DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
13
Sunday, January 11, 2015
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SAvWI, 1ST T20I
Messi, Serena back Asia school campaign
South Africa R B R. Hendricks lbw b Cottrell 12 12 M. van Wyk c Gayle b Holder 17 15 F. du Plessis c Sammy b Russell 38 20 R. Rossouw not out 51 40 D. Miller c Bravo b Cottrell 24 21 F. Behardien not out 18 12 Extras (lb2, w3) 5
A campaign backed by sports stars Lionel Messi and Serena Williams was launched Friday to put millions of children in school, starting in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal. The “1 in 11” campaign shines a spotlight on the 58 million children out of 650 million globally who are deprived of an education - one in 11 school-age children. Messi and tennis star Williams are featured in a videoclip for the campaign organised by the UN children’s agency UNICEF, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the Qatar Foundation’s Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) organization. Organisers hope to raise up to $15 million from an art auction at Sotheby’s in London next month of donated works by Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, the first event in the fundraising effort. Funds will go to build schools and train teachers in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal to put nearly half a million children in school, including many who are handicapped, said Essa al Mannai of ROTA. The goal over time is to expand the effort to more countries. –AFP
Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) Fall of wickets 1-30 (Hendricks), 2-33 (Van Wyk), 3-79 (Du Plessis), 4-127 (Miller)
Bowling Cottrell 4-0-33-2 (2w), Holder 4-0-20-1, Russell 4-0-43-1 (1w), Nurse 3-0-24-0, Bravo 3-0-26-0, Sammy 2-0-17-0
R B West Indies D. Smith lbw b Imran Tahir 20 20 C. Gayle c Van Wyk b Imran Tahir 77 31 M. Samuels c Rossouw b Imran Tahir 41 32 D. Bravo c Hendricks b Parnell 8 13 K. Pollard not out 8 13 A. Russell c Abbott b Parnell 6 9 D. Ramdin c Abbott b Wiese 2 6 D. Sammy not out 0 5 Extras (b4, lb1, w1) 6 Total (6 wkts, 19.2 overs)
‘Old’ Venus beats Wozniacki in Auckland Venus Williams became one of the oldest players to win a WTA title when she beat Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Auckland Classic on Saturday. The 34-year-old Williams took a little while to get going but managed to overcome the blustery conditions and a fired up Wozniacki to begin her Australian Open preparations by capturing her 46th career title. The American, who lost the final on the central Auckland courts to Ana Ivanovic last year, had looked well out of sorts as she struggled to adjust to the wind and hot conditions before she eventually prevailed 2-6 6-3 6-3 in 110 minutes. “I am an old tennis player now,” said Williams, who became the fourth oldest winner on the WTA Tour at 34 years, five months and 24 days, with only Billie Jean King, Kimiko Date-Krumm and Martina Navratilova having been older. “I waited until I was 33 until I came to New Zealand and that was the biggest mistakes of my life.” Wozniacki had wasted little time in forcing Williams onto the back foot, holding two break points in the opening game before the American finally held serve. –Reuters
DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 2 5:30PM Chennai Open 2015 Italian Serei A 1:40AM Napoli v Juventus
Star Sports 4 8:40 AM T20 Big Bash League Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers 2:10 PM Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers English Premier League 7:20 PM Arsenal v Stoke City 9:50 PM Manchester United v Southampton
Wang Dalei of China shouts at the referee during their first round Asian Cup match aganist Saudi Arabia at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane yesterday
AFP
Golden goalies shine brightly n AFP, Sydney Birthday boy Wang Dalei's penalty stop helped China upset Saudi Arabia 1-0 as a string of top saves made all the difference at the Asian Cup on Saturday. South Korea and Uzbekistan also had their goalkeepers to thank as they both won by the same 1-0 scoreline on a cliff-hanging day two in Australia. Surprise result of the day belonged to China, who edged three-time winners Saudi Arabia in Brisbane courtesy of Yu Hai's deflected second-half free kick. Just moments before the goal Wang, who was celebrating his 26th birthday, kept China in it when he dived to his
left to save Naif Hazazi's tame penalty. Victory put a huge smiles on the faces of Alain Perrin's China, who have never won the Asian Cup and will now be eyeing their first appearance in the knockout stages since hosting the tournament in 2004. "Our tactics worked very well, we hit them on the counter-attackeding and caused a lot of trouble for our opponents," Perrin told reporters. "The match was very, very difficult for us but we gained a lot of joy from it. We've been preparing for this tournament for a long time." South Korea, World Cup semifinalists in 2002 but seeking a first Asian title in 55 years, got off to an unconvincing start as they beat Oman 1-0 through Cho Young-Cheol's strike in stoppage time at the end of the first half in Canberra.
