Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Monday, 7 November 2011
Mumbai to cut ticket prices for India v West Indies Test
Mumbai to cut ticket prices for Test
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| Empty stands at Eden Gardens during the ODI between India and England |
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to slash ticket prices for the third Test between India and West Indies to try and draw larger crowds to the Wankhede Stadium. The decision comes after the low attendances during the recent India-England ODI series - 13,000 tickets were sold at the Wankhede Stadium, which seats 33,000.
Daily tickets for the Test will be priced as low as Rs 50 and season tickets for vantage viewing points like the premium Vithal Divecha Pavilion will be on offer for Rs 600. An ODI ticket for the same stand was priced at Rs 5000 (a comparison with previous Test ticket rates is difficult because the last match played at the Wankhede was five years ago). A season ticket in the North Stand will cost Rs 500; a ticket for the ODI against England was priced at Rs 3000. The reduction is even greater for the Sunil Gavaskar Stand (Rs 4000 to Rs 500).
"We are hoping that people take advantage of the season ticket because those are priced reasonably. If somebody buys a season ticket for Rs 500, he need not wait in the queue for a daily ticket that costs Rs 100," Ratnakar Shetty, one of the MCA vice-presidents and also the BCCI's chief administrative officer, said.
Shetty denied, however, that the price cuts were a direct consequence of the low turnout in the ODI series. "There is no relation between pricing and the abysmal turnout during the recent India-England one-day series," Shetty said. "In Kolkata a Rs 25,000 ticket was being sold at Rs 500, but still there were no takers. The cost was not a reason for low attendance. There were other reasons: both countries were playing back-to-back series and it was also the holiday season."
Shetty said it was almost impossible for any Indian ground to witness a full house any more, especially for a Test. "But you have to make sure you get as large a crowd as possible through smart ticket pricing. And that is actually not so easy.
"Even in the last Test match in Mumbai, at the Brabourne Stadium (between India and Sri Lanka in 2009), the tickets were moderately priced. And about 5000 free tickets were given to school and college students for the Test match. Given that system had worked well, the MCA managing committee decided to carry that forward."
Similar discounts offered to fans by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for the ongoing Test at Feroz Shah Kotla have been undermined by a complicated sales system. The cheapest daily ticket is priced at Rs 100 while a five-day ticket for the best seat in the ground, in the South Club House at the ITC End, costs Rs 4000. On the first day, though, the ticket office at the Kotla was closed without explanation and only 11,000 fans were in a stadium that has a capacity of about 45,000.
Things appeared more confusing at the Kotla on Monday, the second day, with chaotic scenes at the point of sale - the branch of a nationalised bank located on a nearby road. Still, an estimated 14,000 fans turned up.
Windies get the better of 17-wicket day
Windies get the better of 17-wicket day
West Indies 304 (Chanderpaul 118, Brathwaite 63, Ojha 6-72, Ashwin 3-81) and 21 for 2 (K Edwards 15*, F Edwards 0*) lead India 209 (Sehwag 55, Dravid 54, Sammy 3-35) by 116 runs
Half-centuries by Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid could not prevent a swift conclusion to India's first innings on the second day of the first Test against the West Indies in Delhi.After seeing off the Windies' tail earlier in the day, India were at the crease for just two full sessions before being bowled out for 209, giving the West Indies a 95-run first-innings advantage.
West Indies skipper Darren Sammy led a balanced attack with three wickets as the tourists moved firmly into the driving seat.
India appeared to be making good progress with the bat early on as Sehwag and fellow opener Gautam Gambhir snaffled 29 runs from the first three overs.
But the tourists settled to their task to dismiss both openers inside three overs, before the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni also fell cheaply.
Sehwag and Gambhir looked in good touch early on, smashing away a glut of boundaries on their way to an 89-run partnership before Gambhir was run out for a run-a-ball 41 in unfortunate circumstances.
Gambhir was removed at the non-striker's end after Sehwag sent a straight drive back down the track and Sammy got fingertips on the ball, diverting it into the stumps with the batsman well out of his crease.
