Honours even after see-saw day

CYMK
THE ECHO OF INDIA
8 Sport
New recruits
Vashum, Amoes,
Wali in Mumbai FC
Fed Cup squad
Midfielder Arata
Izumi to lead Pune
FC in Federation Cup
Brad Haddin ducks a Mohammed Shami bouncer
Belligerent
McCullum
puts NZ
in charge
CHRISTCHURCH, DEC
26/--/ Record-breaking
Brendon McCullum was at
his belligerent best as he
led New Zealand to a commanding 429-7 on the first
day of the first cricket Test
against Sri Lanka here today. His whirlwind 195 runs
off 134 deliveries included
11 sixes and 18 fours and
came after he lost the toss
and New Zealand were
Bhutia conferred honourary
degree by Jadavpur University
KOLKATA, DEC 26/--/ In recognition of his contribution
to Indian football, former captain Bhaichung Bhutia has
been conferred with a honourary degree in literature by the
prestigious Jadavpur University. West Bengal Governor and
University chancellor K N Tripathi conferred a degree of
Doctor of Literature on the former Indian football captain
at its 59th Annual convocation here. Bhutia, who led the
country with distinction for almost a decade, said he was "extremely touched and
grateful"
to
the
Jadavpur University
for bestowing this honour upon him. He
hoped that this recognition
of
sporting
achievement by an esteemed
institution
such as JU would go a long way in promoting sport among
India's youth. The university registrar read out the citation
as Tripathi handed over the honorary degree scroll to
Bhutia. Often called the torchbearer of Indian football,
Bhutia has been a recipient of several honours including
the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri. The latest recognition
for Bhutia comes less than a month after he was inducted
into the AFC's Hall of Fame by the Asian Football Confederation on November 30 in Manila.
MELBOURNE, DEC 26/--/ Captain
Steven Smith put himself on course for
his third successive century but India
bowled reasonably well to restrict Australia to 259 for five on the opening day
of the third cricket Test to leave the
match on an even keel here today.
Electing to bat, Smith again proved to
be the main tormentor for the visitors
as he anchored the innings to remain
undefeated on 72 at stumps on an absorbing first day of the Boxing Day Test
at the MCG. The Australians lost David
Warner (0) early but staged a recovery
through Chris Rogers (57) and Shane
Watson (52) with a 115-run partnership
for the second wicket. The hosts then
lost three quick wickets to allow the Indians to claw back into the game. From
a shaky 184 for four, the home team
reached 259 for five, mainly through
the watchful effort of their captain and
Brad Haddin, who remained not out on
23. Pacers Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami stuck to a tight line and
length to grab two wickets apiece
while
an
equally
impressive
Ravichandran Ashwin took one wicket.
Strike bowler Ishant Sharma was
impressive in his spells but ended the
day without an y wicket. Australia
were put on the backfoot as soon as the
match began as their danger-man
Warner got dismissed for a duck of f
Yadav in the second over itself. The
visitors, however, failed to capitalise
on the initial gains as Shikhar Dhawan,
who took a low catch at the slips to dismiss Warner, put down an easy one
when Watson was on 37 four overs before lunch. Austr alia went into the
lunch on a comfortable 92 for one. Australia were 259 for five in their first innings at stumps on the first day of the
third cricket Test against India here
today. Earlier, Rogers and Watson had
begun the post-lunch session looking
to extend their 92-run partnership from
the morning session and further frustrate the Indians. They began where
they left off, bringing up the 100-mark
in the 30th over as also their centurystand. In the very next over, lefthanded Rogers went on to score his
third successive fifty of the series, his
eighth overall in Tests. He reached
there off 113 balls, with five fours. At
the other end, Watson overcame his
poor run of scores and scored his first
Test fifty in nine innings, off 74 balls,
hitting four boundaries. The duo
looked good for plenty more when
Shami struck against the run of play.
Rogers was caught behind in the 37th
over after the bowler had regained his
composure after a poor display in the
mor ning session. In the very next over,
Ashwin removed Watson, tr apping
him LBW as he went for a sweep-shot.
The two bowlers then bowled a consistent spell, putting pressure on the
two new batsmen at the crease. In fact
it was the first sustained pressure-spell
from the Indian attack this series, with
Ishant and Umesh Yadav also keeping
things tight. The ground fielding also
improved after a horrendous display
in the morning. But Smith and Marsh
settled down to keep the scoreboard
ticking, picking up the odd boundary
when the opportunity presented. Just
before the tea break, they helped bring
up the 150-mark in the 52nd over, and
then their 50-run stand six overs later.
