NEW DELHI — The gunshots fired at the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3 are still ringing across the border in the ears of India's sports officials.
India's desire to remain a major sporting destination with ambitions of hosting the Olympics one day is being clouded by a perception abroad that the country is not safe.
Only cricket appears untouched as players from around the globe jet in regularly to cash in on the millions of dollars offered in lucrative events like the Indian Premier League.
Australia pulled out of a Davis Cup tennis tie in Chennai in May and England withdrew from the world badminton championships in Hyderabad in August despite no specific terror threats to the two events.
It sent shockwaves across the sporting fraternity since Australia and England are expected to be the main draws at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October next year.
Australian and British officials see no threat of a boycott of the Games, but not everyone in India is convinced. Twice bitten, no one is willing to take anything for granted.
The Indian government released an additional 15 million dollars to secure the Games after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers that followed the Mumbai terror strikes in November.
Paranoid officials have even dropped a proposal to provide high-speed internet wi-fi services across the Indian capital during the Games because they felt militants use wi-fi to link up with their masters.
New Delhi is confident of hosting a successful Commonwealth Games and the preceding field hockey World Cup in February-March, but officials wonder how they can change individual perceptions.
England walked out of the world badminton event, joined later by two Austrian doubles players, due to a stray newspaper report that spoke of an impending terror strike despite assurances from the government there was no threat to the championships.
The report stemmed from a review of the venue by intelligence and para-military officials prior to the tournament, not unusual for any major event in any part of the world.
The Indians were understandably furious at English Olympic silver medallist Nathan Robertson's comment on returning home that he was "just glad to be back in one piece".
The Scottish team, which scoffed at England's withdrawal, later complained there was too much security and felt "imprisoned in hotel rooms."
The tournament passed off without any trouble -- barring a false alarm of swine flu -- with federal home minister P. Chidambaram making a point by attending the final.
The tough-talking Chidambaram said he was "burning inside" when he learnt of England's withdrawal and stressed that "we have the capacity to provide full and complete security to any international sports event."
Canadian players ignored warnings from Badminton Canada to pull out and stayed on in Hyderabad to play in the championships, with coach Ram Nayar saying the team had "no concerns."
"We were aware of the advisory, but had no worries," said Nayar. "In fact, some of the players who lost early took a trip to Rajasthan for sight-seeing."
There are no such worries for cricket either despite it being the most high-profile sport in India with thousands packing stadiums across the country.
Kevin Pietersen-led England returned to play a Test series in India less than a fortnight after the November 26 Mumbai attacks that left 172 dead and more than 300 injured.
Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals continued with their IPL engagements at their home base of Jaipur despite a bomb blast in the city during the inaugural edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 event in 2008.
Their compatriots in tennis and badminton may think otherwise, but England and Australian cricketers see no problem with security in India.
Two domestic English teams will take part in the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League in October and Australia will play seven one-day internationals soon after.
This year's IPL was shifted to South Africa due to the government's reluctance to spare security forces at the time of general elections, and not because any player feared his safety.
"They won't refuse to come to India because of the money they earn," a furious Indian Olympic official said. "But if India is safe for cricket, it must be safe for all sports."
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Warner warns England to beware pace barrage
MANCHESTER, England — Australia's David Warner has told England to expect plenty more short stuff from Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson in Tuesday's second Twenty20 international at Old Trafford.
Sunday's first of a two-match series at Lancashire's headquarters ended in a no-result washout, with England's reply to Australia's 145 for four lasting less than two overs.
But that was time enough for England to collapse to four for two with fast bowler Lee bouncing out debutant Joe Denly for a duck and left-arm quick Johnson having Ravi Bopara caught in the slips.
Lee, who missed the whole of England's preceding 2-1 Ashes series win with a side injury, worked up a fearsome pace and hit the 90mph mark in his one over.
Opening batsman Warner, who made 33 on Sunday, said both pace bowlers would be keen to continue from where they left off.
"We'll be targeting them (England) from short of a length as we saw yesterday (Sunday)," Warner told reporters at Old Trafford on Monday.
"Binga (Lee) and Mitch are bowling quick and England can expect more of that."
Warner, 22, is in many ways the prototype Twenty20 cricketer, scoring 89 on his international debut in cricket's shortest professional format, against South Africa in Melbourne in January, before he'd even made his maiden first-class appearance.
And it wasn't until the final match of the last Sheffield Shield season that Warner made his first-class bow for New South Wales (NSW), the left-hander marking his debut with 42.
A middle-order batsman in the four-day game, Warner could struggle to find a spot, outside of international call-ups, in an NSW side that boasts the likes of Phil Jaques, Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke and fellow rising stars Usman Khawaja and Moises Henriques.
But that hasn't stopped Warner from raising his Twenty20 profile with a stint for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.
Warner, not included in the Australia squad for the seven one-day internationals against England that follow the two Twenty20s, is now looking to another stint in India to bolster his career.
"If I can get some good totals and keep pressing claims I can make sure my name is up there in the list if any injuries come along."
