LIVETHEGAME

BANGALOREMARCH 13

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Virender Sehwag has signed a deal with Englishcounty Northamptonshire to play in the Twenty20championship this summer. Sehwag has played forLeicestershire in the past

NEWSMAKERSehwag to play T20s for Northants

topstories

on the tube

0099::0000 Banglasesh vsEngland (L)

1188::3300 Jaya He

2200::2255 Chelsea vsWest Ham (L)

2222::5555 Hull City vsArsenal (L)

1166::2200 BahrainGP Q (L)

2200::2255 Birminghamvs Everton (L)

1188::0000 All EnglandBadminton (L)

2233::0000 Bayern vs SCFreiburg (L)

AUSSOME ATTACK GERMAN TANKS

While defending champs Germany are eyeing a hat-trick of World Cup triumphs, the men from Down Under are striving to be third time lucky

C RAJSHEKHAR RAO New Delhi

Will Germany win a third consecutivetitle or will it be third time lucky for Aus-tralia who are vying for their secondWorld Cup title?

Though the odds seem pretty even,Germany are the only team in thechampionship to have improved witheach match, seeming to produce some-thing new in each outing.

The Aussies were considered fav-ourites going into this championship,largely because of their recent Cham-pions Trophy triumph. But the Germanshave sounded a warning by remainingunbeaten. If Austra-lia’s goal-scoring skillswere exemplified witha 12-0 drubbing of Sou-th Africa, Germany’sall-round skills havecome to the fore timeand again.

“We came into thechampionship hopingto play the finals, nowwe are looking at win-ning the title,” saidAussie coach RicCharlesworth, who ison the brink of becom-ing only the secondman in the history towin both as a player

(1986) and a coach.“We have a different set of players,

different strategies, different coach. Iwatched the last two finals as a specta-tor, but am confident this time will be

different. I would notlike to take credit forthe performancethough,” saidCharlesworth.

Australia were thepick of the teams be-fore they were made tofight hard for a 2-1 vic-tory over The Nether-lands in the semifi-nals. On the otherhand, Germany —held to two draws inthe league — thrashedEngland 4-1 to ensure aplace in the final.

German captainMaximillian Muller

fancied his team’s chances even thoughonly three members of the team herewere part of their triumph at home fouryears ago.

“Consistency is the key to our suc-cess. We have done well so far, but per-formances till the semifinals have nobearing on the final,” said Muller, whowould be deriving confidence from theway young guns like Florian Fuchs havegrabbed their opportunities.

Australian captain Jamie Dwyerwas cautious though confident becauseof the presence of prolific goal-scorerslike ace drag flicker Luke Doerner andthe mercurial Glenn Turner, apartfrom himself.

“The Germans are a young side, butthey can be a tough team to beat. Thefinal will be a different ball game, butessentially, it will be the Australian at-tack versus the German defence,”Dwyer summed up the prospects ofthe final.

vs

Rajpal & Co loseonly to hear boos

India finish eighth after going down 2-4 to Argentina; Prabhjot earns crowd wrath

C RAJSHEKHAR RAO. New Delhi

The spectators at the Major Dh-yan Chand National Stadium hadrun out of patience. Instead of theusual cheers for Indian players,there were boos as they left theturf after going down tamely toArgentina in the play-off for sev-enth place in the FIH Hero Hon-da World Cup.

The 2-4 loss against a team ra-nked two slots lower than the homeside’s world ranking of 12 was nottaken well by the team either, dis-appointment writ larger on theusually jovial coach Jose Brasa’sface. “We are very sorry to havelost. We failed to score when wewere dominating, while Argentina

were very good with their counterattacks,” Brasa said after India’seighth-place finish.

The Indians failed to take inspi-ration from the famous names inthe stands that included a numberof former players as well as Bolly-wood beauty Priyanka Chopra.

Jamie Dwyer, Aus skipper

The Germans are ayoung side, but

they can be a tough team to beat…It will be theAustralian attack versus the German defence.”