English-based goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi produced some quality saves but had a moment to forget as he parried a rebound to Cho, who gobbled up the chance with a clinical finish. But Korean shot-stopper Kim Jin-Hyeon later superbly tipped Imad
ASIAN CUP RESULTS
South Korea
1-0
Oman
1-0
North Korea
1-0
Saudi Arabia
Cho 45+1
Uzbekistan Sergeev 62
China Yu 81
Al Hosni's header onto the bar to ensure the Taeguk Warriors came away with all three points. Oman coach Paul Le Guen was left fuming at referee Peter O'Leary's de-
cision to wave away a penalty appeal when Qasim Saeed looked to have been brought down in the box. Uzbekistan also relied heavily on goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov as they ground out a 1-0 win over unfancied North Korea in torrential rain. Nesterov saw little action in the Group B tie but he was alert enough to acrobatically palm away Pak Kwang-Ryong's powerful header just before the final whistle. Man-of-the-match Igor Sergeev's 62nd-minute header was the only score of a game hit by a mid-match downpour, but Uzbekistan deserved their win in Sydney. Twice Asian player of the year Server Djeparov set up the goal as the 2011 semifinalists showed they could be ready for another assault on the Asian Cup's latter stages. l
Sharapova beats Ivanovic to win Brisbane International n Reuters, Brisbane
Maria Sharapova beat Ana Ivanovic in the final of the Brisbane International on Saturday in a display that bodes well for her chances at the Australian Open. It has been seven years since Sharapova won her only Australian Open title but if she can take her form from Brisbane to Melbourne, a second title does not seem out of the question. Sharapova had to work hard to beat Ivanovic, coming from behind to beat her 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 but the Serbian is a good measuring stick. Sharapova not only beat Ivanovic in the 2008 Australian Open final but both women are in devastating form heading towards the first grand slam of the season, starting on Jan. 19.
"I played four good matches against very different types of opponents," Sharapova said. "I couldn't have asked for better preparation." The Russian dropped just nine games in getting to the final while Ivanovic showed nerves of steel to see off her opponents to join Sharapova, ranked number two in the world. It was a match that could have gone either way but Sharapova proved too strong once she got her nose in front in the deciding third set at the Pat Rafter Arena. "She deserved to win the first set, no doubt, but I hung in there," Sharapova said. "It was important to get that break. I held that and the third set came down to a few points really." Winning the Brisbane International provided Sharapova with her 34th WTA title.l
n Minhaz Uddin Khan The first ever biography on a Bangladesh sportsman, “Shakib al Hasan – apon chokhe, bhinno choke”, written by Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, was launched at the Dhaka Public Library auditorium yesterday. Shirin Akhter, Shakib’s mother, was present in the launching ceremony as the chief guest while former captain and Bangladesh’s first Test centuri-
on, Aminul Islam, attended the programme as the special guest. “I am very happy that a book has been written on Shakib and I feel lucky to have been able to launch the book. I have seen myself the work the writer (Debabrata) had to put in behind the book. I hope the book will be a success,” said Shirin during the launching ceremony. Shakib’s mother also requested everyone to pray for the betterment of
1:55 AM Atletico Madrid v Barcelona
Ten Action French Ligue 1 7:00 PM Olympique Lyon v Toulouse 10:00 PM Nantes v Metz 2:00 AM Monaco v Bordeaux
Ten Cricket 7:00 PM Former cricket captain Aminul Islam Bulbul (2R) and Shakib al Hasan’s mother (2L) display the book on Shakib al Hasan written by Debabrata Mukhopadhyay (R) at Dhaka Public Library auditorium yesterday COURTESY
Bowling Abbott 4-0-30-0, Rabada 4-0-38-0, Wiese 2.2-0-20-1, Parnell 4-0-39-2, Imran Tahir 4-0-28-3, (1w), Behardien 1-0-8-0 West Indies won by four wickets; lead three-match series 1-0
Hurricane Gayle blasts WI to victory n AFP, Cape Town Chris Gayle blasted 77 off 31 balls as the West Indies beat South Africa by four wickets in the first Twenty20 international at Newlands on Friday. The big left-hander thrashed eight sixes and five fours in a brutal assault on the South African bowlers. His innings included an extraordinary sequence during which he hit 52 runs off 11 balls - five sixes, five fours and a two. After making only one run off the first six balls he faced, he reached his half-century off 17 balls. Only India’s Yuvraj Singh, who reached his half-century off 12 balls against England in Durban during the 2007 World Twenty20, has reached 50 off fewer deliveries. “It’s a captain’s nightmare,” admitted South African skipper Faf du Plessis. “I thought we posted a really good total.” l
Halep wins Shenzhen Open title
n AFP, Shenzhen
Maria Sharapova of Russia (L) lifts the winning trophy next to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia after their women’s singles final at the Brisbane International in Brisbane yesterday AFP
