Pakistan eye series win at 'favourite' venue Eden Gardens

January 1, 2013

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Kolkata, Jan 1: When Pakistan last featured in an ODI at the Eden Gardens, in 2004, John Wright was still India's coach, Sachin Tendulkar was a 'regular' in limited-overs cricket, T20s and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were yet to appear on the scene and Rahul Dravid was still carrying two types of gloves in his kit bag - the regular ones to shore up a wobbly middle-order and the big ones to keep wickets.

India and Pakistan have only played each other sporadically in the last eight years. New faces have replaced old legs, but cricket's most fascinating rivalry still retains the fizz that fills the stands and drives TRP ratings.

As the Misbah-ul-Haq-led Pakistan squad trooped into the City of Joy on New Year's eve, looking to wrap up the three-match ODI series, it was clear that winds of change have also swept through their ranks.

While Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal are the only surviving members of the Pakistan side, led by Inzamam-ul Haq, that had humbled India by six wickets in the BCCI Platinum Jubilee (one-off) match played on November 13, 2004, only two Indian players - Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh - from that match have survived the ravages of time and form.

Winning is the only thing that matters in India-Pakistan clashes, and the visitors from across our western border have a monopoly over it at the Eden Gardens where they boast an all-win record against India in limited-overs cricket. Their winning streak here dates back to 1987, when Kolkata hosted its first-ever ODI.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth's brilliant 103-ball 123 was overshadowed by Salim Malik's fearsome onslaught - a 36-ball unbeaten 72. Pakistan had clinched the issue with two wickets and three balls to spare in a 40-overs-per-side game.

Pakistan have also won the three other ODIs they have played here, including the Nehru Cup final against the mighty West Indies in 1989 when their skipper Imran Khan played a stellar role, both with bat and ball.

Pakistan, of course, had beaten India by 77 runs in the earlier phase of the tournament at the same venue with Imran contributing a 39-ball unbeaten 47. Pakistan's only setback here was against Sri Lanka in the 'second' final of the Independence Cup in 1997.

All these matches were before Sachin Tendulkar had burst on to the scene. The Eden crowd will, no doubt, miss the Little Master, whose aggregate of 496 runs in 13 matches is unlikely to be surpassed in a hurry.

Incidentally, Sachin's last appearance here in coloured clothing was in 2009 when India chased down Sri Lanka's 315/6 with 7 wickets and 11 balls to spare.

India may not have won an ODI against Pakistan at Eden Gardens, but their overall record here is not too bad, having won 10 of the 18 matches they have played here.

Among the seven losses India have suffered here, the one against Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup semifinal was a real heart-breaker.

PAKISTAN IN ODIs AT EDEN GARDENS

Feb 18, 1987: India 238/6 in 40 ovs (Srikkanth 123, Azharuddin 49; Akram 3/49, Imran 2/59). Pakistan 241/8 in 39.3 ovs (Rameez 58, Younis Ahmed 58, Salim Malik 72 no; Shastri 4/38). Pak won by 2 wkts

Oct 28, 1989 (Nehru Cup league match): Pakistan 279/7 in 50 ovs (Aamer Malik 51, Rameez 77, Imran 47 no; Ayub 2/31). India 202 all out in 42.3 ovs (Srikkanth 65, Lamba 57; Mushtaq Ahmed 3/51). Pak won by 77 runs.

Nov 1, 1989 (Nehru Cup final): West Indies 273/5 in 50 ovs (Haynes 107 no, Simmons 40; Imran 3/47). Pakistan 277/6 in 49.5 ovs (Ijaz Ahmed 56, Salim Malik 71, Imran 51 no; winston Benjamin 2/71). Pak won by 4 wkts.

May 27, 1997 (Independence Cup, 2nd final): Sri Lanka 309 in 49.4 ovs (Jayasuriya 55, Aravinda 57, Ranatunga 59; Saqlain 4/53). Pakistan 224 in 43.1 ovs (Rameez 76, Ijaz 55; Murali 3/40). Sri Lanka won by 85 runs

Nov 13, 2004 (BCCI Platinum Jubilee match): India 292/6 in 50 ovs (Sehwag 53, Laxman 43, Ganguly 48, Yuvraj 78). Pakistan 293/4 in 49 runs (Salman Butt 108 no, Shoaib Malik 61, Inzamam 75). Pakistan won by 6 wkts.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

London, Jan 11: Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's famous lap around the Wankhede Stadium after the World Cup 2011 win has been nominated in Laureas's list for the most inspiring sporting event in the last twenty years.

The moment featuring Tendulkar has been described as "Carried on the shoulders by a nation".

On his sixth attempt at the World Cup and with India not having won the competition since 1983, Tendulkar finally became a part of the team that lifted the coveted trophy. Carried on the shoulders of the Indian team, he made a lap of honour, shedding tears of joy after the victory was sealed in his home city.

