NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (Agencies) : The tussle for continental supremacy in women's hockey gets underway when the fifth Women's Asia Cup begins at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Sunday.
Eight teams, the largest number ever in the history of the tournament, would vie for honours in a league-cum-knockout format to decide the Asian champions, president of Indian Women's Hockey Federation Vidya Stokes told reporters here today.
The tournament, to be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Vijay Goel, would be played over a span of eight days with the winner getting an automatic qualification for the 2006 World Cup.
India, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist, have been placed in Pool A and would begin their campaign against Malaysia on the opening day of the tournament.
World Championship bronze medallist China and Kazakhstan are the other two teams in India's pool.
Defending Champions South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and Singapore were placed in Pool B with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semifinals.
Pointing out India could not make it to the Olympic Qualifiers even despite winning the Commonwealth Games and the Afro-Asian Games, Stokes said the hosts were well prepared to take up the challenge here and book their World Cup berth.
India who did not participate in the first Asia Cup held in Seoul in 1983, finished fourth in the second edition (at Hong Kong, 1989), won the bronze medal in the third (Hiroshima, 1993) and were runners-up in the last edition of the event held in the national capital in 1999.
IFA decision too tough: Former players KOLKATA, Jan 30 (Agencies) : Former soccer internationals today described IFA's two-year ban on East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmick as 'too harsh' and opined that the popularity of the game would suffer in this mecca of Indian football in the absence of a dedicated and colourful personality like him.
Veteran coach P K Banerjee said the IFA should have considered sympathetically the circumstances which forced Bhowmick to make the comments against the parent body.
"Whatever he had said was in the interest of the club and soccer in general.
Nobody can question his dedication to the game," he said.
Banerjee also felt that the coaches always found themselves at the receiving end as they did not have any platform of their own.
"I think the matter should be sorted out through discussions," he added.
Echoing Banerjee, Mohun Bagan coach Aloke Mukherjee said that the quantum of punishment was 'too much' and urged the parent body to arrive at an amicable settlement with Bhowmick across the table.
Wright wants India to win at all times PERTH, Jan 30 (Agencies) : The Indians may have booked their berth in the tri-series finals but they would still go into the remaining two dead league matches with the determination to keep their intensity going.
Coach John Wright emphasised here today it was not enough that his side was in the finals saying it was of paramount importance that the side goes into the field with an attitude to win irrespective of the status of the game.
India and Australia have already booked their berths in the best-of-three finals beginning with the first in Melbourne on February 6.
"We have talked about that and boys are determined -- they are hungry to take the title home," said the coach as India take on Australia in a league match here on Sunday.
"But the finals are a long way off -- we are concentrating on the next game in two days' time," said Wright.
"It would be a nice way to leave the shores (with a title win).
"We have tried to have that belief right through the series that we are here to win cricket matches, we have not just come here to compete.
What we try is to achieve our game plan and play to our goals.
Then the results would take care of itself.
"We have that attitude that we want to win games.
That's what we are trying to do." As a measure of his intent, Wright said his team would be at its full strength against Australia who would be without their captain Ricky Ponting and one-day specialist Michael Bevan on Sunday.
"We would like to be at full strength, playing as a unit, leading up to the next week.
To be honest, we are extremely keen to do well this weekend," said Wright.
The coach expected both Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag to be fit for Sunday and get into some kind of form before the finals.
"We are expecting them to play.
They have been out for a while but they were in good nick when they went out.
It would be good if they could spend some time in the middle before the finals." Wright felt the one-day series has evolved into a kind of sluggers' duel between Australia and India and even a team which has scored 300 runs is not feeling entirely safe.
"Scores are getting bigger and the way the two sides have played, it seems even 300 is not safe, though we would take 300 at this stage! "The game is certainly evolving that way and it is great for public here and I hope in India." Wright said he felt the reputation of WACA as the fastest pitch in the world was no longer true.
Some high scores have been witnessed at the ground, including Matthew Hayden's world record score of 380 against Zimbabwe earlier this summer but Wright still thought it was not as quick as before.
"What will be of interest to an old fellow like me is the change in the nature of the wicket at WACA, it is not as quick as it used to be.
But frankly speaking, we have enjoyed the conditions in Australia this summer -- be it Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney.
