okay with it even if they are tested during bilateral events. Even during training, it is fine. But not when there's no cricket happening," the players say. BCCI completely agrees with that.
Even if that is mutually settled, with ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat saying that "a few changes can be made" in the clause if deemed necessary, it is to be seen if Wada will accept it.
Hamilton excited about Schumacher’s return
NEW DELHI: These days, Lewis Hamilton is enjoying time off the gruelling Formula One circuit.
A much-needed victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix last week may not significantly brightened up his hopes of retaining the tag of the World champion but Hamilton has reasons to believe that he can win a few more races from the remaining seven in the season ahead.
“The spark inside me is brighter than before. I owe it to my team that always believed we could win. It was tough not to win for a long time. But the team kept pushing me.
“It was fantastic, everyone wanted to win and believed that it was possible,” said Hamilton during a promotional event in the Capital on Saturday.
Despitw the hot-and-humid weather Hamilton had to bat, bowl and field. He was playing a friendly tennis-ball six-a-side cricket match played between employees of Vodafone and a team including some local Ranji Trophy cricketers. Later, addressing the media, the 24-year-old Briton said he was excited that Michael Schumacher was making a comeback.
“I am excited that we’ll be racing again. It was always my dream to race against someone like Michael. It is beyond winning or losing. It is an opportunity to be part of the same race as Michael. I am already looking forward to it,” said Hamilton, who started driving at the age of eight.
Force India’s prospects
When asked about the prospects of Force India opening its account, Hamilton was optimistic.
“They are using something that we developed two and half years ago. They are taking a step forward. I think they’ll get better.”
On the subject of the Grand Prix coming to India in 2011, Hamilton said, “I hope the race is held in winter. I am happy to know that there is a huge following for Formula One in the country. I am sure it’ll be exciting to race before the Indian fans.”
Kohli, Saha too hot for SA
Calcutta: Virat Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha scored the bulk of the runs as India defeated South Africa by 17 runs to win the Emerging Players Tournament in Brisbane Saturday.
Put in to bat, India scored 283 for nine in their allotted 50 overs. Kohli led the charge with a 102-ball 104 and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman scored 74 off 59 balls.
The South Africans, in the final with an all-win record, were then bowled out for 266 in 46.2 overs with Sudeep Tyagi returning figures of four for 72.
India’s start was not an ideal one. Tall South African pacer Lonwabe Tsotsobe, who returned figures of five for 69, dealt twin blows in the very first over of the match. He first trapped in-form Ajinkya Rahane in front of the wicket soon after the opener smacked the left-armer for a six over extra cover. Off the next ball, Tsotsobe had Murali Vijay lbw for a duck with a full-length delivery. That left India struggling at seven for two.
Thereafter, Kohli, the other opener, and captain Subramaniam Badrinath, did a bit of repairing job with a 49-run partnership for the third wicket before three quick dismissals saw India tottering at 109 for five by the 22nd over.
Then came Wriddhiman, who added 78 for the sixth wicket with Kohli to get the Indian innings back on track. Kohli was particularly prolific on the leg side, hitting sixes in consecutive overs with superb feet movement. He brought up his century in 97 balls before giving a straight forward catch to Beharsien at extra cover.
Useful contributions from leg-spinner Amit Mishra (25 off 22 balls) and Abhishek Nayar (23) down the order ensured a 280-plus score for India.
In reply, the South African openers made a steady start to their run chase, putting on 52 for the first wicket. However, the Indian bowlers brought their side back into the game, picking up wickets at regular intervals. Opener Rilee Rossouw slammed 35 from just 16 balls, including consecutive sixes off Tyagi, before the lanky right-arm pacer cleaned him up.
Kohli finished the tourmanment as the highest scorer, with 398 runs from seven matches with two centuries and as many half-centuries, while Tyagi was the highest wicket taker with 14 scalps from six matches.
