C
WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016 6
SECTION
OMAN OLYMPIC DELEGATION LEAVES FOR BRAZIL >C4
SPOR
S
YOUR GAME
NEW ARGENTINA COACH BAUZA PLANS TO WOO MESSI BACK Argentina’s new coach Edgardo Bauza has set his mind to wooing Lionel Messi back from international retirement as he ponders his squad for next month’s South American 2018 World Cup qualifiers. >C3
Pakistan coach Arthur hints at reworking plans for Cook, Root Anderson keen to forge on despite drop in pace
Root scored 254 and an unbeaten 71 while Cook made 105 and 76 not out as Pakistan were beaten by 330 runs on the fourth day of the second Test at Old Trafford last week to level the four-match series at 1-1
BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan have adjusted their plans for Alastair Cook and Joe Root ahead of Wednesday’s third Test at Edgbaston, the touring side’s coach Mickey Arthur has said, adding he considers the duo as the backbone of England’s batting. Root scored 254 and an unbeaten 71 while Cook made 105 and 76 not out as Pakistan were beaten by 330 runs on the fourth day of the second Test at Old Trafford last week to level the four-match series at 1-1. “We had a look at Cook and Root again,” Arthur told British media. “We analysed our plans. We see them as a fundamental to England’s batting. “If we can get into them with the new ball we’ve got a real good
TALKING STRATEGY: Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur, right, talks with captain Misbah-ul Haq during a practice session head of their third Test match against England at Edgbaston. – Reuters
chance.” While Root and Cook have been in prime form with the bat, Alex Hales, James Vince and Gary Balance have failed to shine for the hosts, who lost the opening Test at Lord’s. “They are all quality players,” Arthur added. “But they clearly know that when they walk out they are playing for their Test places, so that provides another level of pressure. “I’m not discounting Hales, but clearly Cook and Root are the beacon of England’s batting at the moment.”
Finn replaces Stokes Fast bowler Steven Finn will replace injured all-rounder Ben Stokes in the England team for the third test against Pakistan starting on Wednesday, Test captain Alastair Cook said. Stokes was ruled out of the Edgbaston Test due to a calf injury sustained in England’s series levelling 330-run second test win against the visitors at Old Trafford. Finn was selected ahead of Jake Ball and leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who were earlier called into the
TEST SERIES
Shami’s sublime spell puts West Indies in dire straits KINGSTON: India were in the driver’s seat in the second Test after Mohammed Shami’s double strike helped them reduce the West Indies to 48 for four at lunch on day four, despite the loss of substantial time in the session due to intermittent rain on Tuesday. Only 15.5 overs could be bowled in what was stop-start session but it was enough for India to press the advantage over a lacklustre West Indies at the Sabina Park. The hosts still need to make 256 runs to make India bat again. Tropical storm Earl hasn’t hit Jamaica with full fury, but persistent showers made sure that a lot of playing time was lost in the morning session, with forecast not too good for the remainder of the day either. Overnight showers made sure that 75 minutes were lost before play could resume and the West Indies’ second innings could begin. Only three overs were possible before showers returned though, and forced another short break in play. In this interim, play did get under way and Ishant Sharma (1-19) bowled Rajendra Chandrika (1), the opener shouldering arms to an incoming delivery that was deflected onto his stumps off his arm. After another rain break then, Darren Bravo (20) joined Kraigg Brathwaite (23), and the duo
TWIN STRIKES: India’s Mohammed Shami bowls on day four of
their second Test match against the West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday. – AFP SCOREBOARD
West Indies 1st innings: 196 India 1st innings: 500 for 9 declared West Indies 2nd innings (at lunch) K. Brathwaite c Rahul b Mishra R. Chandrika b Sharma D. Bravo c Rahul b Shami M. Samuels b Shami
23 1 20 0
never looked comfortable at the crease, particularly against Shami (2-25) who used the conditions well. Amit Mishra (1-4) was introduced into the attack thereafter, and after seeing through Ishant’s spell, Brathwaite played
J. Blackwood not out Extras (nb-1) Total (4 wickets; 15.5 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-41, 3-41, 4-48
3 1 48
Bowling: I. Sharma 6-0-19-1, Mohammed Shami 7.5-2-25-2, A. Mishra 2-1-4-1.
a needless stroke to get out, pulling a short delivery and Lokesh Rahul completed the catch in the 13th over. An over later, Marlon Samuels (0) was bowled for a fiveball duck, as he left an incoming delivery from Shami. — PTI
CRICKET
India and West Indies to play T20 games in United States MUMBAI: India will play two Twenty20 internationals against world champions West Indies in Florida in late August, the Indian cricket board said on Tuesday. India lead 1-0 in their four-test series against West Indies, and the Twenty20 matches will mark the first full member games in the United States in four years, when New Zealand played West Indies.
The games will be held on Aug. 27 and 28 at the Broward Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, a month after six Caribbean Premier League games, were played there. The Broward Stadium is the only ground in the United States that meets international cricket specifications, and organisers say they have invested about $1.4 million to bring it up to standard in-
cluding tweaking the floodlights to point at the pitch and erecting big video screens. The United States would be a big market to crack for cricket bosses. The Twenty20 format is likely to be the most appealing form of the game, in the face of traditional U.S. sports, thanks to explosive batting and a relatively short matches. - Reuters
squad for the third test. “Finny is coming in for Ben Stokes, and (otherwise we are) as we were,” Cook told reporters on Tuesday. “Unless the pitch changes a lot from what I saw yesterday - we still have the right to change - we’ll be going with the four seamers and one spinner.” Finn, who failed to pick up a single wicket in the first test defeat against Pakistan, was dropped from the second of the four tests in the series. - Reuters
LONDON: England seamer James Anderson is confident that he has enough skill and experience to compensate for his decreased pace over the remaining years of his cricket career. England’s record wicket-taker in the format missed the opening Test defeat against Pakistan at Lord’s with a shoulder injury but returned for the second match in Manchester. Anderson, who turned 34 over the weekend, took four wickets at Old Trafford as England levelled the fourmatch series with a 330-run victory but there was a discernable drop in pace for the bowler who has claimed 458 victims in 117 appearances. “I didn’t feel like my speeds were where they could be at Old Trafford,” Anderson told reporters. “I felt a bit like Matthew Hoggard at the end of his career when he slowed down a bit but his control was pretty good. “With the skills I have, I can do a job even if my speeds did drop. With experience, you can stay one step ahead in your head. It is like an old defender in football, who might not have the pace of a quick striker but he’s two steps
ahead of him upstairs.” Anderson has missed a few Test matches due to various injuries over the past year but the right-arm paceman still has the “hunger” to contribute for England, saying he was continuing to work hard on his fitness and technique. “The way I feel at the moment, mentally, I’ve still got a hunger to play the game and a hunger to take wickets and help my team win matches,” Anderson added. “As long as I’ve got that hunger I’m going to keep working, keep improving and keep working on my fitness and if I get to 37 then great. I just try to concentrate on staying fit for the next game.” The England selectors copped plenty of criticism for keeping Anderson out of the Lord’s Test, which the hosts lost by 75 runs, when the seamer was fit to bowl in the nets ahead of the match and subsequently played for Lancashire against Durham. “Looking back, without having had any game time before that first Test, it was probably wise to get some overs under my belt before I came back into the test side,” Anderson said. — Reuters