Nadal beats Gasquet, Ferrer defeats Djokovic

SHANGHAI: Second-ranked Rafael Nadal overcame self-doubts and a sluggish start to beat France’s Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in the opening match of the season-ending Masters Cup.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic wasn’t as lucky, getting broken in the first game and never recovering as he fell to No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain 6-4, 6-4 in the other Gold Group round-robin match at the tournament that features the top eight men’s singles players and doubles pairs.

Nadal looked uncharacteristically slow and subdued as eighth-ranked Gasquet fended off an early break point, then broke Nadal as he served at 3-4 in the first set. Nadal fell behind 0-40, won the next two points, then saw Gasquet send a stinging forehand winner down the line. The Frenchman finished off the set with a pair of service winners.

Even though both of his knees were taped, Nadal claimed he was feeling “perfect,” but said he was a little nervous at the start in the season-ending Masters Cup, which features the top eight men’s singles players and doubles pairs.

“Every match is very difficult because you play only against the best,” he said. “So I start the match with, well, little bit doubts. But later I play a little bit more aggressive. I finish much better than I start.”

Gasquet’s downfall began when he shanked an overhead into the net on game point while serving at 1-2 in the second set. Nadal rallied to break when Gasquet tried a drop shot that fell well wide, and Nadal was suddenly fired up, pumping his fists while tracking down the Frenchman’s array of groundstrokes, volleys and spins.

Gasquet’s serve, so strong in the first set, let him down, too. He got only 53 percent of his first serves in during the second set, and Nadal picked on Gasquet’s second serves, winning 10 of 13.

“It was important to serve well against Rafa,” said Gasquet, who claimed his spot here by jumping five spots in the rankings after reaching the Paris semifinals last week. “My strategy was to go to the net every time … because if you play at the baseline with him, with a lot of long shots, it’s really hard.”

Gasquet, who saw his pro record against Nadal fall to 0-4, broke back in the next game, but Nadal broke again to pull ahead 4-2 and held serve to finish off the set and level the match.

With unforced errors piling up, Gasquet served at 30-30 at 2-2 in the final set. He thought he had an ace, challenged the out call and lost, then double-faulted. He saved one break point, but back-to-back forehand errors then handed Nadal the last break he needed.

After the Spaniard cracked a clean winner on match point, he leaned back and shouted, his fists clenched.

Ferrer never let up after getting the early break against the 20-year-old Djokovic, who won five ATP titles this year and reached his first Grand Slam final, losing in the U.S. Open to top-ranked Roger Federer.

“It wasn’t my day,” Djokovic said of Ferrer. “He proved that he’s a great player and absolutely he deserved to win.”

Ferrer never gave Djokovic an opening in the first set, broke the Serb for a 5-4 lead in the second and fended a break point while serving for the match. It ended when a Djokovic forehand hit the tape and ricocheted well wide.

“I play with confidence all the match,” Ferrer said. “I played really, really good.”

Federer, the defending champion, and the rest of the Red Group open play Monday at 15,000-seat Qi Zhong Tennis Stadium.

Sri Lankan newspaper runs black figure in place of cricket action shot

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A Sri Lankan newspaper chose a graphic way to illustrate how a media rights dispute between Cricket Australia and the major international news agencies is hurting its coverage of the series.

With its national squad in Brisbane, Australia, for the first test match against the world’s top-ranked team, Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times would usually rely on The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse to supply images.

But with the agencies locked out of the match over a dispute involving the terms and conditions of accreditation, the paper carried only a three-column report supplied by the British Broadcasting Corp.

Next to the report, in a space where a match photo would usually go, was a black figure in the shape of a batsman playing a stroke.

“This space is dedicated to what would have been an action picture of the test match in progress in Brisbane,” the caption read. “The black figure is courtesy of Cricket Australia.”

The key elements of the dispute are Cricket Australia’s insistence on a license fee for photographs of its events, curbs on the distribution of news and images to online publishers and assertion of an intellectual property interest in stories and photos produced by journalists at its events.

The news agencies are refusing to pay the unprecedented license fee

The AP’s associate general counsel, Dave Tomlin, said news agencies did not pay news sources for the right to hear or tell their stories, and do not pay organizers of newsworthy events for the right to cover them.

“When we start doing that, both we and our sources can kiss our credibility goodbye,” he said.

A similar dispute between the International Rugby Board and a coalition of the international news agencies and major news organizations that threatened to overshadow the World Cup was resolved only an hour before kickoff of the tournament in September.

