Calcutta Clippings (18 February 1999)
Eden Gardens was always a lucky ground for Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin but not today
18-Feb-1999
18 February 1999
Calcutta Clippings
Hasan Masood
Azzu's first pillar
Eden Gardens was always a lucky ground for Indian skipper Mohammad
Azharuddin but not today. The tall Indian skipper, who scored five
centuries and two fifties in his
previous seven innings in five Tests, was out today for the first
time with less than 50 to his name. At 23, he was one of the three
victims of his Pakistani counterpart Wasim Akram.
Azhar, who made his debut with two centuries - 110 and 141 - here
against England way back in 1984-85, scored his last ton - 163 not
out -- against Australia last year. He scored his other two
centuries--182 and 109 -- against England and South Africa in 1992-93
and 1997 respectively. Azhar managed 60 runs against Pakistan here in
1987 and 52 runs against Australia in the 1st innings last year.
New Yorker
The packed crowd at the Eden Gardens was at a loss for quite some
time when 'little master' Sachin was bowled for a first-ball duck
with a gem of an yorker. Although it was his seventh duck in Test
cricket, he was never bowled out in the first delivery that he faced.
While returning home after the match, most of the Calcuttans were
saying that it was a dream delivery from the fastest Pakistani
bowler, which the world's best batsman of the present era failed to
block. The ball took off his middle stump after being pitched under
his bat. His previous delivery, which took the off stump behind Rahul
Dravid was a similar yorker.
Diplomatic Miah
Indian and Pakistani journalists had a 15-minute argument with ICC
president Jagmohan Dalmiya today at the press box because they failed
to contact either captain and coach after the end of play on day one.
Dalmiya, with an smiling face, first said that it was the decisions
of the both the team management and Cricket Association of Bengal
(CAB) and then agreed that he needs only 20-minutes to solve the
issue. But he declined to do that because he did not want to take any
blame should any controversy arise later.
Local Bengali dailies, which the Pakistanis cannot read, have been
producing every day for the last one week numerous baseless stories
on the tourists without talking to them, perhaps only to attract
their readers.
"Without making any contact, you are producing a lot of gossips
everyday, which have already had an impact on the morale of both
teams. If you talk, I don't know what will happen," said Dalmiya
while going out from the press box.
Bone in Bonus
Zimbabwean coach Dave Houghton is not very keen about introducing
bonus points in Test matches.
"How can you do that, and that too only for the first 100 overs of the
first innings? This will totally damage the image of Test cricket and
encourage players to play as in one-day matches. If a team does better
in the second innings and wins the match, why will they be deprived of
their success and bonus points as well?" asked the former Test
cricketer, one of the invited dignitaries to the inaugural match of
the Test championship. He was talking to this correspondent today
during lunch.
"This is not fair. If bonus points have to be given, it should be
applied in both innings and I don't think this idea will last in the
days to come," he added.
Ra-miss
Ramesh once again failed to hammer a ton. The left-handed opener, who
made his debut in the Madras Test late last month, was out today on
79 being trapped leg before by Wasim Akram.
In the first match in his home town (Chennai), he scored 43 and 26
and then went on to score 60 and 96 in the Delhi Test. In his
previous innings at the Firoze Shah Kotla, he missed his maiden ton
for only four runs after he offered a simple return catch to Pakistan
leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.
It was his third Test fifty in the last two weeks. Not a bad start
for the young Tamil.
Welcome Guest
Charu Sharma, one of the leading members of the Star Sports (TV)
team, is very happy to be going to Dhaka for the first time to cover
the Final of the inaugural Asian Test championship. The tall
Bangalore-based commentator, who works with the TWI team, expressed
this after he came to know that this correspondent came from Dhaka.
"I have seen your Independence Cup and the Wills International Cup on
TV as I'm not attached to WorldTel which telecast both the
tournaments held in Dhaka in 1997 and 98," said Charu.
"I know you have a pretty good stadium in Dhaka with modern lights
and electronic scoreboard," Charu said, revealing that all the four
matches of the three-nation tournament will be shown in the Star
Sports pay channel.
Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)