South Africa were lucky to win first Test against India

All-rounder Clive Rice was one of the golden generation of Test cricketers from South Africa whose international careers were destroyed by apartheid and the resultant sporting isolation of the country.

That generation included the likes of the Pollock brothers Graeme and Peter, Barry Richards, Mike Procter, and Eddie Barlow. Many of these names would arguably have been among the all-time greats of the game if only they had had a chance at a full career at the international level. Some of them got a taste of Test cricket before the boycott came into force in 1970. Others like Kepler Wessels, Robin Smith and Alan Lamb turned out for England or Australia.

Rice, however, was among those who missed out. He could only savour the experience of international cricket very briefly towards the fag end of his career when, aged 42, he led the Springboks on a three-ODI tour of India, signalling the end of their sporting isolation. He was, however, dropped from the side for the World Cup that followed soon after on the grounds of age, though he was supremely fit. Till date, Rice has not forgiven that decision.

Rice, who was rated among the world's best all-rounders in the 1980s, along with Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee, believes his country's 1-0 lead in the current Test series against India owes a lot to the weather and the luck of the toss. In a no-holds-barred interview with DNA, he also flayed the politics in his country’s cricket establishment. Excerpts:

Where is the Test series heading?
This is going to be a very good series. South Africa put India in and got an early advantage. Going by the batting line-up that exists in the tournament, the quality of cricket can be very high. There is every chance that India will come back like Australia have in the Ashes. Everyone had written Australia off. The Poms got complacent. If South Africa get complacent, they will suddenly find the series 1-1.

How do you explain India’s performance in the first Test?
It is because they lost the toss. All that rain the night before the Test changed the complexion of the pitch. If you win the toss, as an international captain, you should be batting first. In this case, the rains left the pitch damp and [Graeme] Smith put the opposition in. We have seen the pitch giving turn. If it was dry from the very beginning, the Test would have been stacked in India’s favour. The moisture on the first day of the Test made [Dale] Steyn and [Morne] Morkel very difficult to handle.

You mean to say Smith should have batted first?
Absolutely. They saw the dampness on the pitch and inserted India.

So you say South Africa are lucky to have won the Test?
Going by the way India batted in the second innings and South Africa batted in the first innings, it could have been a high-scoring draw. Once a team gets a 500-run advantage, it gets difficult for the opposition to bat with conviction. Scoring over 450 without conviction is no mean achievement.

Durban is known to be the bounciest of the wickets in South Africa. Do you give India a chance there in the second Test?
The weather will be a big factor in Durban, too. If it is overcast, the ball will move around. The golf [tournament] that Ernie Els won this weekend saw a lot of rain. So you never know what can happen if it is raining. The toss could be crucial again.

With a little bit of luck, India could win the Durban Test.
Down there, you can be at the mercy of the weather. If you have got the conditions on your side, the opposition struggles automatically.

You said the home side cannot take 20 wickets in a Test and Graeme Smith said the team proved you wrong.
It is the first time in how many Tests they have managed to do it?I’m delighted that they did it. But it was left to two bowlers. It was also because of the conditions.

How do you analyse the Indian team?
The Indian batting line-up is very good. A batsman like MS Dhoni comes just before Harbhajan Singh. He needs support from the tailenders.

Are you still hurt at not being picked for the 1992 World Cup?
That will never change. I was a victim of the political game between Transvaal (now Gauteng) and the Eastern Province. I will never ever forgive them for whatever happened then. I can’t be bothered for the political power struggle that was going on then.

Can you elaborate on that power struggle?
The Eastern Province wanted to get control of the game. Previously, Transvaal dominated the game for 20 years — my whole career time. The Eastern Province had its way once they got control. After that, I contributed to South African cricket by becoming a national selector and running the national academy, but I’m still hurt by that incident.

Does the power still struggle exist here? Or has the situation changed?
Changed? No, I don’t think it has. That’s why there is no game at the Wanderers. The No 1 and 2 teams are playing here but there is no Test match at the Lord’s of South Africa!

Is it a kind of inverted apartheid that whites are being victimised now?
I say it is politics. Some accusations over the conduct of the IPL [Indian Premier League season 2] were made and they turned out to be true. I read in the papers that some members had to resign because of these allegations.

Can you give any specific instances of the politics in South African cricket?
See, players are choosing to play in England and are not being available to play for South Africa.

You mean to say South African cricket can be much better than it is?
Yes, it can be.

What is the solution?
I think we need to get the players administrating the game.

Like who?
The players who have got a passion for the game. If you have them, the game goes forward. If you got people there for money and not for the passion, then you have mediocrity in place.

Do you say there is mediocrity in the team?
I didn’t say that. If you have got a team, nobody will agree it is the best team. The debate is inevitable over whether the team is the best. It will never be the so-called best team. But we are not far off the best team.

So you agree that the South African selectors are doing a good job.
If they win the series, they are doing a good job. If not, everyone will think they are not up to the sleeve.

India third on global 'female smoking list'

NEW DELHI: Indian women are among the worst in the world when it comes to smoking. According to the latest Tobacco Atlas, the country ranks third in the top 20 female smoking populations across the globe.

Only the US with 2.3 crore female smokers and China with 1.3 crore women smokers are worse off than India in this chart. However, as far as percentage of women smoking is concerned, it is below 20% for India.

Among India's immediate neighbours, only Pakistan figures in this infamous list, but right at the bottom at 20th with around 30 lakh female smokers.

Published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, the Atlas makes another serious observation -- female smokers in India die an average eight years earlier than their non-smoking peers.

According to the Atlas, about 250 million women in the world are daily smokers -- 22% being from high resource countries and 9% from low and middle resource countries.

Realising the potential of this growing market, the Atlas said the tobacco industry has been marketing cigarettes to women using seductive but false images of vitality, emancipation, slimness, sophistication and sexual allure.

Reacting to the report, Dr P C Gupta, director of Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, told TOI that this finding had very serious implications for India. "Even though the percentage prevalence of women smoking in India isn't that high, the number is huge. In addition to all the harm that tobacco causes to men, women are additionally exposed in a special way because of their reproductive function."

Dr Gupta added that tobacco consumption reduced birth weight of the foetus, decreased their gestational age leading to premature babies, increased the risk of still births and heightened chances of anaemia among adult pregnant women.

"The government isn't focusing on anti-tobacco campaign that specially targets women. Smoking is definitely increasing in young college going women showing that the tobacco industry is targeting them very strongly," Dr Gupta added.

The Atlas said tobacco killed some six million people each year -- more than a third of whom will die from cancer -- and drained $500 billion annually from global economies.

As 25% of smokers die and many more become ill during their most productive years, income loss devastates families and communities. In 2010, 72% of those who die from tobacco related illnesses would be in low- and middle-income countries. By 2030, 83% of these deaths will occur in low and middle-income countries.

Unveiled at the Global Cancer Summit on Wednesday, the Atlas said 2.1 million cancer deaths per year will be attributable to tobacco by 2015. "The Atlas is crucial to helping advocates in every nation get the knowledge they need to combat the most preventable global health epidemic," said John R Seffrin, CEO of American Cancer Society.

Source: TOI

India's technical education best in the world: Clinton

Washington: Lauding India's technical education system, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton believes the country is one of the best in this field, though it faces a challenge of providing adequate primary education to millions of children.

"You can look at the very best in Indian education, and it's the best in the world. You can look at the technical education and it is to be envied. It is so effective," Clinton said in response to a question which was texted to her during her recent trip to India.

Answers by the top US diplomat to select questions have now been posted on the State Department's website.

Clinton said millions of children in India, however, don't have adequate primary education or secondary education or, certainly, college education.

"India faces the challenge of so many people to serve in very rural areas, often without adequate infrastructure, so you have to come to grips with how you actually produce the schools that are needed, the teachers who will be dedicated, the curriculum and materials that are required," she said.

"It is truly up to all of us -- families, governments, businesses, educational institutions -- to do everything we can to give every child a chance to grow up and fulfill his or her God-given potential," Clinton said.



If Indo-US relationship is managed well, both India and United States can mutually benefit from former's economic progress, Clinton said further.

"I know that some Americans fear that greater partnership with India will mean lost jobs or falling wages in the United States. But if we manage our relationship well, both sides can benefit from India's economic progress," Clinton said.

"India's six per cent growth rate is a bright spot amid the global economic downturn, and bilateral trade and investment flows between our nations have doubled in the last five years," she said, adding that the 300 million members of India's burgeoning middle class present a vast new market and opportunity.

"Our countries should work together to open that market and spread the benefits of sustainable prosperity. We and the rest of the world have a lot to gain from our enhanced cooperation," Clinton said in her response to a question from William in Kentucky.



Clinton also exuded confidence that despite differences over way to tackle climate change, India and the United States can devise a successful plan on the issue.

"I am very confident -- and even more so after this trip -- that the United States and India can devise a plan that will dramatically change the way we produce, consume, and conserve energy. And, in the process, start an explosion of new investments and millions of jobs," Clinton said.

"How India and the United States can work together to devise a comprehensive, strategic approach to climate change and a clean energy future was an important topic of my trip," Clinton said in written response to another question.

The issue was discussed with leaders from both the Indian government and Indian businesses. "We in the United States, under the Obama administration, are recognising our responsibility and taking action," she said.

"The times we live in demand nothing less than a total commitment. The statistics are there for everyone to see. And as both of our nations reaffirmed at the Major Economies Forum just recently held in Italy, and moderated by President Obama, we need a successful outcome in Copenhagen later this year," Clinton said.

Bureau Report
Source: ZeeNews

Pakistanis feel US enemy No 1, not India

New Delhi, August 14:

Pakistani people in a survey admitted that America is the biggest threat to Pakistan’s stability, sidelining India and even Taliban.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents in an opinion poll carried out by Gallup Pakistan said that they faced greatest threat by the US. Drone anger or public fury over US predator strikes inside Pakistan seems to be especially responsible for America’s unpopularity. A massive 67 percent of those polled said they opposed US military operations on Pakistani soil.

Despite all the attacks and suicide bombings carried out by them throughout the country, only 11 percent of respondents think that Taliban posed a threat to them. A massive 43% supported dialogue with Taliban.

Billions of dollars in aid and untold numbers of visits by US officials have failed to win Pakistan’s full support for efforts to defeat the Taliban.

Quite contrary to popular belief, only eighteen per cent of people said that India is nurturing designs of Pakistan’s downfall.

Source: Zopag