14 SPORTS
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
Kabir Khan named new hbl CoaCh SportS DeSk Former Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan has been appointed Habib Bank Limited’s coach for Pakistan’s new domestic season. Kabir had recently resigned as Afghanistan’s coach stating that the job had taken a toll on his family life. He coached Afghanistan in two stints - from 2008 to 2010, and from December 2011 to 2014. He has now signed with HBL for a year. “We have offered him a contract and he has accepted,” Abdul Raqeeb, HBL sports head. “Having observed his international career with Afghanistan we are excited to get his services. He is a coach with a caliber who worked hard with developing the Afghanistan team to get them recognised in the world. It’s good to have him in our circuit and I am sure he will spur a new spirit in the team.” HBL includes some prominent international players such as Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq and Abdur Rehman. Kabir, who played for HBL for nearly a decade, played four Tests and 10 ODIs for Pakistan
real madrid track Germany star Kramer
Yusuf and Chawla train in south afriCa i
SportS DeSk
N their quest to be battle-ready for the upcoming Champions League Twenty20, Kolkata Knight Riders sent four of their players Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Manvinder Bisla and Kuldeep Yadav to Bloemfontein in South Africa for 15 days of training that included cycling, running and mountaineering. Looking to carry on the momentum from the IPL triumph, Knight Riders batsman Yusuf said the camp between August 20 and September 3 in South Africa under renowned trainer Adrian Le Roux has helped them immensely to be in top shape during the off season. “We trained hard during those 15 days,” said Yusuf . “We used to go for outdoor cycling and mountaineering and for long treks. The gym sessions were also very good. So it was a complete fitness and endurance routine that helped us remain in great shape during our off season. “It was good fun as well. We had a great time together. All of us gelled well and made use of the opportunity. Though
Piyush, Bisla and Kuldeep came back after 12 days I stayed on for 3 more days to complete a satisfying camp.” Yusuf, who last played a T20 for India against South Africa in March 2012, finished off a great season for the Gautam Gambhir-led Knight Riders. He smashed the fastest IPL fifty, in just 15 balls, to help the Shah Rukh Khanowned unit stay second in the league stage and finally clinch its second title. “We also had proper training in the in-
SA SKITTLE IRELAND FOR 71 IN FIRST T20
Reports in Italy suggest Real Madrid are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen central midfielder Christoph Kramer AgencieS The Spanish giants could be interested in the German international in the next transfer window and are ready to offer €15m for him. Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti still has doubts over his central midfield and sees Kramer as the perfect complement to Toni Kroos, who the 23-year-old is familiar with from the national team. Although Leverkusen own the player, Kramer spent last season on loan to Borussia Moenchengladbach and was a member of the German team that won the World Cup in Brazil this summer. However, his contribution to the final win over Argentina was short-lived as he needed to be substituted in the first half with concussion following a clash with Ezequiel Garay.
SportS DeSk South Africa’s bowling attack proved too good for Ireland in the first of their three T20s played in Solihull. Although they did not have it all their own way with the bat, Ireland then slumped to 71 all out. Shabnim Ismail and captain Dane van Niekerk produced miserly four-over spells, conceding just 10 and eight runs respectively. Ireland’s last eight wickets fell for 39. It had been a tricky start for South Africa, who completed their series against England on Sunday, as they slipped to 28 for 3 in the seventh over. The innings was given some bulk by a stand of 65 between Marizanne Kapp and Bernadine Bezuidenhout then late striking from Chloe Tryon, who hit 28 off 12 balls, provided them further breathing pace. Isobel Joyce was the pick of Ireland’s bowlers with 3 for 16 and then top scored in the reply.
