18 SPORTS
Sunday, 8 May, 2016
MaThEwS hoPES To Gain froM JayawardEnE’S EnGLand knowLEdGE
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RI Lanka captain Angelo Mathews hopes to utilise Mahela Jayawardene’s inside knowledge of the England set-up when the two teams meet in a Test series later this month. Jayawardene, one of Sri Lanka’s greatest batsman, retired from international cricket since last year’s 50-over World Cup, was recently working as a batting consultant for England including at the World T20 in India where his
‘adopted’ team reached the final. Jayawardene, who is due to have a stint playing for county side Somerset in English domestic cricket’s Twenty20 competition later this season, no longer has any official role with the England setup ahead of the start of a three-Test series at Headingley on May 19. But according to Mathews, he will be close at hand for advice in his new role as a television commentator. Mathews could also tap into the experience of another Sri Lankan batting star in Kumar Sangakkara, no longer on the in-
Jorge Lorenzo takes first pole for french MotoGP at Le Mans
ternational scene, but now playing for London-based county side Surrey. “When it comes to international cricket, there are no secrets to be honest,” said Mathews at Lord’s, where Sri Lanka were training ahead of this weekend’s tour opener against Essex. “I think we have a lot of video footage, they have video footage of us as well, so there are no real secrets. When you get on the park you know what they are up to and the plan for this, and we get to know it. “But there might be a couple
of tactical ideas that Mahela can predict. “I’m pretty sure that guys like Mahela and Sangakkara will always come and help us.” Earlier this year, Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala criticised Jayawardene when he started his second stint with England at the World Twenty20. But Mathews was far more relaxed about his former team-mate working with a rival nation. “There’s no problem with guys like that working with other countries,” said the all-rounder. “They have the freedom to go
anywhere and work and we have the luxury of asking them and inviting them to come and help us out as well. So it doesn’t really matter.” Such is the ebb and flow
of coaches in modern international cricket that both England boss Trevor Bayliss and assistant Paul Farbrace have previously enjoyed spells with Sri Lanka.
Enugu Rangers looking to reclaim top spot
Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo claimed MotoGP pole position at Le Mans for the first time, in qualifying for the French Grand Prix. While the three-time world champion has won the French GP on four occasions, including in 2015, he had never started from pole in the premier class. He changed that on Saturday afternoon, setting the fastest MotoGP lap recorded at the circuit, a 1m31.975s. Lorenzo set the early pace with a 1m32.437s on his opening lap, then improved again to 1m32.236s later on his first run. In the dying minutes, he went faster again with his 1m31.975s to take his 37th MotoGP pole. His Yamaha team-mate and Jerez winner Valentino Rossi could only manage seventh on the grid, 0.854 seconds behind Lorenzo. Honda’s Marc Marquez jumped up from seventh to second on his final lap to finish the session as Lorenzo’s closest challenger, 0.441s adrift. Andrea Iannone ensured three different manufacturers will start from the front row of the grid, despite crashing his Ducati on his outlap for the final run. Iannone reported that a water pump issue put water on the rear tyre, and while he was able to get back on track, he could not improve and lost a place to Marquez in the order. Pol Espargaro maintained his form as the weekend’s leading satellite rider, qualifying fourth, with Tech3 Yamaha team-mate Bradley Smith a season-best sixth, the pair split by Andrea Dovizioso on the second Ducati. SportS DeSk
festuccia to leave wasps
SportS DeSk This isn’t the right time for offform Shooting Stars to face wounded Enugu Rangers in week 15 of the Nigeria Professional Football League. Both sides will take to the pitch on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium. Leaders Rangers surprisingly lost 3-1 to Rivers United last weekend. And they would be keen to have three points in the bag. They shouldn’t have any form of worries against Shooting Stars, a side yet to record a point on the road. The Oluyole Warriors were forced to a two-all draw by Plateau United in
the match day 14 of the NPFL. 11 points is the difference between the two teams, with Rangers on top with 27 points from 14 games and Shooting Stars languish in the relegation zone with 16 points from the same number of games. Since March 2003, the two sides have clashed on twelve occasions with Rangers having the upper hand. They have recorded seven wins, two draws and three defeats. The games have produced 22 goals in the process. The Flying Antelopes have netted 15 goals as against the Oluyole Warriors’ seven. Nothing can be enough motivation for Ikorodu United than
beating a wounded Kano Pillars side at the Sani Abacha Stadium. They defied bookmakers predictions to harass Heartland last weekend in Agege with a 3-1 victory. Moses Ebiye, Meremimi Junior and Ifegwu Ojukwu are expected to keep their places in the team set-up after a showcase of brilliant performance against the Naze Millionaires last week. Pillars surprisingly lost to Enyimba in a rescheduled match on Wednesday. They won’t want to drop points again at home, considering the fact that Rangers, who lead them with three points at the top are also playing in front of their fans against Shooting Stars. A win for Pillars won’t be out of question. The two teams haven’t clashed before in the history of the NPFL After two straight away games, Heartland will be at home against El-Kanemi Warriors at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in the match day 15 of the Nigeria Professional Football League this weekend. The match promises to be an exciting one as the visitors will be looking to avoid another away loss, having suffered an heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Niger Tornadoes in their last outing.