Maximilian Muller, Ger skipper

Consistency is the keyto our success. We

have done well so far, butperformances till the semifinals have no bearing on the final.”

STA

TIST

ICA

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SPEA

KIN

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ROAD TO FINALGGeerrmmaannyy■ DDrreeww wwiitthh Korea 2-2■ BBeeaatt Canada 6-0■ BBeeaatt Argentina 4-3■ DDrreeww wwiitthh

the Netherlands 2-2■ BBeeaatt Germany 5-2■ SSFF:: BBeeaatt England 4-1

AAuussttrraalliiaa■ LLoosstt ttoo England 2-3■ BBeeaatt India 5-2■ BBeeaatt South Africa 12-0■ BBeeaatt Spain 2-0■ BBeeaatt Pakistan 2-1■ SSFF:: BBeeaatt the

Netherlands 2-1

HEAD TO HEAD

IINN WWOORRLLDD CCUUPPSSPPllaayyeedd:: 4GGeerrmmaannyy WWoonn:: 3AAuussttrraalliiaa WWoonn:: 1GGeerrmmaannyy GGooaallss:: 9AAuussttrraalliiaa GGooaallss:: 9

IINN WWCC FFIINNAALLSSPPllaayyeedd:: 2 (Germany lead 2-0)22000022 ((KKuuaallaa LLuummppuurr))::Germany bt Australia 2-122000066 ((GGeerrmmaannyy)):: Germ-any bt Australia 4-3

PUNTER POINT: Germany 8/5, Australia 1/2

finalpreview

While Germany’s (left) all-round skills have come to the fore, Australia have impressed one and all with their goal-scoring spree throughout the World Cup —VIPIN PAWAR.DNA

Miffed MCA toshowcause DYP

Decision taken by managing committeeDNA CORRESPONDENT.Mumbai

The Mumbai Cricket Associa-tion (MCA) has sent out astrong message to the Board ofControl for Cricket in India(BCCI), Indian Premier Lea-gue (IPL) and the DY Patil Sta-dium management after beingdenied passes for the matches.Even as the IPL was unveil-ing its third edition, the MCAtook a decision to boycott thechampionshipunless they aretaken on boardin matters relating to IPLmatches in Mumbai.

At its managing committeemeeting, the MCA decided tosend a showcause notice tothe DY Patil club asking whyits affiliation to the associa-tion should not be cancelled.The MCA felt that the stadi-um management should haveconsulted its parent body be-fore signing up an agreementwith the IPL and the DeccanChargers. DY Patil is to hostfour more IPL matches — two

Chargers home games, thethird place play-off and the fi-nal on April 25.

The MCA also decided towrite to the BCCI to make itmandatory that the associa-tion is kept in the loop aboutany matches hosted in thecity. “The IPL is a BCCI tour-nament and we have a rightto be part of its activities inMumbai. We should be takenon board,” an MCA member

told DNA.“We’re answ-erable to so

many cricketers in Mumbai.The previous practice of issu-ing 20 per cent passes to the as-sociation should be continued.

MCA president Sharad Pa-war was not present at themeeting but members saidthe former BCCI president isaware of the decision. Pawarand MCA officials did not at-tend the opening ceremony.Pawar, the IPL officials andthe DY Patil management of-ficials could not be reachedfor comment.

passtime

A day in the life of Saina NehwalDEV S SUKUMAR.Birmingham

Beyond the glamour of the five-star receptions, state honours andtelevision interviews, Saina Ne-hwal braces. It’s early yet, just8am on a bitterly cold morningin Birmingham, and she will haveto wait until evening to take onher opponent for a place in the AllEngland semifinal.

No Indian has been there since2001, when her coach PullelaGopichand pulled off a stirringvictory. She’s been in Super Seriesquarterfinals before, and al-though she won’t admit it, this isbig. This is the 100th year of theAll England. All the top playerstalk of how special this one is.

A lot of the game is in the wait-ing. The match will probably takean hour-and-a-half at most; therest of the time is spent in prepar-ing and not allowing the mind toget too far ahead. It’s about doingthe small things right.

