18 SPORTS
Thursday, 28 January, 2016
ExpEriEncE of playing South africa in thE paSt hElpEd: Shanto
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SportS DeSk
HERE is a bit of fire about Liam Smith. Perhaps it was the pent up adrenaline after completing his first hundred at the under-19 level, or maybe even cramps on his leg that was bothering him. Or it just could be that South Africa’s 43-run loss to Bangladesh was hurting him even more. Standing few meters away from Smith was Nazmul Hossain Shanto, whose sparkling 73 set up Bangladesh’s win. He wasn’t beaming, but his body language had a mild strut to it. Upright, almost cocksure. Smith wasn’t exactly seething, but it was evident that the loss didn’t sit right with him, like it didn’t with Tony de Zorzi, the captain, and the rest of his team. It was a challenging day for the de-
fending champions, and Smith played well throughout his nearly three-hour stay. His suppleness at the crease caught the eye, considering a lot of the cricket he’s played in his flourishing career has come on surfaces with more pace and bounce. He was good at using the depth of the crease and on occasions looked to dominate during his 146-ball innings that had nine fours and a six. Forty-seven singles and two twos punctuated his effort which could have been a match-winning effort had there been a couple of big partnerships. Smith was left to mostly play the anchor role before trying to up the ante at the end, but his innings was cut short courtesy a brilliant catch at cover by his counterpart Mehedi Hasan. Smith said the weather conditions were a bit challenging, even as he seemed to have worked out Bangladesh’s bowling quite well.
“It is extremely hot,” said Smith. “You do get tired quite quickly. The bowlers are playing at their home ground so they know how to bowl here, so it was quite difficult. We played against Bangladesh before (the two teams played two seven-match series in 2015), so we were well prepared. However, he was left to rue the lack of partnerships. “Only one of their bowlers has changed and we knew the pitches when practicing here. We did try [to build partnerships] so I can’t blame us. We would have won the game if we built bigger partnerships.” For Bangladesh, who displayed tremendous energy on the field and were on cruise control with the bat, this had been a highly anticipated game. Shanto, who was also part of the 2014 Under-19 World Cup squad, said he urged the rest of his
teammates to not get overawed by the occasion. After all, they had beaten the same opponent in 11 out of 14 games last year. “There was a bit of nervousness today because we have some new guys in the team,” he said. “But at training yesterday and before we took the field, the only thing we talked about was to play our normal game. We can’t think of it as a World Cup game. “The experience of playing against them helped us. We knew where they would bowl and the strength of their batsmen. The wicket was for a 240-250 score batting first. The ball did stop a bit and scoring runs freely wasn’t easy but I think my own experience at this level helped me today. I knew what to do in this situation,” he said. Shanto said that he initially tried to base his innings on ones and twos, but
didn’t hesitate to put the ball balls away. He struck four boundaries and three sixes in all during his 82-ball innings. “My first thought was to rotate the strike and only latch on to the bad balls,” he explained. “When we lost a couple of wickets, I thought I wouldn’t go for the shots but go ahead with singles. But it was hard to pick singles because the wicket was stopping a bit and they were fielding very well.” Bangladesh’s technical advisor Stuart Law said while Shanto stuck to the task expected of him, it would have been better if one of him, Pinak Ghosh and Joyraz Sheik carried on to make a big score. “This is Shanto’s job. He has instructions to bat through. He took his time but once he got in, he played some beautiful shots,” Law said. “It was disappointing that one or two others weren’t able to push on and get a really big score.
Controversy over Smith’s India T20 live chat Seeing win over Cleveland ‘made me sleep better’: Joakim Noah SportS DeSk Joakim Noah has a long history of making comments toward the city of Cleveland, so when he was asked Tuesday about the Bulls’ win over the Cavs, he obviously took it as a chance to dig some more dirt on the city. “I liked the win in Cleveland,” he said “I liked that one a lot I thought we executed well. It’s just good to see their crowd that upset, just walk out there with a win. Yeah, Cleveland was pissed off that night. Made me sleep better.” Tuesday was Noah’s first time speaking to the media after shoulder surgery last week. The Bulls center admitted that the surgery would be season-ending, but says doctors told him there is a “very good chance” he’ll make a full recovery. Noah is in the final year of his contract, so there were some obvious questions about his future. “I hope so,” Noah responded when asked if he’ll be in Chicago next season. “I’m not trying to focus on the future. I had season-ending surgery last week. But this is all I know. I’m looking forward to seeing what the guys are doing. Right now, it’s just all about taking a step back, just focusing on getting healthy.”
