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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 31, 2014
Suarez breaks record in another Liverpool rout of Spurs By Liam Happe
LUIS SUAREZ made Liverpool history as the titlechasing Reds went top of the Premier League table with a 4-0 win over Tottenham
yesterday. Tim Sherwood’s visitors didn’t look anywhere near up for the prospect of exacting sweet revenge on their hosts for the 5-0 pounding they suffered in December at White
Hart Lane. And defensive errors littered their performance, with Liverpool’s very first attack of the match culminating in a Younes Kaboul own goal after one minute and 38 seconds.
Suarez doubled the advantage on 25 minutes, preying on confusion amongst the Spurs back line after Jan Vertonghen was forcibly replaced by Michael Dawson to become the highest-scoring Liverpool
de Villiers hopes South Africa peaking at right time (REUTERS) - South Africa hero AB de Villiers feels his side might be peeking at the right time after qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. His comments followed a dramatic three-run win over England last Saturday in which de Villiers thrashed 69 not out to help South Africa reach the final four. They had started the competition with defeat by Sri Lanka and forced narrow wins over New Zealand and the Netherlands but de Villiers suggested
yesterday the tide might be turning. “It’s always important in tournaments like this to show form at the right time and to get a bit of confidence and momentum on your side,” he said in an interview released by Cricket South Africa. “We have probably been guilty of not getting that right and peaking a bit early. We are looking good and it’s up to us to play another good game later this week. It was nice for us to click and play a decent game of cricket heading into the knockout stages.”
de Villiers’ 28-ball 69 proved the difference in Chittagong as the 30-year-old came to the crease to turn the match in South Africa’s favour including smashing 26 off the 18th over bowled by Jade Dernbach. “I’m not sure it’s about the position that I’m batting in, I came in after the 10th over, that is what made the difference,” de Villiers said when asked about his success at number three. “The coaching staff enjoys me batting in those kind of situations and that is probably why they are leaving me at
four so that when I come in I can capitalise on the situation. I was motivated to do well no
player in a single league season. Though Tottenham had occasional spells of decent possession, they did little more than underscore how impotent they were in the final third, other than perhaps remind the Reds not to get complacent. Phillippe Coutinho’s lovely low drive and Jordan Henderson’s deceptive free-kick ensured there would be no
repeat of the late drama in the win against Sunderland and put Brendan Rodgers’ side top of the table at the end of the weekend. It’s now one win down, six to go in the very clear mission if Liverpool are to end their lengthy league title drought: win every remaining fixture and make it 14 victories in succession, and they will be champions.
AB de Villiers matter what position I batted in and to build a good platform for the game.”
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez reacts ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England yesterday.
Shehzad hits century as Pakistan crush Bangladesh (REUTERS) - Ahmed Shehzad became the first Pakistani batsman to hit a Twenty20 International century as the 2009 champions crushed Bangladesh by 50 runs in a Group Two match to keep alive their semi-final hopes in the World Twenty20 yesterday. The right-handed Shehzad remained unbeaten after a sparkling 111 off 62 balls to fire Pakistan to a commanding 190 for five before they returned to restrict Bangladesh to 140-7 for a win, a result which meant
AHMED SHEHZAD
hosts Bangladesh and Australia have no chance of progressing any further in the tournament. The winner of tomorrow’s key clash between Pakistan and defending champions West Indies will grab the second semifinal spot from Group Two after India qualified for the last four with a hat-trick of wins. Bangladesh’s chase never took off. Tamim Iqbal (16) added 30 quick runs in just over three overs with Anamul Haq (18) before being castled by Umar Gul (3-30) and triggering a top order collapse.
Pakistan spin trio Saeed Ajmal (2-20), Shahid Afridi and Zulfiqar Babar struck in quick successions to deny Bangladesh any momentum. Shakib Al Hasan (38) hit Babar for two consecutive sixes and played with natural flair in his 32-ball knock but it did little beyond injecting some temporarily excitement in the Sher-eBangla National Stadium where the crowd had gone silent. Shehzad, 22, hit Mashrafe Mortaza for three successive boundaries and a six in the third over to signal his intention and it took him only 30 balls to race to his half-century after Pakistan had opted to bat first in their must-win match. Cruising at 43 for no loss in the fifth over, Pakistan lost three quick wickets to slump to 71 for three but Shehzad was unperturbed as well as unstoppable. Boundaries continued to flow from his blade and he took a single off Shakib to bring up the second century of this year’s tournament, celebrating the feat with his fifth six as he and Afridi (22) plundered 24 runs off that productive Mortaza over.