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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday December 19, 2015
Hodge, Ross fifties set up Adelaide Strikers win A RECORD partnership between Brad Hodge and Alex Ross ensured Adelaide Strikers coach Jason Gillespie enjoyed a fairy-tale homecoming.
Defending 187, Strikers overcame a nervous start in the field to restrict the power-packed Stars batting line-up to 7 for 168. Assisted by a pitch offering turn, English
Alex Ross crunches seven fours and three sixes
The pair complemented each other perfectly during a record BBL fifth-wicket stand of 115 to punctuate Strikers’ 19-run win over the fancied Melbourne Stars at the Adelaide Oval.
import Adil Rashid menaced with figures of 2 for 27, including the prized scalp of Glenn Maxwell who threatened to seal the deal for the Stars. Strikers fluffed as many as five chanc-
Hussey laughs off World Twenty20 comeback chatter SYDNEY, (Reuters)-Retired test batsman Mike Hussey has laughed off suggestions he could return to Australian colours for next year’s World Twenty20 after scoring an unbeaten 80 to lead the Sydney Sixers to victory in the domestic Big Bash League. The lefthander, who retired from international cricket two years ago, will be on the flight to India for the March 8-April 3 tournament as a coaching consultant to the Australia team. Shane Watson was one observers of the 59-ball knock who suggested his 40-year-old Sixers team mate would not look out of place back out in the middle in the international game but Hussey was having none of it. “No, I wouldn’t have thought so,” Hussey laughed. “I’m happy to try and help out as much as I can off the field. “We’ve got so much talent in this country and I’m excited to be working with the Australian team. “It’s the one trophy we don’t have
MIKE HUSSEY in the cabinet, so there’s a lot of motivation for the team. “Everyone I talk to around Cricket Australia, it’s the one they really want. If I can help out in some small way, I’d be ecstatic.” Australia’s best showing at the World Twenty20 was reaching the final of the 2010 version, when they lost to England.
es early in the chase, most notably Craig Simmons’ dropped sitter at first slip when Marcus Stoinis was on 2, but they recovered to grasp the initiative. The bowling attack stepped up to curb Stars’ batting line-up, with discipline, highlighted by the visitors’ inability to hit a six until the 14th over. Stars seemed on track to overhaul the target when they reached 1 for 90 after 11 overs, but Ben Laughlin changed the complexion of the match, taking the key wickets of Stoinis and Kevin Pietersen in the next over. Apart from a brief whirlwind partnership between Maxwell and captain David Hussey, the total appeared beyond Stars. Amid sweltering conditions where temperatures hovered at 38 degrees when the match started, Hodge and Ross starred and rescued Strikers from early trouble, after being sent in by Hussey. When Travis Head (16) fell to a questionable caught-behind decision, despite replays showing the ball appearing to land in front of wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb, Strikers slumped to 4 for 64 in the 10th over, and were in serious peril of posting a competitive total on a flat pitch. Hodge, the Strikers new captain, showcased his experience and composure during a stabilising period of batting where he was content to rotate the strike with clever singles. Juxtaposing this was Ross’ audacious batting
complete with a plethora of bold sweep shots, which accounted for two of his three sixes in the innings. Fittingly, Ross notched his maiden BBL half-century, off just 25 balls, when he swept pacer Scott Boland for a massive six. Boland then got his revenge by trapping Ross lbw in the last over of the innings, but the damage had been done. Showcasing his class, Hodge timed his innings to perfection scoring 29 off as many balls before accelerating towards the end to finish unbeaten on 56 from 41 deliveries. The Strikers plundered 67 runs in the final four overs. The Hodge and Ross brilliance came after Strikers’ top order had failed to fire, despite a tease from openers Craig Simmons and Tim Ludeman, who hit two sixes each. However, they were unable to produce scores of substance. Mahela Jayawardene, a replacement in the Strikers’ squad for the injured Kieron Pollard, seemed likely to try to bat throughout the innings but looked out of touch. Jayawardene was dropped by Handscomb before he had scored, but soon perished attempting a rash slash off James Faulkner, who was the pick of the Stars bowlers finishing with 1 for 21. It eventually turned out to be a satisfying start for the Strikers’ new leadership combination of Gillespie and Hodge. (ESPN Cricinfo)
Swiss announce extraditions to U.S., and Uruguay in football corruption probe By Malena Castaldi MONTEVIDEO, (Reuters) - Switzerland extradited a former Costa Rican football boss to the United States yesterday and approved the handover of a former South American federation chief to Uruguay in the latest judicial steps in the corruption scandal that has engulfed the sport. Costa Rican Eduardo Li was sent to the United States, accompanied by two U.S. police officers, after withdrawing his appeal against extradition, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said. It said it would send Eugenio Figueredo, a former head of South America’s CONMEBOL football body and former vice-president of world federation FIFA, to Uruguay, where he is accused of abusing his office for personal gain. Both men were arrested on May 27 in Zurich as part of investigations led by the United States and Switzerland that span dozens of countries and centre on alleged corruption at the highest levels of the world’s most popular sport. Figueredo had appealed against the FOJ’s September 17 ruling to extradite him to the United States,
but agreed on November 9, to be sent to Uruguay, the justice office said. It said it had decided to give priority to the Uruguayan extradition request because “Figueredo could be tried in Uruguay for all of the offences of which he is accused”. “In the USA, the prosecution would cover only some of the charges. For this reason, the FOJ yesterday decided to give priority to Figueredo’s extradition to Uruguay.” The FOJ gave no details on the timing of the handover. CONMEBOL, an influential grouping that includes traditional football powers such as Brazil and Argentina, is heavily embroiled in the corruption probe led by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Of 14 football officials and sports marketing executives indicted in the United States in May on bribery, money-laundering and wire fraud charges involving more than $150M (£100M) in payments, eight were from South America. Football bosses from across South and Central America were among 16 other people charged on December 3 with multi-million-dollar bribery schemes for marketing and broadcast rights.