On the eve or opening day of the cricket test last Thursday, Australia’s domestic newspaper groups accepted watered down conditions which did not include having to buy licensing rights.

However, the news agencies were not offered the same conditions and negotiations have continued.

The International Cricket Council has asked for the matter to be resolved quickly, while Sri Lankan cricket authorities have written to their Australian counterparts asking them to settle the situation before the second test starts Friday in Hobart.

Solanki joins Indian rebel league

Vikram Solanki has become the third England player to join the rebel Indian Cricket League.The Worcestershire skipper is due to join fellow county captains Paul Nixon and Darren Maddy in a move that could end his international career.

Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board is putting pressure on the counties to reconsider allowing players to sign deals with the ICL.  However, the players are not bound by ECB contracts during the winter.

The ICL differs from the Indian Premier League, an officially endorsed rival league which is also attracting big-name players.  Solanki, 31, has played in 51 one-day internationals, the last in the summer of 2006.

He and Maddy both featured in England’s Twenty20 squad which played in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in September.  Several national boards have threatened to ban anyone who joins the ICL, and though the ECB has not carried out a similar threat, they may yet do so.

Irish internationals Niall O’Brien and Boyd Rankin are due to fly out to India imminently as the fourth and fifth players from the counties to join the league.  And there are also suggestions that some county players from overseas are due to honour similar contracts.

But the ECB has emailed all the counties asking them to persuade those players to back down.  There are, for instance, threats that any county sending players to the ICL could be banned from the new Twenty20 Champions League starting in 2008.

Six nations will send their two best domestic teams to India for that lucrative event – in England’s case it will be the finalists of the 2008 Twenty20 Cup.  A source close to the players told BBC Sport: “I don’t know if the counties will stop the guys from signing up.

“But if the players have already signed contracts and consequently pull out then there’s the potential for bounce-back action from the league.

Muralitharan has signed for the official Indian Premier League

“It would be a real mess if they suffered legal consequences.”

The ICL was created by broadcaster Zee Telefilms, which had grown frustrated at its inability to secure telecast rights for major cricket events.

After initial delays, it is due to start by the middle of November, and will feature six teams, the Mumbai Champs, Chennai Super Stars, Chandigarh Lions, Hyderabad Warriors, Kolkata Tigers and Delhi Jets.

Its star names include the retired Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has launched a copycat league, with teams also playing Twenty20 format.  Its top players include the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ricky Ponting, who can play without any threat of being banned.

Sixteen of the 18 counties have their players signed on six-month contracts, which effectively makes their players free agents from 1 October to 31 March.  That means there is no legal impediment to stop the likes of Solanki, Maddy and Nixon for being employed elsewhere in the winter.

Only Lancashire’s players are on full-year deals, while Glamorgan’s are on nine-month contracts.

Solanki was not available for comment.

Kapil Dev rebels look doomed to failure

Kapil Dev, India’s captain when they won their only World Cup in 1983, was not only a fine swing bowler but also a sensational hitter. When he was batting in the Lord’s Test of 1990 with a rabbit No 11 at the other end, and India still needed 24 runs to avoid being made to follow on by England, Kapil hit four sixes off four balls. Twenty20 cricket ahead of its time.

Now Kapil’s great sense of timing has deserted him. Some time later this month, if it can get its act together, the Indian Cricket League will be launched. It is a private promotion, by an Asian Kerry Packer called Subhas Chandra, and fronted by Kapil: and if an analogy is made with a batsman new to the crease, this 20-over league will struggle to get off the mark.

Around 50 cricketers are milling around Chennai this weekend wondering what, if anything, is going to happen. ICL’s signings include some great has-beens like Glenn McGrath, Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq, as well as three England internationals, Vikram Solanki, Paul Nixon and Darren Maddy. But the majority are young Indian players whom nobody has heard of, and who have signed away their careers in official cricket after being promised 20 to 40 lakh rupees (£25,000-£50,000) for a three-year contract.

They have got one ground to play on, at Panchkula outside Chandigarh. What the teams are, and when they will play, has not yet been displayed on the website of the Indian Cricket League. Only one thing is certain: the terrible timing of this breakaway tournament.

India are currently playing Pakistan at home in a series of five one-day internationals, followed by three Tests. Then they tour Australia for a four-Test series. Four months of the most important bilateral cricket that India can play.

