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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday July 14, 2016
Blairmont spinner Hassan impresses on HACC debut By Frederick Halley TORONTO, Canada – Blairmont Cricket Club left-arm spinner Waqar Hassan made an auspicious start to his overseas stint, grabbing three for 31 from 6.5 overs to help Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club (HACC) thrash Bawa Cricket Club by 32 runs, when play in the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) inaugural Elite League continued here over the last weekend. The former Berbice Under-19 player, who is vacationing in Canada, used the occasion to also get acquainted with the conditions and proved a perfect foil to the varied bowling attack. The 23-year-old Hassan, who also narrowly missed selection to the Berbice senior teams a few years ago,
Debutant Waqar Hassan (extreme right) poses with (from right) Damodar Daesrath, Riaz Kadir and Azib Ali Hanif. had the unique distinction of capturing a wicket with his first delivery before returning in his second spell to capture a further two, as Bawa were shot out for
121 in 43.5 overs, chasing HACC’s 153 all out in 35 overs. Bawa’s destruction was started by seasoned campaigner and former Guyana
skipper Damodar Daesrath who ended with three for 23, bowling 10 consecutive overs on the trot while HACC captain Hemnarine Chattergoon took two for
23, also from 10 and left-arm spinner Bhim Bodhoo two for 25. All-rounder Abid Roowala struck a defiant 40 after earlier bowling impressively to capture six for 16 in seven overs to wreck the top half of HACC. But once again, it was the heroics of former Guyana wicketkeeper Azib Ali Hanif who motored to 51 with seven classical fours to record his second half-century in as many innings. Hanif received valuable support from another former Berbice Under-19 player Riaz Kadir, who, in his first game for HACC, blasted a robust 45 which included eight fours. The two featured in a face-saving 70-run seventh-wicket partnership after their team were tottering at 82 for six. Once Hanif and Kadir departed in quick succession of each other, the last
four wickets tumbled for a mere run as HACC were dismissed for 153, a total that proved adequate in the end. It was HACC second win over their archrivals and the fifth of the season, having lost to Victoria Park while their opening game versus Highland Creek suffered a washout. Meanwhile, HACC president Narchand ‘Archie’ Mohan, who was mainly responsible for H a s s a n ’s s h o r t s o j o u r n with the team, was delighted with his performance. Hassan hails from Number Two Village, West Coast Berbice, the neighbouring village of Cotton Tree, Mohan’s birthplace. HACC will take on last year’s beaten Premiere League finalists Scarborough Cricket Club (SCC) at Ashtonbee Number 2 on Sunday, July 24 next.
Tendulkar says cricket pitches need to be more bowler-friendly
(REUTERS) - Cricket pitches need to be more bowler-friendly if the rising imbalance between bat and ball is to be addressed, Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar has said. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) world cricket committee on Tuesday recommended limitations on the thickness and depth of bats amid concerns that the sport has tilted heavily in favour of the batsmen in recent years. A report commissioned by the MCC, the guardian of the game’s laws, in 2014 found the thickness of bats had marginally increased in the last century and that edges had broadened by 300 percent, meaning even mistimed shots could still find
MCC captain Sachin Tendulkar prepares to catch a ball during a cricket match against a Rest of the World team to celebrate 200 years of Lord’s at Lord’s cricket ground in London, July 5, 2014. (Reuters/Philip Brown) the boundary. 50-over format, demanded Tendulkar, who quit in- more assistance for the bowlternational cricket in 2013 ers from the playing surface. as the game’s most prolific “The wickets need to batsman both in Tests and the change; they need to be
more helpful for bowlers,” Tendulkar said. “In T20s, the greatest of bowlers are being reverse-swept. Three-hundred is no longer competitive in ODIs. “So there should be at least one format where bowlers have a better chance of executing their skills and making it more interesting for spectators. “I don’t think it’s got much to do with bats, but I’m sure people on the (relevant) panel will be able to look into it.” Te n d u l k a r ’s v i e w s echoed the sentiments of Australian opener David Warner who said last week that flat pitches rather than bats with thicker edges
are the reason batsmen have the upper hand in Test cricket. Tendulkar was part of the panel that recommended Anil Kumble for the India coach’s job and he expects the team to benefit from the vast experience of the former leg-spinner. “A fabulous player, a hard competitor and will not make any compromises on the field,” Tendulkar told ESPNcricinfo. “He will be out there to win each and every moment. “He played for almost 20 years, so there is plenty to share. I’ll just tell the players to grasp as much information from Anil as possible.” Kumble, who came out
to bowl with a bandaged jaw in a 2002 Antigua Test, can also teach the players how to handle adversity, said Tendulkar. “There are always big, crunch moments in any match and how to approach those moments is important,” Tendulkar said. “In sport, over a period of time what you learn is not every day you are successful, sometimes you have to face failures. “It is all about being a tough character and being able to stand back on your feet again and to compete the next day. Every day is a fresh day, new beginning. That is something I feel Anil will teach them.”
Misbah challenges Amir to win over English public
SKIPPER Misbah-ul-Haq has revealed Mohammad Amir is in the right frame of mind as he prepares to return to the scene of his crime at Lord’s and challenged the Pakistan paceman to win over the English public ahead of the first Test. Amir served a five-year ban for spot-fixing after being found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls during the fourth Test against
England at Lord’s in 2010. The 24-year-old quick made his limited-overs return at international level on the tour of New Zealand in January and will make his Test comeback on a ground where he will be braced for a hostile reception, given his actions six years ago. Pakistan captain Misbah has no concerns over how Amir will cope with the occasion and said it is down to the left-armer to build bridg-
es with England fans at the start of the four-match series Asked how Amir has dealt with going back to Lord’s, Misbah said: “His mood is good. He’s just focusing on what he has to come and do in the ground. “He’s really responding well to that, it’s a big opportunity for him to come on the field and perform for Pakistan, to win the people again. “At the moment for us I have no worries for us in
terms of Mohammad Amir.” Pakistan beat England 2-0 in the United Arab Emirates last year, but Misbah knows Alastair Cook’s men will be a different proposition on home soil in what will be the tourists’ first series under new head coach Mickey Arthur. “It’s a big challenge, everybody knows that. England are playing really well, they just performed really well
against a top side (Sri Lanka),” the veteran batsman said. “Our aim is to play good cricket, be competitive and try to win this series.” Cook is eager for an end to talk of Amir’s return as England target revenge in the four-match series. The England skipper said: “I’ve said all along I don’t think match-fixers should be allowed to play but at the time he (Amir)
was given his punishment, he’s served it so he’s entitled to come back. He’s served his time. “I just hope that we can concentrate on the cricket now. It’s the big story about this Test match, but I thought the way both sides played in the UAE (last year) that the spirit between us was different to in the past, and I hope we can carry that on and talk about the cricket.”