And he added he was keen to play against, rather than for, the Daredevils as a member of the NSW team involved in the Champions League, a tournament for the world's leading domestic Twenty20 sides, in India in October.
"It's going to be interesting. Delhi Daredevils have a very strong team with (Tilakaratne) Dilshan, (Virender) Sehwag, (AB) de Villiers, you name it, but we've watched them on TV and we'll have our plans so it will be a good battle if we come up against them."
But Warner admitted that, for all his globetrotting, he could find himself starting the next Australian season playing Sydney first-grade cricket for Eastern Suburbs.
"I've just got to bide my time, go home and start back in grade again with Eastern Suburbs. I love playing with my mates there, it's home, and I'm in that comfort zone there and hopefully I can put the scores together.
"You can't go to the top of log and stay there for the rest of your career. There will be setbacks.
"I'm only young and I want to play Test cricket. That's always been my dream as a kid and it's what I've always wanted to do. I can't be one of those who just plays Twenty20."
Sunday's first of a two-match series at Lancashire's headquarters ended in a no-result washout, with England's reply to Australia's 145 for four lasting less than two overs.
But that was time enough for England to collapse to four for two with fast bowler Lee bouncing out debutant Joe Denly for a duck and left-arm quick Johnson having Ravi Bopara caught in the slips.
Lee, who missed the whole of England's preceding 2-1 Ashes series win with a side injury, worked up a fearsome pace and hit the 90mph mark in his one over.
Opening batsman Warner, who made 33 on Sunday, said both pace bowlers would be keen to continue from where they left off.
"We'll be targeting them (England) from short of a length as we saw yesterday (Sunday)," Warner told reporters at Old Trafford on Monday.
"Binga (Lee) and Mitch are bowling quick and England can expect more of that."
Warner, 22, is in many ways the prototype Twenty20 cricketer, scoring 89 on his international debut in cricket's shortest professional format, against South Africa in Melbourne in January, before he'd even made his maiden first-class appearance.
And it wasn't until the final match of the last Sheffield Shield season that Warner made his first-class bow for New South Wales (NSW), the left-hander marking his debut with 42.
A middle-order batsman in the four-day game, Warner could struggle to find a spot, outside of international call-ups, in an NSW side that boasts the likes of Phil Jaques, Phillip Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke and fellow rising stars Usman Khawaja and Moises Henriques.
But that hasn't stopped Warner from raising his Twenty20 profile with a stint for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.
Warner, not included in the Australia squad for the seven one-day internationals against England that follow the two Twenty20s, is now looking to another stint in India to bolster his career.
"If I can get some good totals and keep pressing claims I can make sure my name is up there in the list if any injuries come along."
And he added he was keen to play against, rather than for, the Daredevils as a member of the NSW team involved in the Champions League, a tournament for the world's leading domestic Twenty20 sides, in India in October.
"It's going to be interesting. Delhi Daredevils have a very strong team with (Tilakaratne) Dilshan, (Virender) Sehwag, (AB) de Villiers, you name it, but we've watched them on TV and we'll have our plans so it will be a good battle if we come up against them."
But Warner admitted that, for all his globetrotting, he could find himself starting the next Australian season playing Sydney first-grade cricket for Eastern Suburbs.
"I've just got to bide my time, go home and start back in grade again with Eastern Suburbs. I love playing with my mates there, it's home, and I'm in that comfort zone there and hopefully I can put the scores together.
"You can't go to the top of log and stay there for the rest of your career. There will be setbacks.
"I'm only young and I want to play Test cricket. That's always been my dream as a kid and it's what I've always wanted to do. I can't be one of those who just plays Twenty20."
England await another pace barrage
Autumn certainly arrived in Manchester on Sunday as a full house huddled up against the cold and damp before being left unfulfilled when the first Twenty20 was abandoned seven balls into England's chase. However, for the home side it looked like a reprieve after Australia's new ball pair of Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson rattled the top order.
Joe Denly's Twenty20 debut couldn't really have gone much worse - a dropped catch and a first-ball duck - while Ravi Bopara's problems outside off stump continued with a flash to slip. The Australians were pumped, with Johnson enjoying some heated banter with the crowd, and Lee eager to put weeks of frustration on the sidelines behind him.
For Australia this period of one-day action is about moving on from the Ashes defeat, but also about building a side for the World Twenty in West Indies next April. Cameron White, on his return to side, staked a huge claim with the innings of the day and will aim for a repeat on Tuesday. Hopefully, too, there will be a chance to see Dirk Nannes in action.
England are also plotting and planning having never settled on a Twenty20 side. The bowling unit was impressive in the opening match - although Stuart Broad's round-the-wicket attack isn't convincing - but they need to hold all their catches. Denly's miss off White on 12 could have been the difference if the first game had gone the distance.
Joe Denly's Twenty20 debut couldn't really have gone much worse - a dropped catch and a first-ball duck - while Ravi Bopara's problems outside off stump continued with a flash to slip. The Australians were pumped, with Johnson enjoying some heated banter with the crowd, and Lee eager to put weeks of frustration on the sidelines behind him.
