Darwin: India won the Under-19 International Series after demolishing Australia by eight wickets in the final at Marrara Oval here on Friday. India never looked troubled in their run chase and reached Australia’s total of 75 in only the 16th over to finish the series unbeaten. Sanju Samson (20 not out) and Ankush Bains (40) got the team home with 207 balls to spare. Indian captain Vijay Zol won Player of the Series after a dominant tournament with the bat, scoring 284 runs. The Man of the Match was medium pacer Deepak Hooda, who in his 10 overs took three wickets for 22 runs. Abhimanyu Lamba, Chama Milind and Kuldeep Yadav struck twice as Australian batting collapsed like a house of cards. The Australian players may have spent last night watching one of last year’s Australian U-19 representatives, Ashton Agar, bat his way into history in England. But they were unable to use that inspiration to produce any Agar-like heroics with the bat. Australian fast bowler Matt Fotia was the only player to snare a five-for during the tournament and finished top of the bowling table with 10 scalps at an average of 17.20. Sixteen-year-old Jake Doran was the best of the Aussie bats throughout the tournament with a spectacular average of 195 and an aggregate of 195 runs (second behind Zol). The third in the team tournament was New Zealand. (IANS)
Kaneria’s presence in stadium raises eyebrows
Karachi: Disgraced Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria caused a stir when he showed up at the inaugural Ramazan Twenty20 Cup tournament, organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board, at the National Stadium here. Kaneria, however, clarified that he had only visited the stadium to meet his friends from the media and his former teammates in Habib Bank, which played here on Thursday night. The spinner’s presence clearly had the security and vigilance officer of the board present in the stadium rattled and uneasy but he showed enough respect to Kaneria and avoided any direct ejection orders from the stadium. “I don’t think I am making anyone uncomfortable. I don’t think the PCB should be concerned as I have only come here as a visitor and have avoided going down into the ground. I have remained in the pavilion building,” he said. But sources in the PCB said that Kaneria’s appearance had surprised the PCB security and vigilance officer, a former ISI operative, and he had called up high officials in the board to get instructions on the line of action. (PTI)
Kaushik can be hockey coach in Oltmans’ company: Sardar
New Delhi: Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh is in favour of a foreign coach as Michael Nobbs’s replacement, but said Olympian M K Kaushik too can live up to the job under High Performance Director, Roelant Oltmans’ guidance. Welcoming Kaushik’s appointment as a coach with the Indian men’s hockey team, Sardar said the Olympian has the credentials to produce results but needs a foreign expert like Oltmans to constantly guide him. “India has good coaches, there is no doubt about it. Kaushik sir is a very good coach. He doesn’t have to prove it to anyone. It was a good decision to bring him in. He can replace Michael Nobbs but he will need someone like Oltmans to guide him,” Sardar told PTI. “But I feel a foreign coach has better knowledge about the requirements of modern-day hockey. If Kaushik takes up Nobbs position, Oltmans will have to spent more time with us”, he said. “At end of the day the decision rests with Hockey India and they have already made it clear that a foreigner will be appointed as chief coach,” he said. (PTI)
I’ll run more than I did in England: Carlos Tevez
TURIN: Newly signed Juventus forward Carlos Tevez has vowed to work even harder than he did at Manchester City. Tevez joined the Serie A champion last month, bringing to an end a turbulent seven-year stint in English football. After his first training session on Friday, Tevez says “I’ll certainly have to run a lot more than in England.” Juventus is going for a hat trick of league titles — a feat it has not achieved since 1935. Tevez says “we’ve got a team capable of sealing a third successive title” but “we’ll also be able to give it our best in the Champions League, which remains everyone’s dream. I just want to work hard and do all I can for the team.” (Agencies)