Raonic determined to make up for past failure SportS DeSk Milos Raonic is determined to avoid the disappointment he suffered in the 2014 Wimbledon semi-final when he faces Andy Murray in the last four of the Australian Open after outlasting Gael Monfils. Raonic the 13th seed - became the first Canadian man to reach the semis at Melbourne Park with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Monfils on Wednesday. The 25-year-old’s only other appearance in a grand slam semi-final came at the All England Club in 2014. On that day, Raonic was swept aside by 17time major winner Roger Federer in three sets and the former world number four is determined to make amends against second seed Murray on Friday.
SportS DeSk The use of on-field microphones by players in Twenty20 matches came under fire Wednesday after
star Australian batsman Steve Smith lost his wicket while commentating during a game against India. Smith was answering questions from broadcaster Channel Nine’s commentators while he was
in the middle with Aaron Finch as Australia chased down India’s 188 runs during Tuesday’s match at Adelaide Oval. Shortly after speaking, Smith chipped Ravindra Jadeja and was caught at mid-off by Virat Kohli for 21, with the star Indian batsman making a “chatterbox” hand gesture at the Test captain. Australia fans slammed Channel Nine on Twitter, blaming the commercial station for distracting Smith, while others said Kohli’s gesture was a criticism of live chat during a game. “Whilst we try to bring the viewer into the contest. We can’t forget it is a contest. Smith wasn’t comfortable and Kohli knew it,” one Twitter user wrote. Another tweeted: “Kohli’s message to Steve Smith was pretty clear there. This is a cricket game not a television interview. Thanks, Channel 9.” T20, a quick-fire, high-octane format, was designed to draw crowds to tournaments amid fears that spectators were tiring of longer formats such as fiveday Tests. Sports writer Robert Craddock said Smith’s dismissal raised the question of whether the T20 shortform structure was meant to be a carnival or a contest. “Did it cost Australia the game? Possibly. If it happened in a Test match I would be punching a hole in my keyboard protesting at the farce of it all,” he wrote in Brisbane’s Courier Mail. “But it was T20 international and like the rest of the world, I am still trying to work out what these games actually mean.”
22-ALL AND GAME ON FOR DJOKOVIC, FEDERER MeLBoUrNe AGENCIES
One of the great tennis rivalries resumes at the Australian Open on Thursday, once again posing the question whether ageing Roger Federer still has it in him to master Novak Djokovic. The Serbian world number one, coming off an astonishing 2015 season which fell only one win short of a calendar-year Grand Slam, is zeroing in on a sixth Australian title in Melbourne. Federer, at 34, is in the twilight of an imperious career including his all-time men’s tennis high of 17 Grand Slam titles, and still has the game to remain in the men’s top three. Thursday’s semi-final will be their 45th meeting in a head-to-head which is on a knife-edge at 22 wins each. Federer has lost their last three Grand Slam encounters, but still yearns for his elusive 18th major. The Swiss legend’s last major win was at Wimbledon in 2012, and since then Djokovic has accumulated five of his 10 Grand Slam titles, plus another five finals appearances. “It’s part of the reason why I’m still playing. I feel like I’m competitive at the top. I can beat all the guys on tour,” said the Swiss, after trouncing Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. “It’s nice now that in the last three Slams I’ve been as consistent as I have been. I’m playing good tennis,
fun tennis for me anyway. “So I’m very pleased. It would mean a lot to me, no doubt about it.” Federer will be the sentimental favourite with the Australian crowd, who revere the Swiss for his past exploits on Rod Laver Arena where he has won four Australian crowns. But Djokovic will be looking to step up after being taken to five draining sets by methodical Frenchman Gilles Simon, and only spasmodically producing his best against a misfiring Kei Nishikori in the quarters. “Any round (against Federer) feels like a final because of the fact that we are big rivals,” Djokovic said. “We have played so many times against each other. There’s a lot of tension. There’s a lot at stake. I’m expecting a great fight.” The world number one, with six-time slam champion Boris Becker in his camp, knows he has to produce his best tennis to beat arguably the greatest player of all time. “Roger is playing really terrific tennis in the last two years. We played two Grand Slam finals last year,” he said. “I know very well how good he plays, especially in the later stages of a major event. “He always makes you play your best. My best is what is going to be necessary to win against him. Hopefully I’ll be able to deliver.” Federer is constantly seeking ways to rejuvenate his game to stay among the elite and this year he added
CMYK
former world number three Ivan Ljubicic to his coaching team, joining long-time mentor Severin Luthi. Djokovic is noticing the different emphasis in Federer’s game under the new regime. “It’s obvious he’s a very complete player. He’s trying lately to come to the net more, kind of shorten up the rallies. He definitely has the game for that,” the Serb observed. “He’s got a great variation from the backhand side with the short slice. He’s got great defence, amazing offence. He’s very complete. “He puts constant pressure on the opponent. You have to be aware at all times.