Observer & Busness 31 Juiy 2011 - Oman Observer

MUSCAT — The competitions
committee of the Oman
Football Association (OFA)
held a draw to determine the
schedule of games for the
upcoming Premier Division
League and the Ahli Bank
League at Seeb Sports Stadium
yesterday.
A total of 17 clubs were
present at the draw ceremony.
Ahmed al Habsi,
the current chairman of the
competitions committee at
the OFA, thanked the clubs
that were present and explained
the draw procedures
as sell as the starting dates of
the leagues and the His Majesty’s
Cup.
The draw procedures
All Blacks
crush
Springboks
Page 17
were simple, the club representatives
were asked to pull
out names of the clubs and
a number to designate the
clubs position in the table.
Ahmed al Habsi revealed
SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011
during the ceremony the
dates of different competi-
tions for the coming season.
While the 32-team His
Phelps wins 25th
title; Franklin
emerges as star
OFA leagues draw held; His Majesty’s Cup to begin on September 14
From Andy Jalil
at Trent Bridge
TWO magnificent performances
have dominated
the second day’s
play in the second Test with India
perhaps having the edge after
Rahul Dravid's superb 34th
Test century compiled over six
hours to take India to 288 and
ensuring his side’s first innings
lead of 67. An even greater effort
came from Stuart Broad
who claimed the first hat-trick
ever in a Test match against
India. His marvellous bowling
gave him six for 46 which
included an amazing eight-ball
spell in which he claimed four
wickets without conceding a
run.
By close of play England
were 24 for one in their second
innings, trailing by 43 runs.
Resuming on the overnight
total of 24 for one, Dravid and
V V S Laxman combined in a
stand which gave solidity to
the India innings. With cautious
batting they seemed intent
on making up for the loss
of Abhinav Mukund’s wicket
to the first ball of the innings
on the previous evening. Both
batsmen were quick, however,
to punish any loose balls with
four consecutive boundaries
being hit off James Anderson
and Broad. Laxman played a
cut and a square drive of Anderson
while Dravid flicked
Broad before driving him to
extra cover.
On 27, Laxman survived
a confident appeal for a catch
behind. Although there was no
‘hot spot’ on the replay there
was a sound but not enough
proof for the third umpire.
While Dravid was more defensive
Laxman played his shots
and the 50 of the innings came
from 158 balls with Dravid
driving Broad to the mid-on
boundary. A powerful pull
followed by a flick soon after
from Laxman off Anderson
took him to 44 and he brought
up his 54th Test half century
with his tenth boundary, a
lovely drive to extra cover.
Their second wicket partnership
of 93 was ended by
Tim Bresnan with a fine lifting
outswinger which took
the edge of Laxman’s bat for
a catch behind the stumps. His
54 had come in two and a half
hours with India’s innings progressing
well at lunch on 117
for two and Sachin Tendulkar
having joined Dravid. But after
the break Broad struck in
the first over with the prized
wicket of Tendulkar who top
edged his cut into the hands
of Andrew Strauss at first slip.
The England captain who had
dropped Tendulkar in the previous
Test was delighted to
hold on to the ball this time.
India innings was soon reduced
to 139 for four with the
loss of the next wicket when
Anderson claimed his second
wicket. Suresh Raina, playing
from the crease prodded
a simple catch to gully. India
had lost three wickets in
a space of 46 runs including
that of Tendulkar whom the
capacity crowd that gave him
a standing ovation on his way
to the crease, would like to
have seen him score a century
and achieve that extraordinary
landmark of reaching a hundred
international hundreds.
Shortly before Raina’s
dismissal Dravid reached his
61st Test half century steering
Broad to third man for his
Page 19
Majesty’s Cup will start on
September 14, the Premier
tenth boundary. Yuvraj Singh
gave Dravid the partnership
that India needed to build a
large first innings lead. They
picked up runs steadily and at
tea Dravid was on 83, his partner
on 43 with India on 215 for
four just six behind England’s
first innings total.
In the final session of play
both batsmen played more
freely in glorious afternoon
sunshine for the first time in
two days. Yuvraj brought up
his tenth Test half century
with his ninth boundary at mid
wicket while Dravid took his
score into the nineties.
A beautiful cover drive off
the back foot took him to 95
and then after three singles he
swept Swann to long leg for
four to reach three figures in
nearly five and a half hours of
determination and application
at the crease. He celebrated the
hundred with two more boundaries
and that proved to be an
expensive over from the off
spinner with 14 runs coming
off it. Yuvraj’s last scoring shot
was the best of his innings. A
stylish square drive to the point
boundary off Anderson and on
62 from 115 balls he attempted
to cut Broad but edged his shot
behind the stumps and India
were 267 for five.
