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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, February 18, 2017
Sri Lanka sneak home at the MCG THERE was a grandstand finish at the MCG yesterday, as Sri Lanka overcame a late wobble to beat Australia by five wickets. Sri Lanka claimed a dramatic final-ball victory over Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to move 1-0 up in their threematch Twenty20 international series. The tourists initially looked set to triumph comfortably yesterday after Dilshan Munaweera (44) and Asela Gunaratne (52) put them ahead of the required rate in pursuit of 169. However, Gunaratne and Milinda Siriwardana (15) fell in quick succession to Ashton Turner - one of three
Australia debutants - in the 18th over and Sri Lanka still needed half a dozen runs when Andrew Tye (0-32) was called upon to bowl the final set of six. That target was reduced to three from two balls amid increasing tension, but Chamara Kapugedera (10 not out) scrambled two from the penultimate delivery before cracking Tye through the covers for a boundary that sealed a five-wicket win and delighted a sizeable contingent of Sri Lanka fans. There was little sign of the drama to follow when Munaweera and Gunaratne guided Sri Lanka into a position of strength. After skipper Upul Tha-
ing at regular intervals thereafter, as Lasith Malinga (2-29 from four) and Seekkuge Prasanna (0-23 from four) shone. (Sports Max)
with Finch (43), but seamer Billy Stanlake conceded 42 from three wicket-less overs. The hosts were unable to fully capitalise on their solid start, Sri Lanka strik-
ranga had fallen to Pat Cummins for a duck in the first over of the chase, Munaweera shared 74 with Niroshan Dickwella (30) for the second
wicket. Dickwella and Munaweera fell in successive overs from Adam Zampa (226 from four), but the spinner was denied a third wicket when Australia captain Aaron Finch failed to take a difficult chance leaping to his left at short midwicket, reprieving Gunaratne on 11. Gunaratne took advantage of his let-off, bringing up a maiden T20I fifty from 34 balls with his seventh four, and Sri Lanka were able to get over the line despite their late wobble. Turner’s fellow Australia debutants enjoyed contrasting fortunes. Michael Klinger impressed by contributing 38 to an opening stand of 76
job and I have to accept that, but I have to behave with my values.” Wenger, who has been in charge of Arsenal since 1996, said: “We let everyone judge and criticise, we have to deal with that. We have to bounce back, that is what life is about. “Even if I go, Arsenal will not win every single game in the future. It is not like before I arrived Arsenal had won five times in the European Cup. “What is important is that the club makes the right decision for the future. I care about this club and its future and it is very important the club is in safe hands. “The main emotion is
everyone has a big disappointment. We have to regroup and refocus on the next game, and to take care of the consequences a disappointing result can have on everyone’s spirit. “We have to focus on the real problems and they are the way we play football, not my future. “It is always important not to look for wrong excuses in life.” Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004, with FA Cups in 2005, 2014 and 2015 the only major silverware Wenger has secured since. However, he has consistently qualified for the lucrative Champions League
and the club has continued to grow financially, despite the pressures of building a new stadium. The Gunners reached the knockout stage of Europe’s elite club competition for a 14th year in a row this season, but the last-16 first-leg thrashing at German champions Bayern leaves them with little hope of progressing. The performance, coupled with earlier damaging league defeats by Chelsea and Watford, prompted several former Arsenal players - some of whom played under Wenger - to suggest his time was up. Former Gunners captain Martin Keown described the defeat as Wenger’s “lowest
point”, while ex-defender Lee Dixon said: “This team is getting no response from him. I’ve never seen him like that.” In the Premier League, they are 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea. After the Blues beat them 3-1 on February 4, ex-England defender Danny Mills said Arsenal “have settled for fourth again”. Earlier, former striker Ian Wright, who scored 185 goals for the club between 1991 and 1998, said he believed Wenger’s time as Arsenal boss was “coming to the end”, although the Frenchman later denied giving any indication of his future plans. (BBC Sport)
