Calcutta Clippings (20 February 1999)

20 February 1999

Calcutta Clippings

Hasan Masood

CALCUTTA, Feb 19: The Asian Test championship may turn into a regular biennial fixture on the cricket calendar of this region.

International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jagmohan Dalmiya revealed it today.

While talking to this correspondent after the fourth day's play, the boss of world cricket's governing body however said that things were not finalised yet.

But the Asian cricket chiefs have already agreed in principle and are now waiting for a successful completion of the first edition of the event before making any final decision. The final of the championship will be held in Dhaka next month.

"Until now our plan is to hold the tournament in every two years, but let us see how far this goes," said Dalmiya.

Meanwhile, most of the former cricketers have suggested the ICC to hold the proposed World Test championship in between two World Cups.

At a conference, organised by the ICC at the Taj Bengal Hotel last night, they insisted the ruling body to start the championship from 2001, two years after the 1999 World Cup.

In a topsy-turvy day at the Eden Gardens here, two Indian batsmen -- Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulker, achieved personal milestones, reaching six and five thousand clubs in Test cricket respectively.

Indian captain Azharuddin, in his 97th Test, crossed six thousand mark when he scored the 18th of his 20 runs in the second innings. Azahr is the fourth Indian to score 6000 runs in the Test cricket.

Legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs in 125 Tests), Dilip Vengsarkar (6868 runs in 116 Tests) and Gundappa Viswanath (6080 runs in 91 Tests) are the other three Indian batsmen who have achieved the distinction.

Meanwhile, star batsman Tendulkar, before running himself out for the third run after completing the second, scored 5,000 runs in his 67th Test appearance. He became the sixth Indian to reach five thousand mark. Former Indian captain Kapil Dev scored 5248 runs in 131 Test matches.

A Pakistan Cricket Board official said Waqar Younis might not be able to return to playing eleven very soon because of his poor form.

The official, preferring anonymity, said that the selectors would certainly not include the struggling fast bowler in the squad that will face Sri Lanka in the third match of the Asian Test championship. The third match will be held in Lahore early next month.

Waqar, who took only two wickets in the previous two Tests held in Madras and Delhi, was dropped from the team for the Calcutta match and made the 12th man.

Waqar's chance of a return turned even bleak for the Lahore Test with the prolific performance of young tearaway Shoaib Akhter, who shot to the prominence with two lightning, successive yorkers that uprooted the stumps of Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar in the first innings.

He also revealed that this tour might ring the end of his career as Pakistan has got more potential pacers in the youngsters like Shoaib Akhter, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Zahid and Fazle Akber.

Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)