WACA would be no different.
Kumble fighting against time to be fit for finals PERTH, Jan 30 (Agencies) : Match-winning leg-spinner Anil Kumble has had a glorious summer in Australia and he is keen to do his bit in the cricket tri-series finals against Australia as well but he appears to be racing against time.
Team physio Andrew Leipus, in his medical jargon, underplayed the extent of concern on Kumble's fitness but manager Shivlal Yadav did not think the leg-spinner should be risked in the finals.
"He needs rest and it is unlikely we would risk him in the finals in view of India's coming engagements," said Yadav in the nets today.
Leipus expressed horror at the mention of "surgery" on Kumble's famous shoulder but said "he is not going to play for now".
Leipus said Kumble's right shoulder would prevent him from throwing in the field though he was absolutely fine and has no problem in bowling.
"He is not going to play for now.
Bowling would not be a problem but he cannot throw at the moment and you can't really hide it in one-day cricket." Leipus said a scan had been done on Kumble which showed "small strain" in rotator cuff as well as soreness in the same area.
"There are a couple of things going in there.
We have had a scan done which shows a small strain in the rotator cuff as well as a chronic mild (soreness) in the same area which is because of the bowling he has done through the summer," said Leipus.
"We think the cuff has been strained through the increased amount of throwing in one-day cricket." Leipus said Kumble hurt himself and was feeling weak after the Brisbane match against Australia on January 18.
"He did knock himself down in the shoulder, he was complaining of pain and weakness after that Brisbane match.
"To settle it down nicely now, he needs a bit of rest and treatment and rehab.
He would not let anyone down.
So we are just playing it day by day -- he is pain free at the moment." Kumble did take part in the nets today at WACA and though he did not bowl, he participated in the throwing session at stumps, preferring to hurl his returns underarm so as not to hurt his shoulder.
Kumble was the stand-out bowler for India in the Tests, snarling 24 wickets in three games and all but won the series for the tourists.
Also missing from the nets was vice-captain Rahul Dravid but it was not because of any fitness issue.
Coach John Wright said Dravid said he tends to get dehyderated after he plays long innings and he was seeing a specialist in Perth who would advice him the right "fluids" to keep him going through long hours at crease.
"Dravid has played a lot of long innings this summer and like it happens whenever he bats long, he gets de-hyderated.
He is seeing a specialist who would suggest him fluids (to battle through those periods)," said Wright.
Tendulkar batted at the nets, and so did Virender Sehwag, as the two openers sought to shake off the rustiness of recent days which they have spent on bench because of ankle and shoulder injury respectively.
Tendulkar squared up to Laxmipathy Balaji in the early part of his nets before regaining his poise and Sehwag too seemed intent on just stroking a few balls along the ground.
The Little Master closed his session by knocking a few around without a helmet on his head -- a rare sight for the great man never lifts a bat without a headgear in place.
Bruce Reid, the former Australian left-arm fast bowler, joined the Indians in the nets today to resume his job of bowling coach and concentrated a great deal on Balaji and Amit Bhandari, even asking the computer analyst to videotape their action for remedial action afterwards.
Captain Sourav Ganguly had an extended batting session for himself, testing himself out against short-pitched deliveries on concrete in search for that batting form which produced that marvellous hundred at Gabba in the first Test.
India favourites: PCB chief ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (Agencies) : Observing that it would be a "challenge" to rein in India during the upcoming series, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan has expressed the hope that his team will even out the visitors' advantage with some inspired cricket.
"There is no doubt that the Indian team is doing extremely well.
They are on a high.
We have also done well in Test matches in New Zealand.
But I think any rational person would make India favourites, purely on cricketing standards," Khan said in an exclusive interview to PTI.
"However, India and Pakistan matches have their own motivation and enthuse certain spirit which is good and evens out India's advantage," he said.
Not one to be "demoralised" by the opposition's strength, Khan, a former diplomat who also accompanied the Pakistan team to India during its tour in 1999, said his side would bank on its strong bowling to outplay the Indians.
"The Indians are playing with spirit in Australia.
They have taken the Aussies to this stage of levelling the Tests series.
In fact they should have won the series.
"But we have also returned from New Zealand in high spirit.
Also we are playing at home.