In the mor ning, Australia won the toss
and elected to bat first. The hosts
made two changes to their eleven from
the second Test. Ryan Harris came in
for Mitchell Starc while Joe Burns
made his debut in place of the injured
Mitchell Marsh. Rogers opened the innings with Warner. Ishant and Yadav
bowled superbly in their initial spells,
troubling the batsmen with their
movement and creating pressure from
both ends. It r esulted in Warner's
wicket, in the second over itself, out for
a duck caught off Yadav in the slips by
dhawan. Watson ar rived at the crease
and he too was put under pressure by
the two bowlers. Even as India looked
on top, using the little cloud cover to
their advantage, the pressure began to
SILIGUIRI
December 27, 2014
Brendon McCullum
made 195 off 134 balls
made to bat on a green
wicket that bore all the hallmarks of a bowler's paradise. McCullum, who admitted he desperately wanted
to win the toss to bowl first,
instead destroyed the Sri
Lankan attack with the bat
as he stood in century partnerships
with
Kane
Williamson and Jimmy
Neesham. Neesham was undone for 85, Williamson for
54. As McCullum bludgeoned the bowling, he
cracked the fastest century
in New Zealand Test history
and became the first New
Zealander to score 1,000
runs in a calendar year. He
equalled the New Zealand
record of 26 of f one over,
when he smashed three
sixes and two fours off one
over by Sri Lanka strike
bowler Suranga Lakmal,
and finished with 11 sixes,
one short of the world
record of 12 sixes in an innings held by Pakistan's
Wasim Akram. It was a colossal captain's knock
which began with Sri Lanka
skipper Angelo Mathews
feeling satisfied with New
Zealand at 88-3 when Ross
Taylor was run out in the
first over after lunch.
NEW DELHI, DEC 26/--/ Former India
captain Sunil Gavaskar today rated India's
bowling on the opening day of the third
cricket Test against Australia as their best
performance in the series so far but reminded that lack of quality bowling allrounder could hurt the visitors again going
into day two. India restricted Australia to
259 for five, keeping the run-rate below
three in the 90 overs bowled.
"It certainly was India's best effort with
the ball. It could have been even better for
India had they bowled a bit more fuller.
Having said that, there is no place for ifs
and buts in cricket," Gavaskar told NDTV
today. India have a perennial problem in
cleaning up the lower-order quickly and
Gavaskar thinks it could haunt them again
tomorrow. In-form captain Steven Smith is
batting on 72 and Brad Haddin 23 with India's tormentor in the Brisbane Test,
Mitchell Johnson, to follow. "Considering
Haddin has got four Test centuries,
ease off as Rogers-Watson combination began to settle down. They
started playing their shots and were
helped by a poor effort in the field by
the visitors. Runs started coming off
quickly, nearly four per over in the
first 10, and the 50-mark came up in
14th over. After the medium pacers
had lost their bearings, Ashwin was
brought into the attack and he got
some control giving away only four
runs in five overs he bowled. But
there were too many moments of
botched-up fielding efforts as India
let go of their chance to go into the
break in a better position. The worst
moment for India during the first
mor ning came when Watson was
given a life in the 25th over. Shami
was the unlucky bowler and he had
created enough pressure to induce
an edge when Dhawan jumped in
front of first slip and let go off a simple chance, much to the visitors' anguish. The batsman was on 37 at that
time. The duo avoided any such moments until the break thereafter. Australia had won the first Test in Adelaide by 48 runs and then the second
Test in Brisbane by four wickets to
take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series. India too made two changes,
bringing in Shami for Varun Aaron.
Rohit Sharma was dropped to make
way for debutant Lokesh Rahul, who
will be batting at number six. Skipper Steven Smith and Brad Haddin
were batting on 72 and 23, respectively at the close of play.
Scoreboard at the close on the opening day of the
third cricket Test between Australia and India
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today.
AUSTRALIA 1ST INNINGS
Chris Rogers
c Dhoni b Shami
57
David Warner
c Dhawan b Yadav
0
Shane Watson
lbw b Ashwin
52
Steven Smith
not out
72
Shaun Marsh
c Dhoni b Shami
32
Joe Burns
c Dhoni b Yadav
13
Brad Haddin
not out
23
Extras: (B-1, LB-6, W-1, NB-2) 10
Total: (For 5 wkts, 90 overs) 259
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-115, 3-115, 4-184, 5-216.