Sehwag's exit for 55 was all about the quick thinking of Windies wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, who whipped off the bails when Sehwag momentarily lifted his back foot.
India still looked in a strong position at 100 for two, but when Tendulkar was removed for just seven, trapped lbw by Fidel Edwards, and Laxman was out for one when Baugh took the catch off an edge from Devendra Bishoo, their position began to look increasingly perilous.
Yuvraj Singh blasted two sixes and two fours in a 23-run cameo before he became Sammy's first victim after tea, while India skipper Dhoni went in the same over, bowled off the pads by his opposite number for a duck.
Ravichandran Ashwin also went for nought, edging Sammy to Baugh, while Ishant Sharma's 17-run effort was brought to an end by Marlon Samuels, Baugh again pouching the chance behind the wicket.
India's last real hope went when Dravid was dismissed for 54 - his 61st Test half-century - when Sammy took the catch at short square leg off Ravi Rampaul.
Umesh Yadav was the last man out as Pragyan Ojha ended unbeaten on three.
Earlier, Ojha took his tally of wickets to six as the Windies were dismissed for 304.
The tourists resumed on 256 for five but lost their last five wickets for just 35 runs - four of them leg-before decisions.
Three of the scalps went to slow left-arm bowler Ojha, who finished with figures of six for 72 from 34.2 overs.
Ojha started the tumble of wickets today when he trapped Baugh lbw for 27, ending a 69-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Sammy was the next man out, lbw for five, having contributed 12 runs to a stand which moved the West Indies score on to 281.
And, with no further addition to the total, Chanderpaul's impressive contribution ended on 118. Having added just seven to his overnight score, he was trapped lbw by Sharma, making it 281 for eight.
Rampaul and Edwards took the Windies score beyond 300 - but Rampaul (12) was the next to fall when he became Ashwin's third scalp of the innings, another lbw victim to spin.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
West Indies out for 304
West Indies 304 (Chanderpaul 118, Brathwaite 63, Ojha 6-72, Ashwin 3-81) v India
A lot of Test cricket in India is about patience, more so on slow, low, lifeless pitches such as the Kotla. After sharing honours on day one, India persevered to dismiss West Indies within four sessions. The most patient and accurate of them, Pragyan Ojha, walked away with a maiden five-for, and started the slide that brought India five wickets for 48 runs on the second day. It might read like a sensational collapse, but it took India 83 minutes. That four of the five fell lbw spoke of India's accuracy, and that nine out of the 10 wickets fell to spin hinted at what the best way of taking wickets on this track is.India made a token attempt with pace, and the uneventful seven overs at the top yielded 11 uneventful runs. Throughout, India made sure there were no easy boundaries available. The third man gap was plugged, and in-and-out fields employed. Then came Ojha. Carlton Baugh, who had faced 70 balls without any loose shot, now tried the huge sweep, and missed a full ball.
Darren Sammy lofted Ojha for a four over mid-on, and MS Dhoni's immediate reaction was to send mid-on back. Dhoni wasn't backing away, he was just blocking the release shots. Sammy anticipated a flatter delivery and stayed back, but Ojha bowled it fuller than was anticipated, and a touch-and-go lbw call went Ojha's way.
Then came the big wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but he could be unhappy with two men at the other end. First part of the blame rested with Ravi Rampaul who declined an easy single a ball before Chanderpaul was dismissed. Then the actual dismissal, to Ishant Sharma, from wide of the crease from round the stumps, short of a length, angling in, hitting the outside half of the pad, in front of middle and leg.
R Ashwin and Ojha shared the last two between them, leaving India about 27 minutes to bat before lunch.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Fergie: Class of '92 not a one-off
Fergie: Class of '92 not a one-off
Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates 25 years as Manchester United manager on Sunday, insisting it is not impossible to repeat one of the most remarkable feats of his career.