The ICL was designed to cash in on the new popularity of 20-over matches. The Indian Zee television channel had failed to land any official cricket coverage so, like Channel Nine in Australia 30 years ago, they decided to create their own brand. ICL signed Tony Greig, a key figure in World Series Cricket, as an executive board member along with Kapil. There the parallels begin and probably end.

Players like Nixon have been informed that they could be banned from the official, semi-global and highly lucrative 20-over tournament confusingly called the Indian Premier League, which will be launched next October. There is even a suggestion their clubs might be banned from the tournament too. There appears to be no need for any threats by officialdom, however. By then the ICL will surely have been dismissed with hardly a run on the board.

‘On making hockey simple and safe’ : Ric Charlesworth

Ric Charlesworth is full of ideas for the development of hockey. “We can improve the sport by getting more space (less players on the pitch) and by replacing the penalty corner with a ‘power play’,” he says in an e-mail interview to Nandakumar Marar.

The expert at work… Charlesworth (right) in the commentary box during the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Richard Charlesworth, appointed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to work out a development plan for Indian hockey, will be here in December as part of a joint initiative with the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).

The International Olympic Association’s Olympic Solidarity Programme and the Indian Olympic Association are also collaborators in this attempt to put India hockey back on rails.

Charlesworth, 54, brings with him many years of experience, as player and captain of the Australian team and as coach of the world-beating ‘Hockeyroos’ (Australia’s women’s team).

As an expert commentator on television at international tournaments, the Australian is aware of the modern shifts and trends in the game.Charlesworth, a passionate follower of Indian hockey, has been advocating a shift in policy to make the sport simpler and safer.

It is an observation shared by the followers of Asian hockey who are concerned by the fact that the sport appears to be drifting from bewitching skills and delightful goals to a brutal game played on artificial turf where the players wear protective masks during penalty corners to defend themselves against ferocious shots unleashed by drag-flickers.

Excerpts of the interview:

Question: You are coming from New Zealand cricket to Indian hockey. Why did you choose to switch sport?

Answer: Hockey has always been my first love and so this was an opportunity to return to the game.

Do you agree that hockey can evolve into a more dynamic sport, the way cricket is doing now by offering T20 as a new package to attract audiences, both at stadiums and on television?

Hockey already has the dynamism and drama. Of course we can improve the sport by simplifying it, getting more space (less players on the pitch) and by replacing the penalty corner with a ‘power play’. A ‘power play’ is like a penalty corner but with perhaps three or four attackers on the 25-yard line, with one hitting the ball in from the back line (like a penalty corner). Three defenders (including the goalkeeper) are in the goal and rush out to defend.

The attackers must trap the ball once it crosses the 25-yard line and then go with dribbling and passing to take a shot at the goal. There would effectively be four or five attackers against two defending players plus the goalkeeper. It would be much safer as the players wouldn’t be defending a powerful shot on the goal-line in a crowded area.

It could be adjusted in such a manner so as to ensure that it is as effective as a penalty corner without the danger, and would require many skills rather than one special defined skill that is so quick no one can see it! The other players would have to go to the other 25-yard line and would naturally run back to defend, so there would not be unlimited time to display skill.

Futsal emerged out of football and beach volleyball evolved from volleyball as attractive, fan-friendly variations. Why is hockey stuck in the past, reluctant to change into a fun-to-play, easy-to-follow sport?

Hockey has changed a lot, more than most games. Unfortunately, not enough of the changes have been done to what I suggested earlier.

Indoor hockey (fewer players, rebounds off sideboards) is faster to play, exciting to watch due to quicker ball-rotation, thrilling goals and the skills involved. Your view on the scope for popularising this variant (also called rink hockey) as hockey’s future?

I have no problem with these ideas but some of the things in indoor hockey, especially the dangerous corners, could be replaced by a shootout (meaning one-on-one against goalkeeper with a time limit, probably less than eight seconds).

India’s Premier Hockey League (PHL) experimented with four quarters, instead of the regulation two halves, leading to more off-the-field action for TV viewers. Your thoughts on making hockey more exciting as a spectacle in stadiums and on TV?

Having four quarters is good. Similarly, power plays instead of corners, less players on the field, one always in the attacking half etc. These things would make it harder to defend and therefore encourage teams to try to score more. Presently, all the big games are won by defence, and as the game is so crowded, the spectators and umpires cannot follow it.

Television assistance for umpires can help reduce controversy while making split-second decisions and decrease the chances of players questioning match officials. Why is hockey hell-bent on condoning human error for the sake of tradition?