Watson faces challenge from Marsh SportS DeSk Conventional wisdom suggests that Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh could no more squeeze into the same Test team than two wicketkeepers could. In the long-term, that seems true. But in the UAE, where Australia may play two spinners, it is just possible that the selectors will want both Watson and Marsh to provide pace-bowling support to the two frontline fast men. And that would create a fascinating subplot to the tour. Watson, 33, the established allrounder, a man who has captained his country but has also flattered to deceive. Marsh, ten years younger, the raw up-andcomer with lesser credentials but boundless potential. There will be room for only one at home against India, when three fast men and a spinner are picked. Could Watson be fighting for his Test future in the UAE? At first glance, Marsh appears less ready for Test cricket than Watson was at the same age. Watson debuted at 23; Marsh will debut at 23 if he plays against Pakistan. Watson had played 33 first-class games, Marsh has played 38. Watson had 67 wickets at 28.38; Marsh has 56 at 26.92. Strikingly similar figures so far. But the big difference is in their batting numbers. Watson made his Test debut with 2355 first-class runs behind him at an average of 47.10, including eight hundreds. Marsh has 1768 runs at 28.51, with only two centuries. In Australia’s all-conquering team of the early to mid-2000s, Watson was considered a No. 7 and fifth bowler. If he plays against Pakistan, Marsh will almost certainly bat in
the top six. Different eras, different standards. But a decade after his debut, Watson is still trying to find his niche in the team. “Allrounder” has been taken to mean “all round the batting order”. He has batted everywhere from No. 1 to No. 7, including a brief period as a non-bowling No. 4. Injuries have hampered him, but so has his inability to turn his regular starts into big, match-winning scores. His latest injury was the ankle problem he sustained when he stepped on a ball at training in Brisbane before the team flew out for the one-day tri-series in Zimbabwe. That allowed Marsh to establish himself in the ODI team with two 80-plus scores, and a hat-trick of sixes off Dale Steyn. Choosing players for Test cricket based on one-day form has hurt Australia in the past - Xavier Doherty in India last year is a notable example - but Mitchell Marsh’s 211 for Australia A against India A this winter in a first-class match was encouraging. He is also coming off a Sheffield Shield season that brought 493 runs at 37.92, more runs at a better average than his brother Shaun, albeit without any centuries. “He’s a package, an all-round package and it’s really pleasing to see we’ve got a few of them around at the moment,” the national selector Rod Marsh said. “Every team needs an allrounder and we’ve got two or three now that are looking pretty good.” But Rod Marsh spoke highly of Watson when he announced the squad for the Pakistan Tests. “Shane Watson is a seasoned campaigner, he’s got a pretty good first-class record when you have a look at it, he’s got nearly 9000 runs, over 200 wickets, four Test hundreds,” Marsh
door nets with the local players of ‘Knights’ club helping us with our drills. We batted, bowled and special emphasis was laid on the fielding department. It was a totally different culture there and we learnt different things. Inshallah everybody will see an improved Yusuf Pathan. We left on a good note in IPL this season and I wish to pick up from there when we take field in CLT20.” Initiated by Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore, the camp gave a nice
opportunity for the four players to get a feel of world-class training before the CLT20 and if Yusuf and Piyush honed their skills then Bisla and Yadav, who is a slow left-arm chinaman bowler from Uttar Pradesh, got much-needed international exposure. . “It was Venky Mysore’s idea to keep the camp in the off season to provide the ultimate opportunity to these KKR players. It was certainly a great exposure for the players as it provided a perfect getaway to train in South Africa,” said Knight Riders team director Joy Bhattacharya. “It was a nice off-season exercise for the players. It will certainly add to their resume and to train under top facilities in Bloemfontein under world-class trainers like Adrian Le Roux is a great opportunity. And I am sure all these four players will benefit from this outing.” While Yusuf is hoping for a return to the national team soon, legspinner Piyush is also looking for an opportunity to sneak into the team before the 2015 World Cup. Yusuf, 31, has represented India in 57 ODIs and played 22 T20Is before falling out of favour after a slump in form. He was also a part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2011.
said. “Apart from that he can be as destructive as any batsman in the world and I think he’s in a pretty good space at the moment.” When asked if Marsh and Watson could play together in the UAE, Rod Marsh said: “You can fit more than one allrounder in a Test team, yes, but whether it’ll happen remains to be seen.” Whatever the UAE tour brings for Mitchell Marsh, it is a step closer to becoming Australia’s next long-term allrounder. For his own part, he hopes he can use the Test tour to learn from Watson, and if he makes his debut it will be a bonus. “It would be a dream come true,” he said. “I probably wasn’t expecting it to happen this fast, and I’ve still got to get a game. There’s a lot of hard work between now and that Test. We’ve got the T20s and one-dayers. Fingers crossed I can keep going well in that, and we’ll see what happens. “We all know that Shane Watson’s the first picked allrounder in Australia, and he’s a world-class player. The biggest thing for me is just being around him, working with him on and off the field. And then if I get the opportunity, we’ll see what happens. “But I’m just looking forward to getting over there; just to be around that squad - it’s a very settled Test side, and there’s a lot of experience. I’m looking forward to working with Shane Watson as much as I can. He’s been a great help for me. I’m really looking forward to that.” Just how much Watson will enjoy being challenged by a man ten years his junior remains to be seen. Last week, he said that the competition for all-round places would only increase with the emergence of James Faulkner as well as Marsh.
CMYK