Kawhi Leonard is the epitome of a silent assassin SportS DeSk
Former Italy international Carlo Festuccia is to leave Premiership side Wasps at the end of the season. Hooker Festuccia joined Wasps from Zebre in 2013 and his physical, all-action style has made him a firm fans’ favourite. The forward, who played 54 times for the Azzurri, has made over 60 appearances for Wasps and is set to decide on his future in the coming weeks. “I have really enjoyed my time at Wasps,” he said. “We have worked really hard over the last three years to bring Wasps back to where it should be and it is great to see the progress the club has made under [owner] Derek [Richardson] and [director of rugby] Dai [Young] during that time. SportS DeSk
By saying nothing, Kawhi Leonard allows us to observe his greatness unobstructed by any personal offense he takes, be it real or perceived. If you’re a Thunder fan you probably abhor the Spurs small forward, especially after he came up with his best game of the postseason Friday night to lead his team to a 100-96 win in Oklahoma City and a 2-1
lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Leonard scored 31 points on 9-for-17 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, all while checking Kevin Durant the last five minutes of the game. Done for the most part with his signature blank facial expression, it was the type of performance that spectators have come to expect from the 6-7, 230-pounder who opens up about as often as the Dalai Lama pops the top on a bottle of champagne. Even his teammate, all-star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, has said he doesn’t really know much about him beyond basketball. Like the system Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has crafted around him, Leonard was the model of efficiency Friday night. Russell Westbrook, who has won back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards, scored 31 as well, but needed 31 field-goal attempts to do so. Durant scored 26 on 10-of-18 shooting, but he managed just two points down the stretch once Leonard started guarding him. While Durant and Westbrook were taking turns giving the ball away late, Leonard was beasting, scoring 11 points and adding steal in the fourth quarter.
Zidane unsure of Real future despite Champions League success SportS DeSk Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says he is unsure of his future at the club despite leading them to the Champions League final. Spanish media reports this week claimed Real’s president Florentino Perez wants Zidane, who has a contract until 2017, to stay at the club next season. Real have a history of changing their coaches frequently, but Zidane’s position looked more secure after they beat Manchester City on Wednesday to set up an allSpanish Champions League final with Atletico Madrid. The French coach, who
was given the job following Rafa Benitez’s sacking in January, said nothing would be decided until the end of the season. “We haven’t won anything yet and my belief is that when you have this job you have to give everything, every day and not think any further,” said Zidane. “I only concentrate on what we have to do, we’ll see what happens at the end of the season.” Third place Real host Valencia on Sunday in their penultimate league game of the season. They are still hopeful of catching La Liga leaders Barcelona and second-placed Atletico Madrid, who both have 85 points, one
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clear of Real. Valencia have wrecked Real’s title ambitions in their last two league visits to the Bernabeu, holding them to 2-2 draws in the final stretches of the last two seasons. Real, however, boast the best form in the league, having won their last 10 games. “We’ve won 10 games in a row and we have to keep going, we’ve got two games left, two finals,” said Zidane. “We’re still in the fight, so the message is this as long as there are minutes to play we have to believe in our chances.” Zidane will be without Gareth Bale who has a knee problem and goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who has a foot injury.
Golden Shoe and Pichichi Trophy not distracting Suarez, says Luis Enrique Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is adamant Luis Suarez is focused on winning titles with the Catalans rather than dreaming about lifting individual trophies. The Uruguay international has netted 35 goals in 33 La Liga games this season and is sitting in pole position to win the European Golden Shoe and Pichichi Trophy. However, Luis Enrique is unconcerned the prospect of individual glory could affect Suarez’s decision making in front of goal. “Suarez is focused on winning titles. If we win titles, it is likely because he will have scored goals. One thing leads to another,” Luis Enrique said at a media conference. “I know Suarez and it would be a mistake to think he would put individual glory before the team. “As a striker, you need a team behind you to create chances. And everyone benefits from it when a striker scores goals.” Barcelona have been heavily linked with Hatem Ben Arfa in recent weeks, with Nice president JeanPierre Rivere confirming on Friday the Catalans have held talks with the France international. SportS DeSk
Van Dijk signs 6-year Southampton deal
Virgil van Dijk has signed a new six-year contract with Southampton. The Netherlands international moved to St. Mary’s Stadium from Celtic on a five-year deal in September and has been handed a new deal following an impressive debut season. Van Dijk has made 36 appearances in all competitions and has committed to the club until 2022. Southampton is in the hunt for European football and Van Dijk is excited about the future. “I’m so pleased, I’m so happy. Me and my family have enjoyed it a lot this year. It’s been amazing. It’s only positive,” he said. “The club is growing and I definitely want to grow with them, that’s how I feel. Hopefully we can make it happen. That’s the plan, to get a lot of achievements going.” Executive director of football Les Reed added: “In his first year with the club, Virgil has quickly established himself as one of the top center backs in the Premier League, becoming an integral part of what has been another strong season for the team. At 24, and with significant European experience already under his belt, we believe he can be a key pillar in our squad for years to come, and we are delighted to have agreed this new deal with him. SportS DeSk