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sPoRTs Monday, 6 May, 2013
Test cricket is ultimate format for Lankan skipper Mathews
This is champagne. That’s just soft drink — Michael Holding comparing cash rich IPL with the upcoming Caribbean Premier League
( ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013
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Abdur rehman banks on county experience Want to be India’s go-to bowler : Irfan
JAIPUR AGENCIES
Twenty20 cricket is money-spinning and popular but for Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, nothing comes close to the thrill of playing Test cricket. “Test is the ultimate format. I really enjoy playing Test cricket. It`s not always as easy as you think, but Test is the ultimate form. And we (Sri Lankans) always enjoy playing Test cricket,” Mathews, who leads the Test and ODI side of the country, said. Mathews, who has been named skipper of Sri Lanka`s ODI squad for the Champions Trophy next month, said the team has a right blend of experience of youth and they will give their best shot in the eightnation tournament. “We are playing in a strong group. We have New Zealand, Australia and England. We will give our best shot and see how it goes. We have got some really good guys who are professional in things. You know professionalism is always there in our team. It makes the job easier for the skipper. We have got some really good youngsters coming through. We need to have that correct combination in the World Cup,” he said. “Seniors are important part of the team. Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have always been there. They always give the full support in helping out the youngsters,” he added. Sri Lankan cricket, which hasn`t tasted much success in the recent past, will get back to its winning ways soon but one needs to be patient with the results, said Mathews. “It`s looking very bright but it needs time. It doesn`t happen in a few a months` time. It takes time. You have to be patient with that. You have to go smoothly. You have introduced few youngsters as well as you need to have that combination of seniors and juniors,” he said.
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sPoRts DesK
ICKED in the Champions Trophy squad alongside Saeed Ajmal and part-time options like Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, Abdur Rehman may not be a certainty in Pakistan’s firstchoice XI. However, the left-arm spinner who last played an ODI in September 2012, said he was optimistic about his chances of playing in England because of his county experience. “I am not concerned about being in the playing XI, as it is a decision they [coach and the captain] take after reading the conditions before the match,” Rehman said during the ongoing training camp in Abbottabad. “But spinners have a definite role in England. Every team has at least two spinners and they have as equal an opportunity to take wickets as fast bowlers. If I get a chance to play, I will definitely make a difference.” Rehman, 33, had experience of English conditions during his short stint for Somerset last summer. In four
championship matches he took 27 wickets at an average of 14.18. His best performance came against Worcestershire, when he picked up nine wickets in the first innings and finished with a 14-wicket haul in the match. He also took nine wickets in three CB40 matches, with a personal best of 6 for 16 against Nottinghamshire. “I have gained plenty of experience from my county stint last year and this gives me an edge,” Rehman said. “Though I haven’t played international cricket in a long time, I have been practising regularly. I know I will play in the shadow of Saeed Ajmal, but I will try my best to contribute to the success of the team.” Rehman made headlines last year when he was banned for 12 weeks after testing positive for cannabis during the county season. He completed his ban in December, but missed the tour to India and the Champions League T20 for his side Sialkot Stallions. He was part of the squad for the tour to South Africa but was not picked for any of the Tests or ODIs.
Dwayne Bravo replaces Sammy as ODI captain sPoRts DesK Dwayne Bravo has replaced Darren Sammy as the West Indies ODI captain for the Champions Trophy. Sammy, who retains his place in the side, will continue to lead them in Tests and Twenty20 internationals. Under Sammy, West Indies won the World Twenty20, but have won only three ODI series over the last three years, two of them against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. “Our results in Tests and T20s have been showing consistent improvement, and Sammy deserves every kudos for the work he has done in leading and moulding the team in these formats,” chairman of the selection panel, Clyde Butts, said. “We remain confident in his leadership in these formats, and will recommend that he continues as the captain for Test and T20 cricket. “However, our ODI results have not been as strong, and we believe that it is best that we freshen the leadership of the team in this format.” West Indies have won 19 and lost 30 ODIs under Sammy, who first captained them in April 2010. Sammy averages 21 with the bat and 42 with the ball in the format. He has often
been criticised for batting too low usually No. 8 - to justify his place as primarily a bowler of limited penetration. However, that criticism hasn’t been limited to just one format. Bravo, who averages 24 with the bat and 30 with the ball, was thrilled at the news. “I must say congratulations to Sammy in his leadership of the team, and I am very happy to be taking over from him,” he said. “I am even happier that he remains in the team, and I am looking forward to working with him along with the team management and all the players, especially vice-captain Denesh
Ramdin, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kieron Pollard and Marlon Samuels.” Sammy pledged support to the new captain. “I congratulate Dwayne Bravo,” he said, “and give him my full support as he leads the ODI team. He can be assured of my unwavering commitment to the team and our plans to be champions of one-day cricket.” Bravo did captain West Indies in February when Sammy was rested during the home ODIs against Zimbabwe. For the Champions Trophy, Andre Russell, Narsingh Deonarine, Veerasammy Permaul and Kieran Powell were left out from the 13-man squad that faced Zimbabwe. Sammy, Ravi Rampaul, Samuels, Gayle, Devon Smith and youngster Jason Holder made comebacks. “We have shown confidence in the players who have served well in both the batting and bowling departments, and have identified some young players such as Jason Holder and Johnson Charles who add quality to the squad,” Butts said. Among those left out, only Powell was injured. Darren Bravo, who has undergone a minor eye surgery, was picked although he is yet to resume playing for Trinidad & Tobago.