Shakib’s biography launched
Spanish La Liga
2nd T20 International West Indies v South Africa
168
Fall of wickets 1-78 (Smith), 2-114 (Gayle), 3-147 (Bravo), 4-154 (Samuels), 5-161 (Russell), 6-164 (Ramdin)
Ferrer meets Berdych in Qatar final David Ferrer, who has played much of his career in the shadow of Rafael Nadal, earned himself the chance to atone for his compatriot’s first round loss by reaching the final of the Qatar Open. Ferrer goes on to face Tomas Berdych for the title after a victory in three tie-break sets against Ivo Karlovic ended a remarkable sequence from a unique opponent. The giant Croatian became the first active player to pass 9,000 aces on Wednesday, knocked out the world number one Novak Djokovic on Thursday, and delivered 30 aces which carried him past the former US Open champion Andy Roddick’s total of 9,074 on Friday. Karlovic is stil1 1,111 aces behind Croatian compatriot Goran Ivanisevic’s 10,183, which is the all-time record, but he allowed two tight chances of reaching the final to slip away in the second and third sets. That though had much to do with Ferrer’s stubbornness and courage in a 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) win in which there were no breaks of serve. –AFP
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his son. “It is your blessings that have driven my son to wherever he is today. I will request everyone to keep continue praying for him so that he can achieve more for the country,” she added. Aminul on the other hand shared some interesting memories of Shakib. “I have travelled to places like China, Kuwait and South Korea to develop cricket on behalf of the Asian Cricket Council. I think I met people who had never even heard of cricket but knows the name Shakib. I have seen people in [South] Korea getting excited about Shakib during the Asian Games a few months ago,” said Aminul. “I hope the book will be a success. There has not been much written on sportspersons in our country but I want to see this book written by Debabrata as the start. I hope other journalists, who have seen sportspersons up close, will come forward and write books regularly from now on,” he added. The book includes exclusive interviews of Shakib’s father, wife, three former coaches, Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe bin Mortaza and contains excerpts from legendary cricket figures like Jacques Kallis, Sanjay Manjrekar and Wasim Akram. l
Top seed Simona Halep of Romania roared to victory on Saturday in the WTA Shenzhen Open final, downing Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets. Halep, the number one seed and third-ranked female player in the world, dispatched number eight seed Bacsinszky 6-2, 6-2 in 62 minutes in the $500,000 tournament to score her ninth WTA title. “I wasn’t feeling very well before the match - I was a little bit sick - so I told myself I have nothing to lose, just go on court, be relaxed, stay focused and fight for every point,” Halep said in remarks posted on the WTA website. “It worked and I felt really relaxed today,” she said. l
Federer tames Dimitrov to reach Brisbane final n Reuters, Brisbane Roger Federer moved to within one win of his 1,000 career victory when he crushed Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday to reach the final of the Brisbane International. The Swiss maestro produced a masterclass display to brush aside his young challenger, dubbed “Baby Fed”, 6-2 6-2 in just 53 minutes. Federer will now play Milos Raonic in Sunday’s final after the big-serving Canadian blasted 34 aces past Kei Nishikori to win the first semi-final 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 7-6(4). If Federer wins his 83rd career title on Sunday he will join Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl as just the third man to chalk up 1,000 ATP match wins. “It’s a goal for the season, so I still have time to get to a thousand,” he said. “I hope it’s tomorrow, clearly. “It’s a really big number, no doubt about it. Love to get it tomorrow, especially in the finals in an ATP event where most of my wins have come. “If not tomorrow, I hope it happens
at the Australian Open. Been a lot of the matches, a lot of toughening out plays. “I don’t know if it’s a goal, but it would definitely be an incredible milestone to reach.” The 33-year-old holds a 7-1 win record over Raonic, one of the new young guns starting to make their mark on the game. Dimitrov is also regarded as one of the most promising emerging talents after reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year but was unable to mount a serious challenge against Federer. The world number two broke Dimitrov in the opening game then three more times to complete a straight-sets win at the Pat Rafter Arena. Despite not having won a grand slam title since 2012, Federer is steadily improving his form leading into the Australian Open, starting Jan. 19. He struggled in his opening match against little-known John Millman but took just 39 minutes to win his next match with Australian qualifier James Duckworth.l