Pak team celebrates World T20 truimph

An eight-wicket win over an off-colour Sri Lanka in the World T20 final at Lord’s provided Pakistan, the team and the country, a reason to smile. The win will also have helped erase the nightmares of the last final where they lost a tight game to India.

Unpredictability has always been one of Pakistan’s biggest banes, and not too many were convinced of their ability to repeat the cricket they played in their semifinal win over South Africa. But skipper Younis Khan had said on match eve, this tournament meant ‘everything’ to his players and everyone would be up for it.

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By Ashok Kumar

Immigration and Citizenship Minister Senator Chris Evans

Sydney:

While Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister, Senator Chris Evans, in an effort to pre-empt the drop in Indian students’ enrolment for the July semesters assured the Indian community in Melbourne of full safety for the students, a report in the media said that the Indian students have now joined their ilk from Bangladesh and Cambodia as the highest risk groups for visa violations.

According to a review of the student visa program assessment levels, conducted by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship last September across all applicant countries, ranked Indian students alongside Bangladeshis and Cambodians as a level-four risk – the second highest risk category. No country currently ranks as a top level-five risk. Continue Reading

Saina exults after winning Indonesian Open

Ace woman shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament after she clinched the Indonesian Open title with a stunning victory over higher ranked Chinese Lin Wang in Jakarta.  Saina clinched her maiden Super Series title beating Wang 12-21, 21-18, 21-9 in an edge-of-the-seat thriller that lasted 49 minutes.

Her triumph is the best ever performance by any Indian woman and at par with All England Championship titles won by Prakash Padukone and her current coach Pullela Gopichand. Continue Reading

A celebration short-lived

The champions bite the dust. A three-run loss at Lord’s to England on Sunday sealed India’s fate in the World T20 and made sure that there will be new T20 world champions come June 21. Chasing 154, the overconfident Indians ended their innings and defence of the title on 150/5.

Chasing on a wicket that was helping the fast bowlers, the well-documented shortcomings against the rising ball were exposed by an England attack that showed intent. The West Indies’ pacers had shown on Friday just how extra pace and bounce can trouble this much-vaunted Indian line-up, and that seemed to be the English gameplan on Sunday.

Opting for the extra pacer in Ryan Sidebottom, Paul Collinwood’s team did exceedingly well in containing, and removing the Indian batsmen. Continue Reading

Kallis take a catch to dismiss Broom. SA beat Kiwis by 1 run

T20 cricket lived up to its unpredictable character at Lords on Tuesday, as South Africa pulled off a dramatic one-run win over New Zealand. It was Roelof van der Merwe’s tight spell (2/14) that engineered a late South African comeback, as he picked up the crucial wickets of Ross Taylor (22 off 31) and Brendon McCullum (57 off 54). Needing 15 off the last over, the Kiwis could only end up with 127/5.

Until about the 15th over, the Kiwis were in cruise control. However, when Taylor was dismissed playing a rash stroke, New Zealand lost the momentum, bringing to an end a well-constructed 50-run partnership. McCullum followed Taylor back, stumped off van der Merwe. And then, things just got tougher for the Kiwis.  Needing around 10 an over from then on till the end, they felt the heat, before eventually falling short by one run. It was McCullum’s wicket that turned the match for South Africa, as the Kiwi skipper was on course to take his side home. Continue Reading

Students protesting in Harris Park

By Ashok Kumar

Sydney: In a positive step towards ensuring peace in the volatile Harris Park, the Mayor of Parramatta Mr. Tony Issac tonight called a meeting of the community leaders, student groups and businessmen and attended by Consul General of India Mr. Amit Dasgupta and Consul Mr. Gautam Roy, Police Superintendent Robert Redfern and officers of the local command where it was resolved to increase the police presence near the station area and main thoroughfares, increased visibility by installing more lights and more importantly installation of CCTV cameras.

Superintendent Redfern and Mr. Dasgupta allayed the fears of the students that their visa will be cancelled if they complain to police about the incidents. They assured that their visa status will not be affected.

Another meeting of the community leaders led by Dr. Yadu Singh discussed the various means to resolve the tension in Harris Park. The meeting suggested more police patrols to give the residents on assurance of protection. Continue Reading

By Ashok Kumar

Sydney: Mr. Peter Varghese is to be Australia’s next High Commissioner to India, with concurrent accreditation to Bhutan. He succeeds Mr.. John McCarthy AO, who has served with distinction as High Commissioner since 2004. Mr.. Varghese is expected to take up his appointment in August 2009.

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Stephen Smith told a Press conference, “I’m announcing today the appointment of Peter Varghese as our High Commissioner to India. And High Commissioner Varghese will commence his duties in August, replacing High Commissioner McCarthy who has been a very successful High Commissioner to India, and a very successful career diplomat for Australia. We complement High Commissioner McCarthy on his good work.”

High Commissioner Varghese will be a very good High Commissioner for what is a very important relationship, he said. Continue Reading

India started the World T20 with a 25-run over Bangladesh, but for a quite a long time during the Bangladesh innings, their players looked a little ill at ease. The Bangladesh pair of Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique had started the chase of 181 with real intent and purpose. The left-arm opening duo of Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan were being hit far and wide, with Siddique playing the lead. Despite losing both Iqbal (15) and skipper Ashraful (11) in the pursuit of quick runs, Bangladesh were making a real good fight of it, racing to 74 in just the ninth over. With the game poised to go either way, MS Dhoni decided to bring on Pragyan Ojha. And then, it all went right for India. The Hyderabad spinner picked up two wickets in his first over, including that of Siddique for 41 off 22 balls.

Bangladesh disintegrated from 74/2 to 77/4 within 5 balls and India were looking good for the win. Ojha ended up with figures with 4/21 in his quota of four overs and looks good for quite a few more in the tournament. Bangladesh, though, did not give up the ghost without a fight. Everyone gave the ball a real whack, with some of them clearing the fence, and the others falling short. Continue Reading

By Ashok Kumar

Moninder Singh of UIA at the Sydney rally

Belying all expectations that the rally will be called off, nearly 2000 students and community members gathered at the Sydney Town Hall and this morning and voiced their concerns about growing violence and inequality towards Indian students. The students appealed to the government to stop treating them like “cash cows”.  The Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA) that had till two days ago said they did not extend support to the rally, assumed leadership of the small groups of students from various universities in Sydney.  

Meanwhile, Gautam Gupta , founder of FISA in Melbourne reported burning of a car belonging to a 22-year-old Vikrant Rajesh Ratan.  Ratan, who hails from Ludhiana said had used all his savings to buy the car He said the vehicle was burnt last night outside his home. Ratan said that two other cars, also belonging to Indians that were parked next to his vehicle had also been damaged during the incident.”We were sleeping when it all happened. We heard the fire alarm of the car. When we went out to see what happened we saw the car on fire,” he said. Continue Reading

Leander Paes won his ninth Grand Slam title when he and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy overcame a first set lapse to tame Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman in the final of the French Open men’s doubles while  Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova kisses the trophy after winning the women’s final against compatriot Dinara Safina at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris on June 6, 2009.

The third seeded Indo-Czech pair defeated the giant-killing South African-Belgian pair 3-6 6-3 6-2 to win their first Grand Slam title together.

It is almost after a gap of three years that Paes has won men’s doubles title at a Major, since winning the 2006 US Open with Martin Damm. Continue Reading