Such is the weekly interest in Ferguson's pre-match press conferences that they no longer take place in the media room at Carrington, constructed specifically for that purpose.Instead, they have been switched to the Academy building on the other side of the vast complex, which houses a full-size indoor pitch on its ground floor and a reception area above, adorned with pictures of some of the most famous graduates of United's youth set-up.
It offers visitors an instant reminder of the famed 'Class of '92', of whom now only Ryan Giggs is still at the club in a playing capacity.
And, as he looked back on quarter of a century in one of the most high-pressure jobs imaginable, it was that squad which Ferguson allowed himself to focus on.
"No, it was not a one-off," said the 69-year-old of a group that spawned Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt, with Robbie Savage and Keith Gillespie also involved and Phil Neville coming up right behind.
"It is going to happen again.
"You can't think that a club like Manchester United could have just one cycle of players as good as that.
"We always keep chasing the dream that you get a bunch like that again. You have to.
"If the academy system changes to what it should be then we are capable of doing it.
"It is ridiculous that in 2011 you can only coach a boy within an hour of Old Trafford. Barcelona have signed a boy from China and one from Japan. That sums it all up doesn't it?"
Sir Alex Ferguson's Roll of Honour
Premier League (12): 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11
FA Cup (5): 1989-90, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04
League Cup (4): 1991-92, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10
FA Charity/Community Shield (10): 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
Champions League (2): 1998-99, 2007-08
European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990-91
European Super Cup (1): 1991
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008
On such a momentous occasion, it seemed somehow fitting Ferguson should have a little dig at the Football Association over what he has always believed are flawed regulations regarding young players.
However, the real poignancy comes with the arrival of Steve Bruce as the opponent this weekend.
Sunderland boss since 2009, it is over 15 years since Bruce's nine-year stint at Old Trafford came to an end.
During that time he made 414 appearances, won seven major honours, including skippering United to the first three Premier League titles of the Ferguson era.
More significant than that, it was his two headers - the winner coming in the seventh minute of stoppage time - that turned an April encounter with Sheffield Wednesday on its head, propelling United towards the end of that 26-year wait for a championship and changing the course of English football for two decades.
"There are two things about Steve Bruce which I always found remarkable," Ferguson recalled.
"One, he never got an England cap although, in fairness, Bobby Robson apologised to him for that.
"The second is that when he had his medical the doctor wasn't sure he should pass it.
"I was watching the reserves and (then chief executive) Martin Edwards came into the director's box and said his knees are not that good. He hadn't missed a game for five years. Sometimes you have to dismiss these medicals.
"He used to rub his knees and carry on playing. He was absolutely unbelievable. Nobody else I have ever dealt with could play with the injuries he had.
"He carried on until he was 35. Okay, in his last year you could see him dismantle almost. He was starting to break up. But it was amazing how he could play with all these injuries."
Ferguson attributes his longevity to "good health".
"I have been lucky, pray to the Lord. I have also had good energy."
It certainly appears remarkable now that Ferguson should have been so set on retiring in 2002, before eventually performing a U-turn he has never had cause to regret.
So, 25 years on, he has the opportunity to look back to where it all began - a 2-0 defeat at the Manor Ground, Oxford.
"We bloody lost," he said.
"I said to myself 'I have picked a job here all right'.
"The fortunate thing was I was able to get back to Aberdeen that night."
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Sachin, Sehwag return for WI series
Sachin, Sehwag return for WI series
Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh all returned to the Indian squad, while Harbhajan Singh was ignored for the first Test against the West Indies.
Tendulkar, Sehwag and Yuvraj, who missed the ODI series in England as well as the return rubber at home due to injuries, were recalled for the November 6-10 match.
Out-of-form off-spinner Harbhajan continues to be sidelined, with the selectors preferring Ashwin over him.
Right-arm pacer Ishant Sharma, who was also not a part of India's ODI squad against England due to an injury, returns to the team that will again be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Among those who did not find a place in the Test squad that visited England this summer are left-hand batsman-all-rounder Suresh Raina, leg-spinner Amit Mishra and pacer Praveen Kumar.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who toured England for the Test series, retained his place as did young right-hand batsman Virat Kohli.
