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SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2016
SPORTS
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Indian bowlers star in win over Western Australia XI
BOWLERS TO THE RESCUE: India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, centre, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Western Australia’s Darcy Short during their warm-up one-day match in Perth on Saturday. – AFP
After managing 249
Injured Shami ruled out, Bhuvneshwar in
all out in 49.1 overs, the Indians packed Western Australia XI for 185 in 49.2 overs
PERTH: Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey sparkled with half centuries but rest of India’s batsmen put up a lacklustre performance before the bowlers came good to hand the team a 64-run win over a second string Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-day cricket match on Saturday. Having won the first practice Twenty20, the Indians once again managed to hit the right notes in bowling after an erratic batting performance at the WACA. After managing 249 all out in 49.1 overs, the Indians packed WA XI for 185 in 49.2 overs. Electing to bat, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side did not have the best of starts, losing two quick wickets but Rohit Sharma (67)
PERTH: Pacer Mohammed Shami was on Saturday ruled out of India’s limited-overs cricket series against Australia due to a hamstring injury and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will replace him for the ODIs and Twenty20s starting here on January 12. “The BCCI medical team confirms that Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of India’s tour of Australia due to injury. He sustained a Grade II injury
and Ajinkya Rahane (41) stitched an 88-run third-wicket partnership to help the visitors put up a respectable score. Shikhar Dhawan (4) and Virat Kohli (7), who were top- scorers in the first warm-up T20 game on Friday, failed to get going as they fell to new-ball bowler Drew Porter, who bagged a five-wicket haul. The WA bowlers kept pegging things back with regular wickets
to his left hamstring, which will restrict him from playing active cricket for about four to six weeks,” BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement. “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the replacement, who will join the team tomorrow,” he added. Shami sustained the injury during a training session before the warm-up Twenty20 game against Western Aus-
and Rahane’s departure once again spelt trouble for the Men in Blue. Pandey then put his hand up to contribute with a well-made 58 and stake his claim for a place in the middle-order in the absence of Suresh Raina. Pandey, who hit three fours in his 59-ball stay, managed a 60-run seventh-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (26) to pace up the innings.
tralia. The latest breakdown is a massive setback for Shami, who had returned to the side after being sidelined for nine months owing to injuries. It can be considered a lucky break for Bhuvneshwar, who was dropped following a poor home series against South Africa last year. The 25-year-old had claimed his seven wickets from five matches at an average of 49.57 and an economy rate of 7.13. - PTI
But the tail failed to wag and Rishi Dhawan’s (0) run-out didn’t help matters and the visitors could not last their full quota of 50 overs. Porter (5-37) made life difficult for the Indian batsmen on a fast and bouncy track while leg-spinner James Muirhead chipped in with two scalps. Pace spearhead David Moody and leg-spinner Liam O’Connor bagged a wicket apiece. In reply, the William Bosisto-
led side started on a cautious note against a disciplined Indian attack led by Umesh Yadav (one for 29), but soon hit a rough patch after losing a couple of wickets. Yadav drew first blood with the wicket of Bosisto (13) and Ravichandran Ashwin (two for 32) soon sprung into action to send back D’Arcy Short (10). Ravindra Jadeja (two for 38) and Rishi Dhawan (two for 28) also struck in quick succession as WA soon started losing their way. Jadeja trapped opener Jake Carder lbw for 45. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel (two for 29) got wicketkeeperbatsman Josh Inglis for 17, while Ashwin struck again to get Porter (10) caught behind. Jaron Morgan, No.7 batsma, made a fighting 50, but his innings came too late in the day with the asking rate and the target beyond their reach. Jadeja, Patel and Gurkeerat Singh then bagged a wicket each to wipe off the tail. Both the teams were allowed to play all 14 members of their squad in the 50-over game with only 11 allowed to bat and field at a time. The first of the five One-day Internationals (ODIs) starts January 12 at the same venue. - PTI
CRICKET
Stokes better than I was at 24, says Botham LONDON: Former England allrounder Ian Botham has hailed current international Ben Stokes’ talent and said that he feels the youngster is better than what he was at 24. Stokes broke Botham’s record and scored the quickest Test double century by an England player in the second game at Cape Town during the ongoing series against South Africa, bringing up his 200 in just 163 balls. He was eventually run out on 258 off 198 deliveries in England’s first innings during that drawn Test. It was the quickest ever score of 250 in Test cricket.