New kid on the block
Moushumi Bora, TNN 2 August 2009: A smile was enough. While Gaganjeet Bhullar's peers railed against the madness of non-stop golf at the end of last season, the youngster from Gaganjeet BhullarKapurthala had a bright spark on his visage. "I'm playing 40 tournaments next season so I better be ready." Perhaps he knew he was on the verge of a breakthrough as the gathering scribes simply nodded, impressed by the visible commitment.
While his success on different levels spoke of a winning mentality, there were murmurs about his lack of finishing grit on the professional front. There were encouraging whispers too - Give him a break, he's not even an adult...
He got his break. But it wasn't something that came out of the blue. In 2007, he was on the brink of claiming the same Indonesia event he won last week but fate had other ideas, as Juvic Pagunsan's birdie-eagle finish put paid to his ambitions. Sometimes there are moments that make you bigger and better, or shatter your confidence. This near-miss made Gaganjeet more driven. He felt that the tide would turn eventually and perhaps, there was a divine message when he turned up with the most miraculous round when it mattered.
Last year, Bhullar made a dramatic final-round move in the season's penultimate event, the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open, where he fired a 64 to edge Adam Groom to the 65th spot on the Order of Merit, the final place for a full Asian Tour card, by a meagre $681.
But then, his recent successes are not all about fortune. "I worked really hard during the last two off-seasons," Bhullar told TOI from Bandar Seri Begawan, where he is playing the Brunei Open. "My approach has become much more positive and the Asian Tour experience has, of course, helped me a lot."
"I have learnt that patience is an underrated virtue in a game where the mind plays the biggest part," the 21-year-old added.
After making big leaps on the domestic circuit, Bhullar proceeded to win the International Final Qualifying for the British Open, becoming the youngest Indian player to play golf's oldest Major. Offered the opportunity to play among the world's best, Bhullar went through elaborate preparations in Scotland, and played a Tuesday practice round with the country's best export, Jeev Milkha Singh.
Although Jeev had to withdraw because of injury, it was not before he had offered his pupil a dossier of advice. "Jeev told me about the pressures of playing in a Major. There's so much you can learn by watching how he conducts himself on the course. There were lessons about course management, and the mental side of the game," he reprised.
Jeev himself reserved high praise for the youngster. "He's only 21 and who says he can't be better than a Jeev, Arjun (Atwal) or Jyoti (Randhawa) in the long run," the world No. 41 told TOI from Chandigarh. "He is definitely the complete package. A strong lad who can hit big and putt well, and the most important thing is that he has a good head. I've told him to keep his feet on the ground, stay focused."
While Jeev 'sir' is a hard man to catch, Gaganjeet is more likely to bump into Jyoti, and the three times Indian Open champion is comfortable wearing the cloak of a mentor. "Jyoti has been fantastic throughout. He is always telling me what to do and what to eat as well... all the basic stuff. He's someone you can count on," Bhullar said.
Earlier this year, Bhullar had attributed his domestic success to psychoanalyst Dr Pradeep Aggarwal for the transformation of "visualisation to reality" but he has learnt in the last few outings that things are not so simple. "I'm travelling alone now and I am relying on my natural instincts because ultimately you are alone on the course. Having said that, my father has been a great source of confidence over the phone," he said.
His victory in Indonesia will earn him slots in the co-sanctioned events, and he is ready to rub shoulders with the big guns again. "I remember playing with the cigar-chomping Miguel Angel Jimenez at the Johnnie Walker Classic. However, my attitude has changed since then. You cannot be in awe of such players. We are all playing to win the same prize."
The goals are being revised also. "Earlier, I was thinking of playing on the Japanese Tour but now if my schedule allows me, I'll attempt to qualify for the European and US PGA Tours. While it's logical to take it step by step, I am more keen on the latter because I feel that the USPGA is a refined version of the Asian Tour."
Looks like it's fast forward for Indian golf's new star.
Tayeb packs off top seed Dipika
CHENNAI: Nour el Tayeb served a shock to the system on Saturday, sending top seed Dipika Pallikal tumbling out of the World junior squash championships. Tayeb will take on her namesake, Nour el Sherbini, in an all-Egyptian girls’ final on Sunday, while the boys’ title clash will be contested between defending champion Mohamed el Shorbagy and second seed Ivan Yuen of Malaysia.