I don’t think that’s so. Increasingly the third umpire has a place, especially in the big tournaments.

The Australian way of playing hockey is a mix of the Asian and European styles. How and when did the Aussie style evolve?

We learnt from both styles, and the hybrid evolved in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Every country will continue to develop things that they believe will be of advantage to them.

Hockeyroos brought glamour into Australian sport, the players dominated women’s hockey for a long time. How did the response from the Australian media and sponsors help in the success?

Hockeyroos went from being unknowns to well-known. Still largely the individuals were unknown except for some special ones like Alyson Annan (the best woman player of her time), Rechelle Hawkes (Olympic gold medallist in Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000) and Nova Peris-Kneebone (Olympian and international athlete), who went on to win the 200m gold at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Is hockey considered a career option in Australia? Can the national players live off the game, that is, as professional club players, the way soccer players do?

No, it is not really a career option, but at least now while playing you can survive.

Matches featuring India or Pakistan attract maximum audiences in Europe, perhaps even in Australia, due to the skill factor. Do you agree? Do you feel there is a sense of urgency in the FIH to strengthen hockey in India and Pakistan for the sake of the sport’s survival?

It is because of the drama of the exotic rivalry (India versus Pakistan) as much as anything, and the fact that often the game is open and attacking. The FIH wants India to do well because that will be good for the game worldwide and help ensure its growth and development. In the same way they want USA to do well in the women’s game and China to continue improving.

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RIC FACTFILE

• Born on December 6, 1952, Subiaco, Western Australia.

• Played in 227 internationals for Australia between 1972 and 1988. Also represented his nation in four Olympic Games and four World Cups.

• Member of the Australian team which won the silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

• Led Australia to victory at the 1986 World Cup in London. Besides being the top-scorer, he was also named the ‘Player of the Tournament’.• Coached the Australian women’s team — Hockeyroos — from 1993 up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. During his tenure, Australia won the Champion’s Trophy in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999, the World Cup in 1994 and 1998, gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the Commonwealth Games gold in Kuala Lumpur, 1998.• Between 1972 and 1980, he played first-class cricket for Western Australia and led the team in 1979.• A High Performance Consultant with Fremantle Dockers Football Club and High Performance Manager to New Zealand Cricket.

• A doctor of medicine and a Federal Member of Parliament for 10 years.

• Author of three books: The Coach — Managing for Success (2001), Staying At The Top (2002) and Shakespeare The Coach (2004).

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RIC’S IMPRESSIONS His favourite moment against India as player

The repechage game at the 1976 Montreal Olympics where there were five periods of extra time. The match was decided on penalties and I took the final one! (Australia won 5-4 after the teams were locked 1-1 at full time). It was a game of great historical significance and tension; it decided the fate of the then World Champions.

On Indian hockey

I think it has been too rigid and proud in the past. I hope that is changing. India is quality one day, then mediocrity the next. They have been erratic.

On India’s Asia Cup win this year and the way forward

There is no one answer. I think you won that (Asia Cup) in 2003 beating Korea and Pakistan in the semifinal and final. Also that year you beat Australia, Germany and Spain. It was a much better year than this one! Then in 2004, the Olympics (Athens) were a disappointment. The result in Chennai was encouraging, but without other changes it is unlikely that what you describe is the answer. These things are multi-factorial.

On Indian hockey greats who impacted the game

The best coach was probably Balkishen Singh whose teams were very competitive and who seemed to be flexible in his approach. The really great players I saw were Ajitpal Singh (he had a dominating presence at centre-half and provided the coolness and class), Mohd. Shahid (a mesmerising master of ball control, feints and deception. It required such resources to control him that he allowed others space) and finally Dhanraj Pillay (great speed, passion, skill and longevity). Pillay was outstanding in the recent past.

Three S.African cricketers join new Indian league

MUMBAI – West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, batsman Chris Gayle and three South African cricketers have signed up for the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL), organisers said on Wednesday.

The South African trio who have joined the Twenty20 league which is due to start next April are all rounder Jacques Kallis, fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and wicket-keeper-batsman Mark Boucher.

The latest signings takes the list of international players to 49.

Promoted by the Indian cricket board with support from other major national boards, the IPL was launched to counter an unofficial Indian Twenty20 league due to start on November 30.

The 44-day IPL event will feature eight franchises in the inaugural season with each squad containing 16 players. They will play home and away games leading up to a grand final.