Right now, Saina’s headed backto the hotel from her practice ses-sion at the NIA, which is builtnext to a picturesque waterway. Afew geese are playing around inthe water and Saina stops to

watch. She will head to the teamhotel, have her breakfast, sleepfor an hour and a half, havelunch, watch a movie for an hour;head to yet another practice ses-sion at 2pm, and return to the ho-tel for rest, before she finallymakes her way to the stadium anhour before the match.

“Earlier, it was a problem if Ihad a whole day left for thematch,” she says. “But now, I’mfine with whatever time it is.When I enter the court again inthe evening, I can’t be just 30 percent prepared, and leave the restto whatever’s going to happen. I

have to be prepared for every-thing. It’s important to ensurethat because it’s so cold here, I’mproperly warmed up. Also, I’veplayed these girls before, and youneed to read their game againand again.”

When a match is due, all topplayers go into a shell. Any smalldetail left unattended can hurtthem. The mind has to be finelybalanced; it cannot be too excitedor too lethargic; it cannot be al-lowed to wander around, nor canit dwell on a particular thing allday, for then mental fatigue willset in. “Everything should be on

time,” Saina says. “If I’m resting,I’ll sleep for 1-1/2 hrs. I’ll havelunch three hours before thematch, and a banana just before.”

She will be playing JulianneSchenk. The German police-woman is a physically toughspecimen; she is fast and power-ful, and has beaten Saina a cou-ple of times. Schenk will be in asimilar state of readiness. Shehas had a busy fortnight, havingcome to the All England from theGerman Open, but after her sec-ond round she promised she’dgive it everything in the quarters.It might be a long match.

The champion shuttler shares her pre-match routine which includes a nap and a banana

CHELSEA TAKE ON WEST HAMStriker Didier Drogba has warned Chelsea’stitle rivals that he is determined to satisfyhis voracious appetite for success by firingthe Blues back to Premier League glory.Carlo Ancelotti’s side can reclaim pole posi-tion with a home win over West Ham Unitedon Saturday.SSAATTUURRDDAAYY’’SS FFIIXXTTUURREESS:: Tottenham Hotspur vs Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City vs Eve-rton, Bolton Wanderers vs Wigan Athletic, Bu-rnley vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelseavs West Ham United, Stoke City vs Aston Villa,Hull City vs Arsenal

Rafa tipped to become Madrid boss: Liv-erpool manager Rafa Benitez is reported tobecome Real Madrid’s new boss after club’sChampions League defeat at the hands ofLyon and a possible sacking of Manuel Pel-legrini. Benitez is the frontrunner on ashortlist that also includes Jose Mourinhoand Carlo Ancelotti.Rooney takes it easy: Manchester Unitedace striker Wayne Rooney has curbed histraining regime to avoid a burn-out aheadof the 2010 World Cup. Rooney always playsa five-a-side at the Carrington trainingground with the same vigour as a Champi-ons League final.Drogba gets award: Ivory Coast captain Di-dier Drogba was named African Footballerof the Year on Thursday, beatingCameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Ghana’sMichael Essien for the 2009 award. It is thesecond time Chelsea striker Drogba, whocelebrated his 32nd birthday on Thursday,has won the award after his previous suc-cess in 2006.Nesta could miss rest of the season: ACMilan defender Alessandro Nesta couldmiss the rest of the season after discoveringon Friday he has ripped a tendon in hisright knee. “In the next few days we’ll con-sider whether I should have an operation ornot,” he told reporters.Cook puts Eng on top: Alastair Cookscored an unbeaten 158 on his debut as Testcaptain and Kevin Pietersen hit 99 to helpEngland reach an imposing 374 for three atstumps on Day One of the first Test againstBangladesh in Chittagong.BBRRIIEEFF SSCCOORREESS:: England 374/3 in 90 overs(Cook 158*, Pietersen 99) vs Bangladesh