India's strength is in batting, we have an edge in bowling.
It will be a good contest.
"Even though the Indian team has come up in cricketing terms, we are not demoralised.
In fact, it is a challenge and I think we will rise to to meet it," Khan said.
On the simmering controversy over former all-rounder Wasim Akram's assistance to Indian bowlers, Khan said the issue had been "blown out of proportion" and Akram would soon be joining the training camp to train the bowlers for the India series.
"All senior cricketers give juniors tips.
It does not mean they are preparing the enemy.
Wasim, I am sure, will help our bowlers in the camp.
I am sure he will come." The invitation to Akram as also to the legendary Imran Khan to help out the current crop follows from the belief of PCB that it would be the bowlers who will win matches in the series comprising three Tests and five one-dayers.
While Pakistan would rely heavily on trump card Shoaib Akhtar, Khan was also confident of the other speedster Mohammad Sami coming good in the series beginning in first week of March.
"Shoaib is our main weapon.
But when on song, this boy Sami is very good.
He took 116 wickets in one county season.
He won one match for us in New Zealand while Shoaib won another.
Sami is terrific, we should not underestimate him.
All he needs is a little finetuning." Asked to analyse the reasons for the recent success of the Indian team, Khan said "I reckon the capacity of your team not to be complacent and ability to learn professionally how to do better has helped".
Khan said he considered Sachin Tendulkar a master who had perfected his art while others like Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag were also coming of age.
"Tendulkar is a master.
There is no room for improvement as far as he is concerned.
In bowling, India have young pacemen like Zaheer, Nehra and there is this young kid Pathan who have strengthened the team." He also felt that the attitude of the Indian team appeared to have made a big difference.
"They have this capacity -- to arrive at the international stage and then say we have to move ahead.
I think this capacity of giving that just little bit of extra takes India to a higher level.
"Also, there is no cut off.
A player like Dravid, even after making so many centuries is not satisfied.
Even at this stage he is looking upwards.
To me this attitude is because of education.
This is born of educated minds.
Education allows them to absorb and act upon on the advise of their coach and professions.
They are truly turning into professionals," Khan said.
On the contrary, Pakistan, he said, has suffered due to lack of motivation.
"Our batsmen make thirties and forties and get out.
We need someone who can occupy the crease and bat for a long innings." The country has failed to produce technically sound batsman because of lack of training at the school level.
"We do not produce good batsmen because there are no coaching facilities for young cricketers.
Players should be coached at an young age.
Their techniques need to be corrected at that age.
You can only improve slightly later," he said.
Those criticising Akram are insulting him: Kapil KOLKATA, Jan 30 (Agencies) : Cricketing legend Kapil Dev today expressed dismay over the outcry in Pakistan over former speedster Wasim Akram giving tips to young Indian pacer Irfan Pathan and said those making disparaging comments on the issue were "insulting" Akram.
"I don't see anything wrong in former cricketers passing on their good knowledge to youngsters.
They have this liberty.
If a rookie is willing to learn from the experience of a past player, why should the latter deny him?" Kapil asked.
Continuing in the same vein, the 1983 World Cup winning skipper, said "If somebody, whichever country he may be from, comes to me for advice, will I not give any?" Akram, the former Pakistan skipper and a celebrated left -arm tearaway, is now Down Under as a television commentator, "Why should coaches and cricket establishments object to this? Those making such comments are actually insulting Akram," he said, without naming the Pakistan coach Javed Miandad.
Miandad had expressed worry that Akram might let out "trade secrets" by helping Indians ahead of their historic tour to Pakistan in March.
He had also shown concern that Akram could be giving the Indians tips on how to play the reverse swing, a skill in which Pakistani fast bowlers excel.
Indo-Pak series will be absorbing: Kapil KOLKATA, Jan 30 (Agencies) : Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev today felt that the coming Indo-Pak cricket series would see a close contest and hoped that Sourav Ganguly's boys would be able to continue their magical form in the neighbouring nation.
"India's overall performance in Australia has been good.
So, I feel they'll definitely play well in Pakistan.
I think the coming series will be highly absorbing," Kapil Dev, who led India to the World Cup triumph in 1983, said.
After a 14-year hiatus, India are scheduled to undertake a historic trip to Pakistan from early March to April to play three Tests and five one dayers.