Botham held the earlier English record, reaching his double century in 220 balls in the third Test against India at The Oval in 1982. Lot to achieve Stokes’s innings was also the second fastest double century in Test cricket history, with former New Zealand opener Nathan Astle heading the list. Astle had reached his double century off 153 balls against England in 2002. Statistically, however, Stokes has a lot to achieve still, to match Botham. By the time Botham was 25 he had taken 14 five-fors and
scored six Test hundreds. To top it all he was the skipper of the side. But Botham thinks otherwise. “Ben Stokes could open the bowling like Fred did and will get more five-fors. He is probably better as a player, full stop. As a player he’s probably better than I was at 24, I don’t know. He’d certainly be up there,” Botham was quoted as saying by the British media. “What I did was yesterday’s news, what he did is today’s news.” The 60-year-old said the young all-rounder is getting better with time in all three departments of the game.
A massive fan “He is not a jack of all trades and master of none. He is actually probably master of the three most important assets you need: batting, bowling and fielding,” Botham said. “His bowling can only get better. He has all the attributes: he has pace; he can swing the ball; he can reverse it; he can bowl orthodox. And he is terrific fielder close to the bat, in the covers or midwicket, backward point, on the boundary.” Botham says he has no resentment that his record was overhauled. “I held that record for 33
years, so it was about time it got broken,” Botham said. “I enjoyed watching Ben Stokes. I have been a massive fan of his since I first saw him on the international scene. I think he has got tremendous, enormous potential to go all the way,” he added. “That was one of those moments when you can just say ‘I was there’. When you think back to Headingley ‘81, I know there were only about 10,000 people in the ground but I have met three-and-a-half million who say they were. “Well, I was there for Ben Stokes.” - IANS
CRICKET
Shakib returns to training after time with family in US DHAKA: Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has returned to the country after spending some quality time with his family in the United States. The all-rounder was supposed to return on January 9 but flew back on Wednesday night and practiced at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com. Shakib’s sabbatical started after the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) when he attended to some commitments here before flying to the U.S. on December 28. His wife Umme Ahmed Shishir had given birth to a daughter, their first child, at a hospital in New York in November last year during Zimbabwe’s limited overs series against Bangladesh. He flew to the U.S. immediately after getting the news of Shishir’s admission to hospital and received the news of his daughter’s birth on the way. He then came back for the BPL. Shakib was in a lighter mood as he spoke to journalists about his daughter, Alaina Hasan Abri, who is about two months old now. “I had never been too close to children before. But this baby girl was with me, sleeping on my chest. Doing the little things for my daughter felt good in a different way,” he said on Friday. Shakib also surprised his wife on her birthday with a tour of New York on a helicopter. “Travelled a lot, had a blast. The vacation was great.” - IANS MOTORSPORT
F1’s first ever female driver passes away ROME: Maria Teresa de Filippis, best known as Formula One’s first ever female driver, passed away at the age of 89 on Saturday. The Italian started in three Grands Prix in 1958 with her only finish coming at her debut at Spa in Belgium where she was the last classified finisher in 10th. Earlier that year she had failed to qualify her Maserati 250F in Monaco and again failed to make the grid a year later for Porsche, reports autosport.com. De Filippis walked away from the sport following the death of her team owner Jean Behra later that year, saying in an interview to The Observer in 2006: “Too many friends had died.” Her introduction to racing came as a result of a bet between her brothers over how fast she could drive which resulted in her entering — and winning — her first event in a Fiat 500. De Filippis said men were initially doubtful of her ability, although the only time she experienced true prejudice came in France. “The race director said ‘the only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser’s’ — that was the only time I was prevented from racing. Apart from that I don’t think I encountered any prejudice — only surprise at my success,” she told The Observer. After starting a family, de Filippis returned to motorsports when she accepted an invitation in 1979 to join the Club Internationale des Anciens Pilotes de Grand Prix F1 for retired drivers. - IANS