PCB announces squad sans skipper: ThePakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Fridaynamed its team for the World Twenty20Championship but delayed naming the 15-man squad’s leader despite including for-mer captain Shahid Afridi. The PCB, how-ever, said it would announce the captain ina couple of days.Waugh warns Aus team: Former skipperSteve Waugh has warned that Australia arenot match-hardened heading into this year’shome Ashes series because of a lack ofcompetition from rival teams, reports saidon Friday.Mitch denies head-butt charges: MitchellJohnson has refused to accept the chargethat he head-butted New Zealand batsmanScott Styris during the first one-day inter-national of the Chappell-Hadlee seriesplayed at Napier.Vettori slams batsmen: New Zealand crick-et captain Daniel Vettori has slammed hisbatsmen for their soft dismissals whichhanded Australia the Chappell-Hadlee Tro-phy on a platter. Australia secured a 3-1 se-ries win on Thursday.Woods hires Bush’s secretary: TigerWoods has hired former US PresidentGeorge W Bush’s press secretary Ari Fleis-cher as an adviser amid reports that he iseying next month’s Masters to make hismuch-awaited comeback to golf.Federer, Sampras to play for charity:Roger Federer and former tennis greatsPete Sampras, Martina Navratilova andSteffi Graf will play in exhibition matcheson Friday to raise money for victims of theHaiti earthquake.Moya scrapes through: Carlos Moya scr-aped through 7-6 7-6 against American qual-ifier Tim Smyczek in the first round of theIndian Wells ATP tournament on Thursday.American Mardy Fish beat Germany’s Mic-hael Berrer 1-6 6-1 6-3 in an evening match.Chambers fastest in 60m: British Euro-pean champion Dwain Chambers showed hewas the man to beat in the men’s 60 metres,clocking a fast 6.59 seconds in his openingrace of the IAAF world indoor champi-onships in Doha on Friday.Vonn wins third straight WC: LindseyVonn of the United States skied throughmore pain on Friday to win the women’soverall World Cup title for the third yearrunning. Vonn ignored a bruised right kneeafter crashing in Thursday’s giant slalom towin the final super-G and make sure of theoverall title with one race left in the season.Hoy to lead Great Britain: Chris Hoy andVictoria Pendleton will spearhead Britain’schallenge at the Track Cycling World Cham-pionships in Copenhagen later this month.British Cycling on Friday named a 19-riderteam for the March 24-28 event as they aimto make up for last year’s disappointinghaul of two gold medals.Magic rout Bulls: The Orlando Magicstormed to a season-high seventh consecu-tive win with a 111-82 rout of the ChicagoBulls on Thursday.ALL RESULTS: Atlanta 105 Washington 99,Orlando 111 Chicago 82, Portland 110 Golden State 105

Saina Nehwal flanked by her father Harvir Singh (right) andphysio Kiran in Birmingham on Saturday —DEV SUKUMAR.DNA

Prabhjot Singh argues with the crowd after India’s loss to Argentinain New Delhi on Friday —VIPIN PAWAR.DNA

Saina for charitySaina Nehwal confirmed thatshe would be an Indian ambas-sador for a charity foundationnamed ‘Solibad: BadmintonWithout Borders’. The founda-tion, an initiative of French pho-tojournalist Raphael Sachetat,will raise money for orphan-ages in Bali and Kuala Lumpur,besides arranging for aid inHaiti. It will raise money thr-ough auction and lottery of theplaying equipment of shuttlers.

AT THE HOOTERSSEEVVEENNTTHH PPLLAACCEE PPLLAAYYOOFFFF::AArrggeennttiinnaa 44 (Argento 28, Vila 43,45, Callioni 46) bbtt IInnddiiaa 22 (Sandeep42pen, Shivendra 49), HHTT:: 11--00NNIINNTTHH PPLLAACCEE PPLLAAYYOOFFFF:: NNeewwZZeeaallaanndd 44 (Inglis 40, Hayward 42,49, 70) SSoouutthh AAffrriiccaa 44 (Ross 4,Jones 45, Paton 51, Hammond 57),HHTT 00--11,, NNeeww ZZeeaallaanndd wwiinn iinnppeennaallttyy sshhoooottoouutt 55--44

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