Bowling: Ishant Sharma 21-6-54-0, Umesh Yadav 20-2-69-2,
Mohammed Shami 17-4-55-2, R Ashwin 27-7-60-1, Murali
Vijay 5-0-14-0.
Disappointed to not get a
big score: Chris Rogers
MELBOURNE, DEC 26/-/ He cracked a half-century
to lay the foundation for Australia's first innings but
opener Chris Rogers said he
was "frustrated" and "disappointed" to miss out on a big
score on the opening day of
the third cricket Test against
India here today. The hosts
finished at 259/5, thanks to
Steve Smith's 72 not out and
Rogers' 57 runs, which was
studded with five boundaries. "I am just frustrated really. I think three scores in
the fifties is good in some respect but it is also very disappointing that the amount
of handwork you put and
then put yourself in that
position. You can get a big
score," Rogers told reporters.
of it," said the opener.
India bowled best in
series so far : Gavaskar
Harris Shield: Rajhans
Vidyalaya Bundled
Out for Four Runs
MUMBAI, DEC 26/--/
Rajhans
Vidyalaya
(Andheri) suffered an unprecedented batting collapse to be bundled out
for a paltry four runs in
the second innings to
lose
their
Mumbai
Schools Sports Association (MSSA) Harris
Shield Plate Division
boys U-16 inter-school final ag ainst Yashodham
High School (Goregaon)
at Shivaji Park on December 4. Yashodham's
Gaurang Sachar was the
chief
architect
of
Rajhans' misery after
claiming six wickets for
zero runs in his four
overs. Gaurang also
starred with the bat,
scoring 85 runs, to help
his team clinch their
maiden Plate Division
(Group D) title by an innings and 187 runs.
While Gaurang took the
wickets
of
Vedant
Sarkhot,
Chinmay
Pa ra b,
Panav
Teckchandan, Omkar
Machindar,
Devang
Jadhav and K austubh
Funde, left-arm-spinner
Ryan Thomas took the
remaining four wickets,
giving away just two
runs. While Rajhans'
Sanmeet Anand scored
two runs, the other two
came through extras.
Honours even after see-saw day
MUMBAI, DEC 26/--/
New
recruits
midfielders Reisangmei
Vashum and Amoes along with defender
Chika Wali were today
named in the 20-member
Mumbai FC squad for the
Federation Cup football
tournament commencing
on December 28 in Goa.
The team has been pooled
into Group A and will be
playing
at
the
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
in
Fatorda,
Margao, said a media release from the club.
The squad:
Goalkeepers:
Kunal
Sawant and Nidhin Lal A
C. Defenders: Chika Wali,
Justine Stephen, Collin
Abrranches,
Rahul
Bheke
and
Kali
Alaudeen. Midfielders:
Ashutosh
Mehta,
Reisangmei Vashum, Climax Lawrence, Taisuke
Matsugae,
Pradeep
Mohanraj, Amoes, Dane
Pereira and Rohit Mirza.
Forwa rds:
Sampath
Kutty Mani, Josimar da
Silva Martin, Mohammed Rafi, Jayesh Rane,
and Cletus Paul.
PUNE, DEC 26/--/ Longserving midfielder Arata
Izumi will lead a 20-member Pune FC squad at the
36th edition of Federation Cup football tournament commencing in Goa
on December 28. Under
Arata's leadership, Pune
FC had finished runnersup in the Durand Cup
held this year in Goa and
it will be their seventh appearance in the country's premier knock out
tournament since inception. T "The Feder ation
Cup is a very important
tournament. Our group
is definitely the toughest
out of the two groups in
this year?s competition.
But, I have full faith in all
the players in our squad
and we will give our
best," said Pune FC
coach Karim Bencherifa.
The squad:
Goalkeepers: Amrinder
Singh, Arup Debnath,
Avilash Paul. Defenders:
Luciano Sabrosa, Matthew Gonsalves, Raju
Yumnam, Zohmingliana
Ralte, Salam Ranjan
Singh, Munmun Timothy Lugun Midfielders:
Bineesh Balan, Arata
Izumi (Capt.), Ryuji
Sueoka,
Velington
Rocha, Dhanpal Ganesh,
Nikhil Kadam, Anthony
D'Souza,
Mumtaz
Akhtar,
Lalrempuia
Fanai Forwa rds: Eric
Brown, Thongkhosiem
Haokip.