The fourth seed, Tayeb, trounced the favoured Dipika in four games, cutting short the Indian’s slapdash attempts to claw her way into a position of dominance after the players were locked at one game each.
Trailing after losing the third, the Indian appeared to have got the measure of her younger opponent as she went for low-percentage shots in the fourth game — her sneer intensifying with the impossible angulations of her wrist. But sneering can take one only so far, and another improbable attempt to kill a stray floater — that was blasted into the tin at matchball — gave the Egyptian a shot at the title.
Submerged in a sea of personnel after her win, Tayeb said: “I’m speechless. I’ve never seen more than two photographers at my matches in Egypt. My coach here advised me to avoid playing to Dipika’s forehand, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Sherbini, who had accounted for Heba el Torky in the quarterfinals, was dealt an easy hand against eighth seed Maria Toor Pakay of Pakistan in the other semifinal. For someone who took to squash as a fitness measure, Toor Pakay still appeared to be hounded by ‘weighty’ issues, and with the willowy Sherbini running circles around her, movement was always going to be a problem for the Pakistani.
So each time Toor Pakay slammed a prospective, full-blooded forehand winner into the wall, all Sherbini had to do was caress the ball away and watch her rival sway and stumble in her approach.
Shorbagy, too, had a non-encounter of a semifinal against compatriot Andrew Wagih Shoukry. Both players, positive and negative replicas of each other in black and white tops, scurried about like laboratory hamsters after a bobbing ball of cheese. But the boys’ top seed wasn’t really taxed, getting a straight-games verdict his way, as Wagih appeared a touch subdued even during the warming up phase. Pakistan’s escape artist Aurangzeb Mehmud finally had the door shut on him by Ivan Yuen, who was all business in the second semifinal.
With a track record of fretting and fuming when things didn’t do his way on court, Aurangzeb had several spectators hanging around the venue purely for entertainment of a different kind. But both his game and his temper were kept in check by the efficiency of Ivan’s minimalist approach, which left the Malaysian a winner at six, nine and three.
India recovers to subdue England
Birmingham: In a splendid second half action, India nullified the 0-2 deficit and managed to win the second hockey Test 4-3 and level the series 1-1 against England at the University of Birmingham on Friday.
It is a rare instance of Indians recovering from a two-goal deficit within 27 minutes and then netting one in the first half and three in the second.
England had a comfortable lead when Ashley Jackon put the team ahead in the 26th minute and within four minutes Jonty Clarke enlarged the lead. Only late in the first half could India find the rhythm and strike, a goal coming from Arjun Halappa at the stroke of half-time from a penalty corner. Shortly after the break, India levelled 2-2 when Dhanjaya Mahadik struck from a penalty corner. Thereafter India kept up the pressure and Rajpal Singh gave India the well deserved lead.
England hit back again to restore parity at 3-3 thanks to the second strike by Ashley Jackson. Within a minute before the final whistle came the match-winner from Gurvinder Singh Chandi. India not only inched back into the match but displayed admirable measure of speed and skill to shock the home team. Adrian D’Souza brought off a few saves to keep the big turnout of Indian spectators at the venue happy.
Speaking after the match, India’s outstanding goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza said: “It feels good to have levelled the series and to make the saves I did against a side with the quality that England has was great.”
Learning exercise
India’s Spanish coach Jose Brasa refused to get carried away with the comeback and put the result down to renewed confidence in his team. “We’re not worried about the result tonight. We haven’t come here to win, we’ve come to learn. They are trying new things that they are not used to. In the second half, we gave the players more confidence to play how they know.”
England’s coach Jason Lee, who will announce his squad for the EuroHockey Nations Championships early next week, blamed missed opportunities for his side’s defeat: “At 2-0 up we were playing well but the sign of a good team is to put the game away in that position.
“We had several good opportunities to go 3-0 up but we didn’t take them and we really lost the game in about the 28th minute when we could have put it to bed. In the second half we were lethargic and lackadaisical and India came back well.”
India plays the third and final Test on Sunday at 3-30 p.m
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