For Australia this period of one-day action is about moving on from the Ashes defeat, but also about building a side for the World Twenty in West Indies next April. Cameron White, on his return to side, staked a huge claim with the innings of the day and will aim for a repeat on Tuesday. Hopefully, too, there will be a chance to see Dirk Nannes in action.
England are also plotting and planning having never settled on a Twenty20 side. The bowling unit was impressive in the opening match - although Stuart Broad's round-the-wicket attack isn't convincing - but they need to hold all their catches. Denly's miss off White on 12 could have been the difference if the first game had gone the distance.
Monday, August 31, 2009
No grounds for termination, says IMG
The Indian board's decision to sever its IPL contract with IMG continues to generate heat, with the sports management firm indicating that it might take the legal route to resolve the dispute, and three more franchises expressing their concern over the development.
Replying to the BCCI's letter on Friday informing IMG that it would not use any of its services following a disagreement over payments for the second IPL in South Africa, Andrew Wildblood, a senior vice-president at the firm, said that there were no grounds for the termination. IMG, he pointed out, had a legally binding 10-year agreement with the BCCI and would "reserve all of our rights and remedies at law under and in respect of the contract".
The issue will be discussed at the Indian board's annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai at the end of the month. The IPL governing council is scheduled to meet in Mumbai on Wednesday but that's expected to be a 30-minute meeting to ratify accounts and reports related to the second season.
The Indian board's decision has been opposed by the IPL franchises, four of whom wrote to the BCCI over the weekend expressing their disappointment at the unilateral manner in which it was taken and concern that the league's value will be diluted. On Monday, two more franchises - Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab - sent similar letters to the BCCI, while Vijay Mallya, who owns Bangalore Royal Challengers, is believed to have spoken to Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president, over phone. Chennai, which is owned by N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, is the only franchise to remain silent on the issue.
"These are all important decisions," Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood star who co-owns Kolkata Knight Riders, said on Monday. "All we want is to be kept in the loop. A lot of our sponsorship deals depend on the backbone of the IPL."
Srinivasan had claimed in his letter to IMG that its fee was disproportionate to the services rendered. IMG played a key role in conceptualising the IPL and implementing it, including drafting the Indian and foreign players' contracts, putting the logistics in place and managing the day-to-day running of the tournament. The BCCI claimed to have paid IMG Rs 42.92 crore (US$ 9.54 million approx) for the inaugural IPL edition, with the fee for the second edition said to be around Rs 33 crore (US$ 7.33 million approx).
Reports suggest that IMG's initial contract with the BCCI, which was signed in September 2007, stipulated a commission-based payment of 10% of the board's revenue. The contract was subsequently negotiated to a fixed retainer payment of roughly Rs 33 crore but this was objected to by some members of the BCCI's working committee, who are keen that the Indian board take over the running of the IPL entirely.
Replying to the BCCI's letter on Friday informing IMG that it would not use any of its services following a disagreement over payments for the second IPL in South Africa, Andrew Wildblood, a senior vice-president at the firm, said that there were no grounds for the termination. IMG, he pointed out, had a legally binding 10-year agreement with the BCCI and would "reserve all of our rights and remedies at law under and in respect of the contract".
The issue will be discussed at the Indian board's annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai at the end of the month. The IPL governing council is scheduled to meet in Mumbai on Wednesday but that's expected to be a 30-minute meeting to ratify accounts and reports related to the second season.
The Indian board's decision has been opposed by the IPL franchises, four of whom wrote to the BCCI over the weekend expressing their disappointment at the unilateral manner in which it was taken and concern that the league's value will be diluted. On Monday, two more franchises - Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab - sent similar letters to the BCCI, while Vijay Mallya, who owns Bangalore Royal Challengers, is believed to have spoken to Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president, over phone. Chennai, which is owned by N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, is the only franchise to remain silent on the issue.
"These are all important decisions," Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood star who co-owns Kolkata Knight Riders, said on Monday. "All we want is to be kept in the loop. A lot of our sponsorship deals depend on the backbone of the IPL."
Srinivasan had claimed in his letter to IMG that its fee was disproportionate to the services rendered. IMG played a key role in conceptualising the IPL and implementing it, including drafting the Indian and foreign players' contracts, putting the logistics in place and managing the day-to-day running of the tournament. The BCCI claimed to have paid IMG Rs 42.92 crore (US$ 9.54 million approx) for the inaugural IPL edition, with the fee for the second edition said to be around Rs 33 crore (US$ 7.33 million approx).
Reports suggest that IMG's initial contract with the BCCI, which was signed in September 2007, stipulated a commission-based payment of 10% of the board's revenue. The contract was subsequently negotiated to a fixed retainer payment of roughly Rs 33 crore but this was objected to by some members of the BCCI's working committee, who are keen that the Indian board take over the running of the IPL entirely.
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