Allrounder Irfan Pathan, who was picked in India’s squad on Saturday for the Champions Trophy, has said he is keen on taking on more “responsibility” in the team. Irfan last played for India at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, before picking up a hamstring injury in the Ranji Trophy that kept him out of the home season. Irfan pointed out that he was in good touch in the last oDI series he played before the injury break, and so was confident of being named in the squad. “A lot of people were talking about my ‘comeback’, but most people forget that my last oDI before I left due to an injury was a Man-of-the-Match performance. I had taken a five-for in India’s victory against Sri Lanka in 2012,” Irfan told the IPL site. “People have a very short memory about performances, but I was always confident that I would get into the oDI squad for India. “Now I want to take up more and more responsibility. I want to bowl in a lot of tough situations and I want to make sure that I am the go-to bowler for the captain.” India had won that one-day series in Sri Lanka in July-August 4-1, and Irfan had by far the best record among the bowlers, with eight wickets at 26.37. SPortS DESK
Seamer-friendly conditions in England will assist my bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar JAIPuR: Picked in the Indian squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is confident of making the opportunity count and says the seamer-friendly conditions in England and Wales will “assist” his style of bowling. Kumar was yesterday included in the 15-member squad for the 50over tournament, to be held from June 6 to 23. “I am feeling very happy for my selection. I am confident of doing well there as the conditions will assist my style of pace bowling,” Kumar told PTI here. The selectors opted for five seamers, and the list included the name of the 22-year-old Uttar Pradesh player. Kumar said he will stick to the basics and would not look to experiment too much with his pace and variation. “I wanted to be a part of this team. I will stick to my basics, just try to bowl within my limits. I won’t experiment much with my pace and variation,” he said. Kumar, who is playing for Pune Warriors in the ongoing Indian Premier League, said the team would look to win its next five games in the tournament. WAGENCIES
our ranking hurts: McCullum DeRBY AGENCIES
If anyone thought the support act had delusions of grandeur, they can think again. There is no hubris from Brendon McCullum as his New Zealand team start their tour of England. He knows that, as captain of the team currently rated No. 8 in the Test rankings and with a record of five losses from their last six Tests in England, they are not in a position to make demands. He knows the Test series against England will be viewed, by many, as an aperitif before the Ashes. And he has no complaints. “It hurts but it’s a fair ranking,” McCullum said as he watched his side in action on the first day of their tour match against Derbyshire. “You’ve got to earn the right for a five Test series in England, just as you’ve got to earn the right to play a Boxing Day Test at The MCG or to play against India at Eden Gardens. We’ve got to earn that right and, if we are realistic, we haven’t. “We’re not one of the best powerhouses of world cricket. We’re not one a consistently performing international team worthy of those occasions at this stage. That is not to say we are not wanting to be there or that is not the goal for this group. As a group we want to be playing in the top billing
events and to do that we need to perform better and that is certainly a goal of this team.” McCullum feels it is an achievable goal, too. The potential in their batting, in particular, may be as high as any New Zealand team in history, while they outbowled a much-vaunted England attack in the recent series in England. McCullum feels his side have the potential to be better even than the New Zealand side of the 1980s containing the likes of Martin Crowe and Richard Hadlee.