Saturday
CYMK
GAME NOTES
RNI: WBENG/2013/49934
Johnson has got one too, Australia can cross
400 as well. As it is, Smith is such at ease
whether it is taking on spinners or the faster
bowlers. India have to get him early tomorrow and then try to wrap up the innings at
the earliest," said Gavaskar. Asked what he
thought of M S Dhoni's stance of playing
with four specialist bowlers, Gavaskar said:
"Well there was a batting collapse in the second innings in Brisbane and Dhoni thinks it
is better to play six specialist batsmen with
he being the seventh. It has been like that
for a while now. "That is why India needs
someone who can make an impact (with the
ball), take five wickets two or three times in
a series if not at all times. India doesn't have
a quality all-rounder," said the former India
captain. Gavaskar said he did not find anything wrong with the selection of debutant
Lokesh Rahul over someone like a Suresh
Raina. Rahul has been brought into the
eleven in place of an out-of-form Rohit
Sharma. (PTI)
Dravid is the man behind rise
of S Chikkarangappa
Steven Smith flicks one
onto the leg side
KOLKATA, DEC 26/--/ He was once considered 'the wall'
of Indian batting and now, post retirement, Rahul Dravid is
helping emerging sportspersons and golfer S
Chikkarangappa is one among them. Inspired by Dravid's
mentorship, the 21-year-old Bengaluru lad is eyeing the
numero uno position in the 2014 Rolex Rankings for the
PGTI order of merit and is on a high having won his maiden
International at the Asian Development Tour. "It's a dream
come true to be mentored by the legendary Rahul Dravid.
I've been associated with him for last six months," Chikka
said giving credit to 'Dravid Sir' for his rise in Indian golfing scene. "He told me 'always try to be in the situation. Focus on the particular day and leave the past behind', which
is in fact working for me," he said about the mentorship programme by Go Sports Foundation that also has paralympic
swimmer Sharath Gayakwad. The former India captain is
an ambassador of the GoSports Foundation, which is working to empower Indian sports persons through their programme. "I had always been a big fan of him as Test cricket
was my favourite sport... But I fell in love with golf as I grew
up near a golf course," Chikka, who lives at Bidadi in the
outskirts of Bengaluru, said. "He's currently busy with the
India-Australia series but we expect him to be with us during January-February next year." His association with
Dravid did the trick as Chikka became the second Indian
after Sujjan Singh to win on the Asian Development Tour
when he bounced back with a final round of five-under 67
to win the TAKE Solutions India Masters at his home course
Eagleton.
Hughes' bat to be taken to top of Mount Everest
MELBOURNE, DEC 26/--/ In a unique tribute to Phillip Hughes, the Cricket Association
of Nepal (CAN) is planning to place a bat belonging to the late Australian cricketer on top
of the Mount Everest. CAN has written a letter
to Cricket Australia (CA) and they are working
on the initiative. In the letter addressed to CA
chairman Wally Edwards, CAN outlined how
it wanted to honour the fallen Test opener with
a 63-over tribute match. "The Nepalese have
asked CA if it would be possible to have one
of Hughes' bats, a piece of his clothing and
a CA flag to take to the world's highest point
during the next climbing season in MarchApril," wrote WAtoday.com. "What a wonderful
tribute," Edwards was quoted as saying by the
website. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia
trademarked the phrase "63 not out" to stop
people from making money at the expense of
the former Test opener, who died after being
hit by a bouncer during a domestic match in
Sydney. He was on 63 when he was hit by the
ball. "Cricket Australia registered the trademark in conjunction with Phillip's management purely as a defensive registration to prevent others trying to exploit Phillip's memory,"
a CA spokesman said. "There was some evidence of that starting to occur which is why
we have taken this action." There was unlicensed Phillip Hughes merchandise being sold
on online auction sites including t-shirts, stickers and memorial trophies, the report said.
(PTI)
Printed and published by G P Pradhan, owned by Asish Laha and published from 3, Birendra Krishna Bhadra Sarani, Siliguri-734 001
and printed at Echo Printing Press, Jaduvita, Milan More, Siliguri-734 003, Editor : G P Pradhan.
CYMK
In an initiative
proposed by the
Cricket Association of Nepal, a bat
belonging to the
late Australian
batsman Phillip
Hughes will be
placed atop the
Mount Everest.