Kapil also refused to buy former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan's theory that Indian batsmen would struggle against the Pakistani quick bowlers.
"This is his personal view.
I can also say that the Pakistan bowlers will struggle against the Indian willowers who have struck such awesome form," he said.
Asked to comment on the proposal that the winners of the India-Pakistan battles be given the Kapil-Imran trophy, the country's highest wicket taker in Tests said it was a matter to be decided by the two cricket Boards.
To another query on whether India discard Ajay Jadeja, who has returned to cricket from a BCCI-slapped ban following a favourable court judgement, stood a chance to get a national sKapil said "First he has to perform...
On Rahul Dravid, who has been penalised for ball tampering during a match in the ongoing tri-series in Australia, Kapil said that the Indian vice-captain might have made a mistake.
"I wasn't present at the ground.
Nor had I seen the match on television.
But I think anybody can commit a mistake.
It's no use harping on it," he said.
Kapil also praised the present crop of Indian pacers, particularly Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji.
"They represent what I'll call a new generation of fast bowlers in India.
Pathan, for example, bowls with a lot of passion, which is a very good quality in a pacer.
He is very fast and lays lot of stress on keeping fit," he said.
Tough for bowlers in one-day format SYDNEY, Jan 30 (Agencies) : As the tri-series has flowed, bowlers and their ability is increasingly under scope.
Wickets have been designed to suit batsmen and more and more batsmen are able to hit through the line.
They also are using a lot of aerial shots, especially in the first 15 overs.
There are far more sixes hit today than it was before.
Batsmen have tactically moved on, they seem to understand the risk-reward situation better.
Once they are off to a 80-90 run start in the first 15 overs, it is very difficult for bowlers to make a come back.
The outfields are shorter too and ropes are flopped around the 75-metre mark these days.
I remember during my times the expanse of the ground was far bigger.
It is not getting any better for bowlers.
I think tactically the teams have struggled to come to terms with the field restrictions in one-day arena.
In the first 15 overs only two men are outside and thereafter four fielders, compulsorily, need to remain inside the circle all the time.
Teams have thus shied from going for total options of either full attack or full defence.
The mindset has also been such that teams avoid all-out attack for the fear they just might open the floodgates and runs would flow.
They understand one-day cricket is usually a close affair and it takes only two or three overs to completely turn upside down a razor-edge game.
So what has been happening that even if teams have lost early wickets, they have runs on the board and they are able to be in a position in the slog overs where 80-90 runs are consistently being scored.
Bowlers hardly seem to be in a situation where they are bowling to number seven or eight or nine batsmen in the final overs.
The message is -- even if conditions in limited overs are heavily loaded in favour of batsmen, the bowlers must try to take wickets at all stages.
All the successful bowlers in one-day cricket -- look at Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and even Jason Gillespie -- they go reasonably well in limited overs because they are plotting batsmen's dismissal rather than just come off the field with a none-for-40 figures.
The best bowler I faced in one-day cricket was Joel Garner because of his height and the yorkers he could bowl -- Wasim Akram was also very difficult to get past by.
Bowlers must learn to take more risks as batsmen have done.
Batsmen now instinctively know what are the areas where run-making is easier.
They are using the area behind them far more effectively with reverse sweeps and chipped shots.
Bowlers too need to utilise the options they have -- like the liberty to bowl bouncers which should be well-directed and hopefully produce catches for the two fielders prowling on the fence behind square leg.
Is it time for teams to go into a one-day arena with five specialist bowlers? I am not too sure about it.
Such has been the nature of the game that there is no guarantee even a specialist bowler would not go less than 70 or 80 runs in his spell.
Mixed bowlers have always had a role in one-day cricket.
Is it time to dispense with spin bowlers because batsmen are all the time milking them in the middle overs? I am not too sure about that also.
Spinners have a huge role to play in one-day cricket.
They can have very good influence, even in the slog overs if they are good.
One area where bowlers could be helped is the field placements which coaches devise in the dressing room.
With all the aid of the computers, it is not too difficult to know the strong sides of Haydens and Dravids, Gilchrists and Gangulys.
It is easy to pinpoint the areas where they hit boundaries and how to plug them.
