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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 3, 2016
Different England to turn Explosive up in World T20 final Windies face ...
- Morgan By Sudipto Ganguly
KOLKATA, (Reuters)-West Indies will face a completely different England side in today’s World Twenty20 final compared to the one they beat in the Super 10 stage match, captain Eoin Morgan said on the eve of the title clash. Doubts crept in about England’s prospects in the sixth edition of the tournament after West Indies chased down a 182-run target at the Wankhede Stadium with almost two overs to spare, riding on an unbeaten century from opener Chris Gayle. But the 2010 champions made significant improvement in their last two matches, including a morale-boosting victory over an in-form New Zealand side in the semi-finals, to inch closer to a second T20 title. “I think it’s two completely different teams given that we have grown as a side game on game,” Morgan told reporters at the Eden
Gardens yesterday. “I think it’s difficult to compare sides from the first game of the tournament to the final of the World Cup.” While Gayle is due for a big score having made little impact on the tournament since his blitzkrieg against England, Morgan said England could not afford to only focus on the Jamaican. “Even before we played West Indies in the group stages I was quite firm in saying that Chris Gayle wasn’t just the West Indies team,” said the 29-year-old who is himself due for runs. “It’s important that when you are playing against good sides you do not focus on one or two good players. It’s everybody, because anybody can hurt you,” Morgan added. “I think India witnessed that and everybody watching the game witnessed that with Lendl Simmons’ innings.” Barely 12 months back, England made an ignominious exit from the 50-over World Cup and were pilloried for their negative approach to limited overs cricket.
From back page
England T20 captain Eoin Morgan
Morgan credits a change in mindset for their success. “I think the strides we have made in the last 12 months, this would be a great reward for the mindset we have showed and the hard work we have put in,” the left-handed batsman added. “It’s quite a stark difference. “It’s hard to believe in some ways. I would have never imagined the turnaround being so immediate or having such an immediate impact... the key component within that has been the mindset. “I think tomorrow the op-
portunity we do have is a product of that. It’s totally exciting... I am just very, very proud.” Morgan hopes his team mates will not be overawed by the occasion in front of over 65,000 spectators at the iconic Eden Gardens. “We know it’s not going to be a normal game. I want all of our players to embrace it and tomorrow everything is going to feel a bit rushed,” he said. “To start with it’s important that we are in a really good frame of mind to slow things down when needed and more importantly execute our skills.”
Table tennis player Natalie Cummings to undergo six months training in Brazil NATIONAL table tennis player Natalie Cummings has departed Guyana for Brazil, where she will undergo a six-month training stint at the Jaceiri Table Tennis Club in Sao Paulo. Natalie is in Brazil, courtesy of a sixmonth intern scholarship opportunity provided by Mr. Waldemir Jose Silva, the Junior President of the club, which allows her the opportunity to train and play tournaments as their representative in provincial and regional tournaments. This is the second opportunity provided by the club to Natalie: the first was in 2014 for two (2) months, which was used to help her prepare for several international engagements. Following her first stint, she was able to add new elements to her game and strengthen the women’s team chances with a quarter-final performance at the Commonwealth Games, when they defeated Scotland. At the Caribbean championships they won a silver medal and Cummings feels that this stint would be truly beneficial, given that its six months which would allow her to absorb, reinforce and implement many of the elements taught. “I’m a bit excited and feel somewhat privileged to gain acceptance and be considered a second time to benefit from such an opportunity given, they are hard to come by. I’m
hoping to learn as much and develop my technical and tactical abilities, give a good account of myself and to help bolster Guyana’s women’s team chances of doing well at future international competitions.” Cummings is the holder of a Bach-
Natalie Cummings
elor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Guyana and has expressed an interest in pursuing endeavours aimed at realising her table tennis potential, while she contemplates advanced studies and work.
The table tennis star said the coach in Sao Paulo has the reputation of being one of the best. “Brazil is looking to expand their league and has been offering internship opportunities to foreign national players.” Her stint coupled with stints in China by Trennace Lowe and Chelsea Edghill should help the national women’s team better their silver medal performance at the 2016 Senior Caribbean Championships scheduled for September 2016 in The Dominican Republic Brazilian players are highly ranked in the world and recently their 19-year-old Hugo Calderon won the Latin American senior men’s Title and the World Under 21 male title at the World Championships in March 2016 “The GTTA recognises that it is only through exposing our players to high-level training and competition that we can raise the level of our players and become more competitive internationally. This is the route we must take in order to remain competitive and surpass our international counterparts,” the body said in a statement. Natalie is currently the number two ranked female player in Guyana and was runner-up to Chelsea Edghill at the Guyana 2016 National Table Tennis Championships
one-man army who bank on Gayle to punch holes in their opponents. Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons and Andrew Russell have stepped out of their illustrious team mate’s shadow and made their own mark in the last month. “We said this before the tournament that Chris is under pressure,” Sammy said after the exhilarating semi-final victory against hosts India. “He is our best Twenty20 player but we have 15 match-winners in this side,” he added. The ever-smiling all-rounder is seeking to become the first captain to lead a team to a second World Twenty20 title but West Indies are anything but infallible. PEAKING ENGLAND They showed two extremes to their game in the last couple of outings, slumping to an embarrassing defeat to qualifiers Afghanistan before silencing a raucous home crowd in Mumbai as they knocked out favourites India. Also, the England they will face today is not the same team they thumped by six wickets in the group stage last month. Morgan’s side have peaked gradually in the tournament since that defeat and seem to have found the right rhythm and combinations. They accomplished a high-scoring chase against South Africa, recovered well to subdue an upset-minded Afghanistan, held their nerve to edge out Sri Lanka and stunned the previously unbeaten New Zealand with a near-perfect game in the semi-finals. Their batsmen -- especially Jason Roy, Joe Root and Jos Buttler -- have batted with refreshing freedom and their catching has been extraordinary. Equally, if not more impressive, has been their bowling at the death. Ben Stokes appeared to have ice in his veins in the final over against Sri Lanka to thwart Angelo Mathews’s audacious bid to pull off a sensational victory as England secured their place in the last four. Against New Zealand, Stokes and Chris Jordan pacified the Black Caps in the final four overs, which cost only 20 runs and garnered five wickets, to restrict them to a total that England could chase down with 17 balls to spare. Morgan has freed his batsmen from the weight of expectation and it is showing in the team’s performance. “That’s the way a lot of us play,” Roy said of England’s aggressive batting after his 44-ball innings of 78 set the foundations for victory over New Zealand. “The whole team has got that kind of licence, that kind of opportunity to go out there and do what they want and be free with their skills.”
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday April 03, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)
Answers to yesterday’s quiz:
(1) West Indies & England (2) West Indies & Australia
Today’s Quiz:
(1) Who were the losing semi-finalists of the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup 2016? (2) Who were the losing semi-finalists of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup 2016
Answers in tomorrow’s issue