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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday March 30, 2016
Peaking England meet soaring Kiwis in Kotla humdinger
By Amlan Chakraborty
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - England skipper Eoin Morgan would like to believe his team peaked at the right time at the ongoing World Twenty20 while New Zealand were slightly premature going into today’s semi-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Kane Williamson and his Kiwi team mates have not put a foot wrong since landing in India, winning all four group matches without really breaking a sweat to qualify for the semi-finals as the tournament’s only unbeaten team. For a side boasting an explosive batting order and a balanced attack to go with, England’s passage proved bumpier. Even before they could soak in the atmosphere, England were blown away by a Chris Gayle century in their tournament opener against West Indies in Mumbai. Joe Root sparked their
recovery in the 230-run chase against South Africa but the narrow victory against Afghanistan’s
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson modest resources exposed their frailties against spin bowling. They looked a significantly better side, however, in Saturday’s 10-run win against
champions Sri Lanka. Jos Buttler underlined his limited overs worth with a belligerent fifty; the pacemen made regular inroads, Ben Stokes delivered a tidy final over and the team held their nerve to secure a victory that seemed to tick most of the boxes. “In these tight tournaments you can’t get through to the semis unless you are playing good cricket, and that’s what we set out to do to give ourselves a chance,” coach Trevor Bayliss said. “But it’s about peaking at the right time. I wouldn’t say we’ve played the perfect game yet -- coaches are always looking for that absolutely perfect game, I don’t think it’s ever been played -- but it’s what any team is striving to do.” Having played their last two games at Kotla, England would also hope to cash in on their familiarity with the venue in contrast to their opponents who
GCB U-17 Inter-County bowls off today THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Under-17 Inter-County Championship 2016 is set to bowl off today. Essequibo will take on Berbice at GCC ground while a Selected Under-15 team will go up against Demerara at Wales ground. Round two which is billed for April 1, will see Essequibo and Demerara clash at Enterprise ground while a Selected U-15 team will battle Berbice at Wales ground. On April 3 in round three, there will be action between Essequibo and a Selected U-15 team at DCC ground and Demerara and Berbice at GCC ground. The teams are as follows: Demerara: Bhaskar Yadram (captain), Joshua Persaud, Mark Ramsammy, Rajendra Singh, Alphius Bookie, Kurt Lovell, Ashmead Nedd, Pradesh Balkishun, Sagar Hatheramani, Tameshwar Motiram, Bhojnarine Singh, Anthony Antonio, Colin Barlow and Chandrapaul Mohabir. The coach is Garvin Nedd and the manager is Latchman Yadram. Berbice: Kevin Sinclair (captain), Alex
Algoo, Junior Sinclair, Javid Karim, Steve Deonarine, Kevlon Anderson, Garfield Benjamin, Chandra Dat Veerasammy, Keith Simpson, Kevin Omroa, Karran Rajpaul, Brandon Stewart, Steven Kalamadeen, and Syaad Peerbaksh. The coach is Andre Percival and the manager is Rabindranauth Saywack. Essequibo: Joshua Jones (captain), Orlando Jailall, Bomesh Ramdahin, Joel Fortune, Besham Moses, Rayon Venture, David Charitar, Kevin Christian, Chanderpaul Mohabir, Trevor Collins, Shamar Dusraj, Quintin Sampson, Ramnarine Chattergoon, and Randy Rooplall. The coach is Forbes Daniels and the manager is Nazeer Mohamed. Selected U-15: Sachin Singh (captain), Mohamed Shaw, Jarron France, Seon Glasglow, Lance Roberts, Yeudistir Persaud, Gevon Schultz, Amos Sarwan, Dwaine Dick, Nickeem Noble, Sheldon Charles, Leon Swamy, Nigel Deodat, and Daniel Paul. The coach is Julian Moore and the manager is Andy Ramnarine.
Brazil court blocks funds for Olympic project, suspects fraud - source RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) A court in Rio de Janeiro has blocked funding from state lender Caixa Economica Federal (CEF.UL) to the consortium building the Olympic Deodoro complex where 11 sports will be held in August, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters yesterday. News site G1 reported earlier yesterday that the suspended funds totalled
128.5 million reais (£24.5M). Prosecutors in Rio claim to have found evidence of fraud in earthmoving services at the complex based on documents they have seen, G1 said. Deodoro is the second-largest cluster of Olympic venues. The Rio prosecutors’ office, the regional court, Rio mayor’s office and Caixa would not confirm the blocked funds.
were on a mini-tour of India playing each of their four group games at different venues.
KIWI ADAPTABILITY The trouble for England, however, is that New Zealand won all of them as the team, finalists in last year’s 50-over World Cup, strive to shed the tag of being cricket’s perennial bridesmaids. Leading from the front, Williamson has also displayed the tactical flexibility needed to win a tournament like this. New Zealand sprang a surprise in their tournament opener, picking three spinners in a gutsy gamble and went on to beat India, renowned for their batsmen’s comfort against the turning ball, in their own game. Williamson repeated the ploy against Bangladesh in their final group match for a similar result, his immaculate pitch assessment in stark contrast
to most of the visiting captains who struggled to read the track as if it was in Braille.
England captain Eoin Morgan Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi have already forged a formidable partnership for the Kiwis, claiming 17 wick-
ets between them in four matches. And if Williamson has noticed England’s struggle against Afghanistan’s slow bowlers, the Kiwi captain will be tempted to harness Nathan McCullum’s control and accuracy in a threepronged spin attack. As demonstrated by Martin Guptill, the Kiwi batting does not lack firepower but what was more heart-warming for the fans is how batsmen like Colin Munro have tempered strokes according to situations. “It hasn’t been the wham, bam ... sort of way that T20 cricket has been,” batting coach Craig McMillan said after the victory against Bangladesh in their last group match. “They have had to assess it ... and have done a really good job of putting the runs on the board to give the bowlers something to work with.”
Women’s World T20 semi-final
In-form England gear up for defending champions’ mojo IT’S A CLASH between two powerhouses of the women’s game, one that elicits excitement, passion and the urge to win at any cost. Not that some of the other sides don’t, but England v
England captain Charlotte Edwards Australia anywhere in the world, be it in men’s or women’s cricket, is a contest of nerves, frayed tempers at times, anticipation, and plenty of verbal volleys. That Meg Lanning and her Southern Stars are within two wins from adding their fourth World T20 title into their burgeoning trophy cabinet should fire them up. Equally keyed up on the
other side will be Charlotte Edwards, England’s talisman, best batsman, reputed leader, legend of the game, who would want to make, perhaps, her last World T20 appearance a memorable one. But that won’t be a walk in the park by any means. England go into the clash with an all-win record in the group stages. The misfiring batting unit somewhat found remedial measures in demoralising Pakistan - Edwards leading the way with an exuberant half-century. In comparison, Australia’s campaign has been a topsy-turvy one with the top order continuing to come under scrutiny. Their meltdown against superior attacks in New Zealand and South Africa is something England would have done well to note. Both England and Australia know what it takes to win the title, but the similarity ends there. Since winning the inaugural edition in 2009, England have somehow slipped under pressure - losing to Australia on three occasions in a knockout clash at a world
event. Australia, who won two titles under Jodie Fields in 2010 and 2012, seemed to have carried forward the
Australia captain Meg Lanning mantle even in the absence of some stalwarts like Lisa Sthalekar. The transition has been seamless as the side lifted the trophy under Lanning in 2012 and 2014. While England have played their matches in Bangalore, Dharamsala and Chennai, that Australia have been based in Delhi for more than a week now could give them an edge come today. (ESPN Cricinfo)