The 2011 World Cup was also the first time, in which a host nation ended up winning the trophy.

Apart from Tendulkar, England's Andrew Flintoff is the only other cricketer to feature in the list. In 2005, England managed to defeat Australia in an Ashes Test, but Flintoff chose to first shake hands with Brett Lee rather than celebrate with his side.

Matthias Steiner (weightlifting), Natalie du Toit (swimming), Sky Brown (skateboarding), Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee (triathlon), Xia Boyu (mountaineering) have been nominated in the list.

Female tennis stars also feature in the list for coming up with an equal play, equal pay campaign. After pressure from Venus Williams and others, Wimbledon announced that female tennis players would receive prize money equal to the men's.

German international footballer Miroslav Klose was playing for Lazio in Italy's Serie A in 2012 against Napoli when he rose for a ball in the early moments of the game.

The ball came spiraling off his hand and skirted into the back of the net and a goal was awarded. While most players would carry on as if nothing had happened, Klose was honest with the referee and admitted that he handled the ball.

As a result, he also finds a place on the list.

The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where the sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way.

This campaign has shortlisted 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world.

The winner will be decided on the basis of public voting. It has already started, and the final date to cast the vote is February 16.

Finally, the result will be declared on February 17.
With three knock-out rounds, the top-20 moments will be whittled down to ten then five, with the top-five moments going head-to-head.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Srinagar, Jan 10: Real Kashmir FC made a strong comeback in the second half to play out a 1-1 draw against former champions Punjab FC in their home I-League match here on Friday.

The 'Snow Leopards' equalised in the 62nd minute through Gnohere Krizo in front of a partisan crowd of 8,500 spectators after Makan Chothe had given Punjab FC the lead in the 21st minute at the TRC ground.

After Thursday's draw, Punjab FC is placed third on the table with 10 points from seven games. Real Kashmir FC remained at eighth with six points from five matches. This was Real Kashmir's third home match on the trot.

The match was a story of two halves as the first belonged to the visitors who enjoyed a 62 per cent possession of the ball, whereas the second belonged to the home side.

Both the teams were looking to gain an early advantage and Punjab FC took the lead after 21 minutes.

Confusion inside the Real Kashmir box because of a long ball from Punjab opened up an opportunity for Chothe and he made no mistake as he smashed the ball at the back of the net.

As the fans cheered on, Real Kashmir created a flurry of chances, but none of the home side players could find the back of the net. Punjab was able to hold on to their slender lead heading into the tunnel.

The second half resumed with Real Kashmir pressing high up the field and pressurising Punjab.

In the 56th minute, Real Kashmir playmaker Kallum Higginbotham cut through two defenders on the left side of the box and the ball fell to Mason Robertson, whose shot was too weak to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper.

Soon after, it was Danish Farooq who tried a curler from a distance but his shot did not have enough bend to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper. The home team's effort finally paid off in the 62nd minute.

A miscalculated header by Danilo Augusto fell at the feet of Gnohere Krizo, who was one-on-one with the keeper. He made no mistake in striking the ball into the opponent's goal to score the equaliser.

Real Kashmir was in their groove now, and Kallum came in from the right with a beautiful low cross across the face of the goal but Mason could not get a touch as the chance went begging.

The duo of Kallum and Mason were proving difficult for Punjab to deal with. In the 82nd minute, a beautiful long ball by Kallum found the head of a towering Mason, but the effort went just over the crossbar.

Within a few moments, Punjab again had another nervous moment as Chesterpoul Lyngdoh's cross from the right side hit the arm of Thoiba Singh but the referee turned down an appeal for penalty.

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News Network
July 21,2020

Jul 21: The tickets sold for the now-postponed ICC T20 World Cup will remain valid if Australia hosts the edition in 2021 instead of India.

In case the event is shifted to 2022, all ticket-holders will be entitled to a full refund, the ICC stated on its website on Monday night after postponing the mega-event this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tournament was to be held in October-November but will now be conducted later because of the pandemic.

The ICC has not yet announced which country will host which edition as there are operational issues that both the Indian and Australian cricket Boards need to sort out.

The world body had opened ticket booking through its ticketing partners and a significant number was already sold.

"Ticket holders are welcome to retain their tickets, noting, if Australia hosts in 2021, tickets will remain valid for fans who have already bought and will be automatically updated to reflect the new dates.

"If Australia hosts in 2022, for tickets already bought a full refund will be processed automatically," ICC stated in a series of FAQs.

Fans can retain their tickets until a date is confirmed for the event.

Refund requests can be made until December 15 and they will be processed within 30 days after an online submission.

The hospitality package will also remain valid for the 2021 fixtures.

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