Senior batsmen Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who no longer play ODIs, were also named in the squad.
The squad has eight specialist batsmen, three spinners and three pacers with Dhoni the lone wicketkeeper.
Srikkanth said the squad for the first Test against West Indies has been chosen with an eye on the future.
"We think from the future point of view. We have to look at building the side from the perspective of the future," Srikkanth said.
Srikkanth also assured that fitness will not be a concern in the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.
"Everybody is 100 percent fit, I can assure you that fitness will not be a concern," he added.
However, he Srikkanth refused to divulge any reasons for omitting Harbhajan from the squad.
The squad: M S Dhoni (Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Viktoria Plzen 0-4 Barcelona: Messi Hat-Trick and Cesc Fabregas header
Messi Breaks 200-Goal Barrier With Hat-Trick As European Champions Ease Into The Knockout Stages
The Catalan giants were rarely pushed to their limits in this Group H tie, running out comfortable winners courtesy of a treble from the Argentine and a Cesc Fabregas header.
Pep Guardiola's 200th match in charge of Barcelona was celebrated in emphatic style with a 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in Prague this evening.
Two first half goals from Messi gave Barcelona a comfortable lead, with the sending off of Plzen's Marian Cisovsky aiding their cause. Once Plzen went down to 10 men it became less a case of whether Barcelona would win but more a case of how many they would win by.
Plzen started the game full of running and really tried to take the game to their illustrious opposition. Barcelona seemed content to let the home side dictate the tempo in the game's opening exchanges, only really starting to move the ball well after 10 minutes of play.
Petrzela burst through a static Barca backline only to be thwarted by Victor Valdes, who produced a strong left-handed save to stop Plzen from taking a surprise lead. Daniel Kolar then wasted another chance for Plzen blazing a half-volley high and wide after being found in space inside the box.
Barcelona should have been given a penalty after a foul on Cesc Fabregas after 12 minutes only for the referee Robert Schorgenhofer to wave their appeals away. Ten minutes later, Schorgenhofer's assistants appeared to intervene and award a spot-kick after Lionel Messi's legs were swept from beneath him by Marian Cisovsky after the Argentine had jinked his way into the area. Cisovsky saw red for the foul, before Messi confidently dispatched the penalty low to Roman Pavlik's right.
Following the sending off the atmosphere in the Synot Tip Arena quickly grew hostile, with every Barcelona touch being greeted with jeers by the home fans. The away side began to toy with their opponents, exploiting the gaps created by Cisovsky's dismissal. Messi came close to adding a second, drawing a fantastic save
After threatening to score a second, he then did. Playing a delightful one-two with Adriano, Messi received the return pass inside the area before sliding his finish past a despairing Pavlik in the Plzen goal.
The second half was exhibition-like at times with Barca afforded so much space with Plzen down to 10 men. Fabregas nearly added a third with a delicate chip that drifted just wide and then Messi forced a fantastic save from Pavlik from a free-kick.
Petrzela then nearly reduced the deficit for Plzen, completely against the run of play. The Plzen striker could only lash his volley into the side netting from a tight angle after being found at the back post by Kolar. This seemed to spark the champions into life however, as they immediately launched a blistering counter-attack that nearly resulted in a goal. Thiago Alacantara flicking a header over Pavlik but onto the crossbar.
Fabregas made it 3-0 on 71 minutes with a rare headed goal. It was difficult for Fabregas to miss such was the quality of Isaac Cuenca's cross from the right-hand side. Messi then completed his hat-trick with a well taken finish after rounding Pavlik.
The match finished 4-0, meaning Barcelona advance to the knockout stages despite having two group games left to play. This will allow Guardiola to rest players when the group games commence in February, and focus on Barcelona's domestic competitions. Plzen meanwhile now lie rock bottom of the group, with just one point, making it impossible for the Czech team to now advance to the next stage.
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