Field placements is increasingly becoming an area where sides need to pay close attention.
The matter of all this exercise is just to see if bowlers can be competitive in one-day cricket.
In England they are because the ball swings and seams in the early overs and bowlers have a slight hold on the batsmen.
In our conditions the batsmen have a license to go for his shots from early on.
Sometimes it is not too bad if conditions are little in favour of bowlers because it could just make a game really competitive.
But in all this the one thing most of us miss is the fact that one-day cricket is designed to produce big shots and heavy scores.
The game has been designed for good run making -- that is why you have all those field restrictions and curbs on the bowlers.
It is not meant to help bowlers, it was never meant to be.
We all have racked our minds on the changes which could be introduced in one-day cricket but have always stopped short because shifting the focus subtly for bowlers would hurt the very foundation of one-day cricket -- which is to see big hits and big scores.
The one-day cricket has a specific role for the health of cricket and seeing those long queues outside the gates of a stadium is a proof it is doing alright.
India to arrive on March 3, PCB says itinerary ready ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (Agencies) : Brushing aside criticism over the delay in working out the schedule of the India tour next month, Pakistan Cricket Board today said it was ready with the itinerary but waiting for approval of the venues by its Indian counterpart.
PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan said the schedule for the tour had been worked out in consultation with the Indian Cricket Board and would be announced after the Indian security officials, scheduled to visit Pakistan next week, finalised the venues for the three Tests and five one-dayers.
"The tentative schedule has been finalised.
We are awaiting the visit of Indian security officials to finalise the venues for specific matches," he said in a wide-ranging interview to PTI.
Discounting reports that the two countries had not yet worked out a match schedule even though the series was hardly a month away, Khan said it had been tentatively decided that the Indian team would arrive on March 3.
They would play a one-day practice match before the first Test expected to be played on March 11.
The remaining two Tests would be played after a three-day break in between, followed by one day internationals.
Khan conceded that there could be some differences over venues as PCB wanted Karachi and Peshawar to host matches while Indians were wary about these two cities which were also boycotted by two cricket teams that visited Pakistan in recent past due to security concerns.
"Karachi and Peshawar have been deprived of cricket and should get their due.
What we would like to absolutely make it clear is that Karachi and Peshawar have not had had any cricket," Khan said.
"People there (in India) are rightly concerned.
But in our discussions with the Indian security team we will adjust in a spirit of give and take.
That is another reason why the schedule has not been announced," he said.
Once again promising to accord the level of security being provided to US President George Bush and President Gen Pervez Musharraf to the Indian cricketers, Khan said this was one aspect which was being looked into by PCB in all earnest.
"They will be accorded VVIP security.
The only flip side to it is that they can not go shopping and sight-seeing.
We are going give India team the security at the level of American president.
"I can understand your boys feeling nervous.
Our boys are nervous too.
Let your team come here and see I am sure they will relaxed," he said while recounting how the Pakistan team overcame anxiety when it last visited India in 1999 amid threats of Shiv Sena disrupting the series.
"But the moment we landed in Palam airport, we realised the level of security.
The security was so tight that Indian security officials dressed in Pakistani blazers travelled in dummy bus through the normal route while our cricketers were taken through a different route," said Khan who had accompanied the team as manager.
"After seeing all this our boys felt very relaxed.
The Indian team will feel the same way when it arrives here.
I can assure you." Khan also promised to prevail on the Pakistan government to allow Indian fans to cross over from Wagah border to witness the matches in the same way as India allowed Pakistanis in 1999.
"Over 2000 Pakistani fans were allowed to cross into India by buses to watch the match between India and Pakistan at Mohali.
"The fans were given a warm welcome.
They added so much colour and the atmosphere was great.
At the end of the match we saw Pakistani crowd shouting slogans like India-Pakistan 'dosti zindabad'.
We will try to allow as many Indian fans we can to witness the matches here," he said.
The PCB chief also said he had received requests from about 160 Indian journalists to be given accreditation for the historic series.
PCB was also eagerly awaiting the Indian delegation to arrive here and Khan said he was in constant touch with BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya with whom things were being worked out smoothly.
The Indian delegation, he said, wanted to visit on February 2-3 but their visit was put off by a couple of days owing to Eid holidays.
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