CAS confirms Carter appeal
“Nesta Carter seeks to set aside the challenged decision in order for the Jamaican team to be reinstated as gold medallists. “A CAS arbitration procedure is in progress. First, the parties will exchange written submissions and a panel of three arbitrators
will be constituted. The panel will then issue directions with respect to the holding of a hearing. “Following the hearing, the panel will deliberate and at a later date, it will issue a decision in the form of an arbitral award.” (Sports Max)
Asela Gunaratne continues his good form in international cricket. © Getty Images
SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA innings A. Finch c Malinga b Gunaratne 43 M. Klinger c Malinga b Sandakan 38 T. Head c Prasanna b Malinga 31 M. Henriques c Kapugedera b Bandara 17 A. Turner c Prasanna b Malinga 18 J. Faulkner not out 14 T. Paine run-out 0 P. Cummins not out 0 Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-4, nb-1) 7 Total: (6 wickets; 20 overs) 168 Fall of wickets: 1-76, 2-86, 3-116, 4-153, 5-153, 6-162 Bowling: Malinga 4-0-29-2, Kulasekara 4-0-38-0, Bandara 3-035-1, Prasanna 4-0-23-0, Sandakan 4-0-30, Gunaratne 1-0-11-1.
SRI LANKA innings N. Dickwella c Klinger b Zampa 30 W. Tharanga c Paine b Cummins 0 E. Munaweera c Finch b Zampa 44 D. Gunaratne stp. Paine b Turner 52 T. Siriwardana lbw b Turner 15 C. Kapugedera not out 10 S. Prasanna not out 8 Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-9) 13 Total: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-79, 3-91, 4-151, 5-152. Bowling: Cummins 4-0-29-1, Stanlake 3-0-42-0, Faulkner 4-0-27-0, Tye 3-0-32-0, Zampa 4-0-26-2, Turner 2-0-12-2.
Arsenal boss says he will manage next season ARSENE Wenger says he will definitely be managing next season, whether at Arsenal “or somewhere else”. Wenger, 67, was speaking at the end of one of the most turbulent weeks of his two-decade tenure as Gunners boss. After Wednesday’s 5-1 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich, several ex-players said they believed his time in charge was coming to an end. The Frenchman’s contract expires at the end of this season and he said he would decide on a new deal in March or April. “No matter what happens I will manage for another season. Whether it’s here or
NESTA Carter has appealed the decision that saw his Jamaican sprint relay team stripped of their gold medals from Beijing 2008. Nesta Carter has appealed against the doping charge which meant that he, Usain Bolt and the rest of Jamaica’s 2008 Olympic sprint relay team were stripped of their gold medals. Jamaica’s 4x100 metre squad had to hand back their medals after Carter was found guilty of doping following re-analysis of a Beijing sample.
Arsene Wenger somewhere else, that is for sure,” Wenger said yesterday. “If I said March or April it is because I didn’t know. I do not want to come back on that. “I am used to the criticism. I think in life it’s important to do what you think is right and all the rest is judgement. I am in a public
Nesta Carter
Carter participated in Jamaica’s heat and the final as they broke the world record en route to the top step of the podium in China, but his sample taken before the medal race was found to contain banned substance methylhexaneamine. Yesterday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed Carter had appealed the decision that saw Jamaica disqualified. A CAS statement read: “The Jamaican sprinter Nesta Carter has filed an appeal at the Court
of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the decision issued by the IOC Disciplinary panel on January 25, 2017 in which he was found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. “A consequence of such finding was the disqualification of Nesta Carter and the other members of the Jamaican team from the men’s 4x100m relay at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in which they had achieved the gold medal.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday February 18, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: - 7 centuries - Shiv Chanderpaul-101 Today’s Quiz: - Who scored most runs in CWI/Nagicor Super 50, 2017 but did not feature in the semi-finals? - Who took most wickets but did not play in any of the semi-finals? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE