18 SPORTS
Wednesday, 25 November, 2015
Yorkshire ‘scratching heads’ over Plunkett omission
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ASON Gillespie, the Yorkshire head coach, has been left bemused by Liam Plunkett’s omission from England’s Test squad to tour South Africa. Despite being in the squad for the recent series against Pakistan, Plunkett has been leapfrogged by Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Mark Footitt for the South Africa trip, even though England will be without Steven Finn and Mark Wood due to injury. Plunkett was close to playing the final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah after Wood was ruled out due to his chronic ankle problem before the selectors opted to recall Samit Patel as a third spin-bowling allrounder. He was then added to the ODI and T20 squads when Wood was sent home for further assessment, but is still waiting for his first appearance of the UAE tour. “I have only exchanged a couple of messages with Liam, I know he is bitterly disappointed,’’ Gillespie said.”I will be catching up with him soon for a chat.
My only hope is that he has been given a specific reason by the selectors as to why. We were left scratching our heads a little bit at Yorkshire. “He has gone from almost playing to then not in the squad, in conditions that you would think suit him. Fast, bouncy wickets, he is one of the fastest bowlers in the country, so that is an interesting one. “I’m sure the selectors have their reasons, as long as that has
been communicated with clarity to Liam - that is my hope.” Plunkett played the last of his 13 Tests against India, at Lord’s, in 2014 having been recalled at the beginning of the summer following a gap in international cricket of four years - and an absence from the Test side of seven years. “We’ve got two or three guys that have come back from injury that, at this stage, we think are in
front of Liam,” Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, said, “and obviously Footitt coming in gives us something different, being left arm and able to swing the ball. It is tough on someone like Liam who has been in and around the squads for the last year or so but unfortunately that’s just the way the game is at the top level. “He’s a guy that people love having around in the team and he gives you 100% every single time he’s on the training paddock and every time we pick him. He’ll be disappointed I’m sure but I know he’ll be doing everything he can to get back in the squad.” Plunkett made his Test debut a decade ago against Pakistan, in Lahore, on the 2005-06 tour. He went onto play nine Tests by mid-2007 before being dropped as inconsistency plagued his game. It was not until a move to Yorkshire in late 2012 that his career was revived. He returned to the Test side against Sri Lanka, at Lord’s, in 2014 before claiming a career-best 5 for 64 in the next match at his adopted home ground of Headingley where he took nine scalps overall.
Mashrafe wins his Amir challenge test PlaYers released for start of BBl SportS DeSk Several of Australia’s Test cricketers will be made available for Big Bash League matches between the first and second Tests against West Indies, Cricket Australia has confirmed. The BBL begins on December 17 and some of Australia’s Test cricketers will be available for at least the first four days of the Twenty20 tournament, given the lengthy gap between Tests. The first Test against West Indies will be played in Hobart from December 10 to 14, and there is then a 10-day break before the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. However, the Test fast bowlers will not take part in the BBL matches and opening batsman David Warner, who is yet to sign with a team for this season, will sit out to spend time with his pregnant wife Candice. Allrounder Mitchell Marsh’s availability is yet to be decided, with his workload in the coming Tests likely to determine if he will play in the BBL during that period. Steven Smith, Joe Burns, Peter Nevill, Nathan Lyon and, fitness pending, Usman Khawaja, will be available from December 17 to 20. There is also a possibility the Perth Scorchers players in the Test squad -Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh - will be made available for their team’s first game on December 21.
rooneY, martial return to man united training
SportS DeSk On the day before BPL began, Tamim Iqbal was going to Chittagong Vikings’ training at the BCB Academy ground when he bumped into Mashrafe Mortaza. When their conversation was winding down, the talk drifted to Mohammad Amir and how Tamim will use him in the tournament. “When you will come to bat, I will just tell him to hit you there,” Tamim told Mashrafe pointing to his toes. “Bring him on if you dare. I will hit him out of the park,” Mashrafe said in mock warning. Tamim pointed to his toes once again, the two laughed heartily, before he joined his team-mates for training. That moment arrived in the 17th over on Tuesday when Comilla Victorians needed 36 off the last four overs. It wasn’t a surprise to see Amir come on to bowl, and Tamim didn’t just bring him on because Mashrafe was at the crease. Chittagong’s plan is to use Amir up front for two overs and then at the death. Tamim possibly forgot to inform Amir to bowl at Mashrafe’s toes as both deliveries he sent down to him on the over were angling away, giving him room to take a single off the inside edge and a couple with a hoick over cover. The scenario had changed rapidly when Amir bowled his next over, the 19th of
the innings, as Comilla just needed a run-a-ball 12 after Samuels carted Shafiul Islam for 18 runs to reduce the gap. Amir tried to jam the ball past Mashrafe’s bat but he tapped it on the off-side field to reach his maiden T20 fifty. A fuller delivery was next up, the fourth of the over, but Mashrafe squeezed it past point for a couple and then the next ball too, another full one outside off stump was squeezed away past point. This time it reached the boundary and Mashrafe was off, celebrating Comilla’s first win in the BPL. After the brief celebrations, Tamim later caught up with Mashrafe and shared a brief handshake. It was done in all seriousness. Mashrafe later ranked the unbeaten 56 off 32 balls as his alltime best, and said that his self-promotion to No. 5 was a tactical move. “This is my best ever innings with the bat,” Mashrafe said. “When I went to bat however, I didn’t think much. I just wanted to hustle their bowlers and maybe prompt a bit of change in their bowling plans. When I could be there till the end, I couldn’t really believe it. You could see it in how I ran off to celebrate.” It worked, and although his prophecy to Tamim didn’t pan out exactly as he said Mashrafe would count himself lucky none of those Amir yorkers dipped into his feet.
kohli throws weight Behind daY-night tests SportS DeSk India’s Test captain Virat Kohli has come out in support of day-night Tests, even expressing his willingness to play with the pink ball. Test cricket, the long cherished traditional form of the game, will start a new chapter in its evolution when Australia and New Zealand play the inaugural day-night Test starting at the Adelaide Oval from November 27. In recent weeks, there has been a raging debate among players, administrators and fans on the feasibility of day-night Tests, particularly the challenges of reading a bright coloured ball during late evenings, and the difficulties batsmen are likely to face due to an exaggerated swing. The main reason to play day-night Test cricket, according to the ICC, is to promote the longer form of the game and arrest the fast-declining crowds at grounds. For Kohli, day-night Tests are both an experiment as well as a forward-looking step in the game. “It is a landmark Test,” Kohli said, speaking on the eve of India’s third Test against South Africa in Nagpur. “It is a big experiment. It is a big step towards changing something in Test cricket. I hope it works. I hope it can be another option as well. “I’m glad two teams have actually agreed to play an official Test like that as an experiment. Hopefully it will be better for the game. It will be a step which we all might remember few years down the line. Let’s hope so.” Incidentally, Kohli is the first Indian voice, be it player or administrator, to give an opinion on day-night Tests. Kohli said he was open to playing such a match because he saw it as a positive step to promote Test cricket. “As I said, it is a step towards something. If it is officially put into place it will be something different, it will be something exciting. As cricketers we all should be willing and accepting of the fact that we need to step forward and contribute to the game however possible. If this is a step towards improving the excitement and the popularity of Test cricket, then I think every team should be in for it.” Kohli has never featured in a match involving a pink ball, so he said his opinions on the challenges were based on what he had heard recently from other players. “I have heard a few of the players giving feedback on playing with the pink ball. The only thing that they were concerned about is that during twilight it is hard to pick up the ball. During the day it was still fine. And at night it was okay as well, but when the floodlights are not sort of on and the sun is going down is when they found it very difficult.”
Gloves are off as Tyson Fury says world heavyweight title could be in doubt SportS DeSk SportS DeSk Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial both returned to training on Tuesday ahead of their side’s Champions League home game with PSV Eindhoven. The two players missed United’s 2-1 win at Watford in the Premier League on Saturday, captain Rooney due to illness and Martial because of a foot injury sustained on international duty with France. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini also took part in training at United’s Carrington training base after two games out with a calf injury. Deeney’s joy turns to despair as United beat Watford But Phil Jones (ankle) and Ander Herrera (hamstring), injured against Watford, did not participate, while Bastian Schweinsteiger was absent due to an unspecified problem. Michael Carrick, who hurt his ankle on England duty was also not present, along with long-term absentees Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia.
Tyson Fury insists his world heavyweight title fight with Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf will not go ahead if he does not box in the right gloves. The Ukrainian WBA Super, WBC and IBF champion Klitschko has chosen Paffen gloves for the bout, but Fury is unhappy with the test pair that he was sent by the manufacturer. A secon test has been deemed more suitable, and Fury is apparently more content with that pair of gloves but is waitng for a brand new pair of those to be made in time for the bout. “There’s a ruckus over the gloves. I mean this: If I don’t fight in the right gloves, then there’s no fight. I’m in Germany, in the town he picked, wearing the make of gloves he wanted,” said Fury, who also claims he has the backing of the British
Boxing Boxing of Control in his bid to change the gloves. “He’s had it all his own way in every single aspect and all I ask is that I’m treated fairly and to wear gloves which fit me, for the sake of my hands. Because this is not my last fight. “After I knock him out, I’ll have other fights and I need my hands for my trade. “I just want a normal glove. I either get the gloves I want or there’s no fight. Alternatively, we can do it bare-knuckle. “They’re a German brand I think called Paffen. They sent me some gloves over which Wladimir had asked for and they had big giant thumbs which were about two or three inches bigger than normal so that the thumb is sticking out. “Every time I was punching with them my thumb was nearly breaking. No matter how we tried breaking them in, it wasn’t working.
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