Thereafter the rest of the
India innings succumbed to
Broad’s superbly controlled
bowling with the next five
batsmen simply surrendering
without showing any sign of
resistance. On 273 the next
four wickets fell. Unlucky
Division League will begin
on September 29, the First
Division (Ahli Bank League)
on September 30, and the
2nd Division League from
October 6.
The teams for the Premier
Division are: Sur, Al
Talee’a, Salalah, Al Arouba,
Ahli-Sidab, Al Shabab, Al
Suwaiq, Fanja, Al Musannah,
Oman Club, Dhofar, Al
Nahda.
And for First Division
(Ahli Bank League) the
teams are: Bausher, Seeb, Al
Bashayir, Yanqul, Muscat,
Sohar, Al Salam, Al Nasr,
Mirbat, Majees, Al Mudhaibi,
Al Ittihad, Saham, Al
Khabourah.
Ton-up Dravid, hat-trick man Broad hog limelight
ENGLAND’S Stuart Broad (left) celebrates after dismissing India’s Sachin Tendulkar during the second day of their
second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham yesterday. PICTURE RIGHT: India’s Rahul Dravid raises his bat after
completing his century as England’s Matt Prior applauds yesterday. — AFP/Reuters
among them was Harbhajan
Singh who had clearly got a
thick edge on to his pad but
umpire Erasmus made the error
of giving him out lbw without
scoring.
India lost six wickets for
21. When Dravid’s was the penultimate
wicket to fall, caught
at third man from a slash, on
117 from 235 balls, India had
lost four wickets in six balls
without a run. It was a very
poor effort from the middlelower
order.
SCOREBOARD
England 1st innings 221
India 1st innings
(overnight 24 for 1)
A Mukund c Pietersen b Anderson .0
R Dravid c Cook b Bresnan ....... 117
V V S Laxman c Prior b Bresnan .54
S Tendulkar c Strauss b Broad .....16
S Raina c Morgan b Anderson .....12
Yuvraj Singh c Prior b Broad .......62
M S Dhoni c Anderson b Broad .....5
Harbhajan lbw Broad .....................0
P Kumar b Broad ............................0
I Sharma c Bell b Broad .................3
S Sreesanth (not out) ......................7
Extras: (b-4, lb-3, w-4, nb-1) ......12
Total: (all out, 91.1 overs) .........288
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-93, 3-119,
4-139, 5-267, 6-273, 7-273, 8-273,
9-273.
Bowling: Anderson 26-8-80-2 (w-1);
Broad 24.1-8-46-6 (w-1); Bresnan
21-6-48-2 (nb-1, w-2); Trott 4-1-
18-0; Swann 12-0-76-0; Pietersen
4-0-13-0.
England 2nd innings
A Strauss (not out) .........................6
A Cook c Yuvraj b Sharma .............5
I Bell (not out) ................................9
Extras: (b-4) ..................................4
Total: (1 wkt, 11 overs) ...............24
Fall of wicket: 1-6.
Bowling: P Kumar 4-1-9-0; I Sharma
5-3-9-1; S Sreesanth 2-0-2-0.
Sri Lanka leave out
injured Malinga
COLOMBO — Sri Lanka
left out fast bowler Lasith
Malinga due to a back injury
when they named a 16-man
squad to play Australia in two
Twenty20 internationals at
Pallakele, Kandy early next
month.
"We are monitoring his
progress carefully and if he
is fit we will consider him for
the one-day international series,"
said chairman of selectors
Duleep Mendis.
Australia's T20 squad,
captained by Cameron White,
is due to arrive in Sri Lanka
today. The two T20 matches
are on August 6 and 8. The
five-match one-day series
starts on August 10.
Sri Lanka T20 squad: Tillakaratne
Dilshan (capt), Mahela Jayawardene,
Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh
Chandimal, Angelo Mathews,
Jeevan Mendis, Dilruwan Perera,
Thisara Perera, Dammika Prasad,
Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis,
Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv,
Rangana Herath, Chamara Silva,
Shaminda Eranga. — Reuters
Loeb wins in Finland
for the second time
CITROEN team director Olivier Quesnel (right)
congratulates his French pilot Sebastien Loeb on winning
Rally of Finland in Jyvaskyla, Finland, yesterday. — AFP
HELSINKI — Citroen's world champion Sebastien Loeb won
Rally Finland for the second time in his career yesterday to
forge further ahead in the overall standings.
The French seven times world champion, who also won in
Finland in 2008, was the first non-Nordic driver to win the
rally on two occasions.
Loeb beat Ford's Finnish driver Jari-Matti Latvala by 8.1
seconds with Citroen's other French driver, Sebastien Ogier, in
third place ahead of Ford's Mikko Hirvonen.
"I'm really happy with my performance because I've cleaned
the road for three days but won," Loeb told the wrc.com website
after his 66th win of his world championship career. "It
was the perfect rally." — Reuters