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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 26, 2016
Pakistan recall Akmal, Shafiq for Windies ODIs
PAKISTAN have recalled batsmen Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq for the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies in the UAE. Fast bowlers Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali have also been included in the 16-member squad. Sami Aslam and Umar Gul, who were in the squad for the England ODIs, have been excluded, while Mohammad Hafeez will miss the series due to an injury. Both Shafiq and Akmal last played in the format in 2015. While
Umar Akmal Shafiq’s previous match came in October 2015 against Zimbabwe in Ha-
rare, Akmal has not been part of an ODI XI since the 2015 World Cup. Shafiq was picked after a strong showing in the recent National T20 Cup. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer with 310 at an average of 51.66 and a strike rate of 139.01. Akmal was recently recalled to the T20I side after assuring the PCB that there would not be any further issues with his conduct. He had been left out of the training camp in May, before the England tour, due to disciplinary reasons. Hafeez has been rested
after suffering a calf injury. Earlier, a similar injury had forced him out of the England series after the first ODI. The injury also kept him out of the T20I series against West Indies. Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam and captain Azhar Ali will fulfill the top-order responsibilities. Azhar’s captaincy will also be under scrutiny in the series, following the 4-1 series defeat to England earlier this month. Sohail, who has played 12 ODIs between 2008 and 2015, with the last one during the 2015 World Cup,
was picked in place of Gul who had a disappointing series against England. Gul took 3 for 23 against Ireland but had a tougher time in the ODIs against England. He took three wickets in as many matches at an average of 54. The squad also includes a specialist spinner in Yasir Shah and three spin-bowling allrounders - Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik. The first and second ODIs will be played in Sharjah on September 30 and October 2 respectively, with the third
match scheduled for October 5 in Abu Dhabi. Both teams will be looking to improve their rankings. West Indies are currently eighth on the ICC ODI Championship table with 94 points, while Pakistan are ninth on 86 points Pakistan ODI squad Azhar Ali, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Khan. (ESPN Cricinfo)
Team Coco’s trio dominate Macedo memorial cycling podium TEAM Coco’s Stephano Husbands, Hamzah Eastman and Mark Harris occupied the top three places respectively on the podium yesterday when the Flying Stars Cycle Club conducted its Annual Victor Macedo memorial 80-mile cycle road race. After a rolling start from outside the Macedo’s Queenstown residence at 07:30hrs, the large group comprising seniors, veterans, juniors, juveniles and mountain bikers were given the green flag on Homestretch Avenue from
where the seniors and juniors proceeded to the Linden Highway before turning back at Long Creek to finish at the place of origin (Homestretch Avenue). However, the veterans’, juveniles and mountain bikers turned back at the Splashmin’s Resort, to finish at the same point as the seniors and juniors. After receiving the green flag, the entire bunch of seniors and juveniles along with a few veterans stuck together until they approached the turn unto the Linden
Highway when Husbands, Harris, Raymond Newton, Silvio Inniss and Walter Grant-Stuart went on a break and led all the way for the remainder of the upward journey.However, on turning back, Eastman rode across the roadway and joined them and immediately opened a small gap which was subsequently closed. However, Grant-Stuart and Newton were then made to trail while the leading quartet (Husbands, Harris, Inniss and Eastman) maintained the lead
as the turned from the East Bank Highway onto Mandela Avenue.Shortly after, the three Team Coco’s members accelerated and left Inniss struggling. As the three team members approached the finish line, they held their hands together in the air, signaling their team’s return to form,just when the 2016 cycling season was coming to a close.Husbands was the first to cross the finish line,in a time of three hours 11 minutes.He was followed by Eastman in second, and
Taskin returns to clinch Bangladesh win with late four-for TASKIN Ahmed produced some phenomenal death bowling on his return to international cricket, stifling Afghanistan to earn Bangladesh a seven-run win in the first one-day international at Dhaka. Taskin, as well as teammate Arafat Sunny, was reported for a suspect action after Bangladesh’s World Twenty20 opener against Netherlands on March 9, but was cleared for selection by the International Cricket Council on Friday. The seamer marked his comeback with figures of 4-59, all of his scalps coming in his final two overs to halt the tourists short of their target of 265 runs and earn Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The match did not start positively for Bangladesh as they lost Soumya Sarkar (0) to Dawlat Zadran (4-73) in the first over, but Tamim Iqbal (80) and Imrul Keyes (37) built an
Taskin Ahmed is ecstatic after picking up one of his four wickets. 83-run partnership in response. Tamim was put down on 30 by Hashmatullah Shahidi at backward point and brought up his 34th ODI fifty with a cut through the same area after Mohammad Nabi (2-40) removed Imrul. Mahmudullah (62) also chipped in with a half-century,
but he was dismissed by Nabi after Tamim toe-ended Mirwais Ashraf (1-51) to long-off, the bowler gaining revenge for the earlier drop off his bowling. Shakib Al Hasan (48) helped force Bangladesh forward before they were skittled for 265 when Dawlat struck
with the wicket of Taijul Islam (11) final ball. After losing opening duo Mohammad Shahzad (31) and Shabir Noori (9) in the first eight overs, Rahmat Shah (71) and Hashmatullah (72) mounted a 144-run stand for the third wicket to put victory in Afghanistan’s sight. Nabi put on 30 before holing out to long-off with 23 runs required off the final 14 deliveries. Having taken that wicket, Taskin added the scalp of Afghan captain Ashgar Stanikzai (10) in the same over. Afghanistan needed 13 off the last over, and Ashraf (3) snatched two before being trapped leg before by Taskin. A maximum off the final ball would have resulted in a draw, but Dawlat (2) looped Taskin to Sabbir Rahman at long-off as Bangladesh held on for the win.(Omnisport. com)
Harris in third. Inniss later crossed the finish line in a distant fourth, but was way ahead of the other four finishers, Grant-Stuart, Newton, Christopher Holder and Shaquile Agard. Another Team Coco’s member, Junior Niles, continued his good showing in recent weeks by winning the veterans’ under-45 age group ahead of Ralph Williams and Leer Nunes respectively. Niles’ winning time was two hours 19 minutes 16 seconds. Andre Spencer was first
among the veterans over 45 years, while Oziah McAullay was first among the mountain bikers. Second was Julio Melville and finishing third was Sean Budhan. Adealie Hodge won the juvenile category ahead of Zaman Khan. The junior category was won by Raphael Leung in a time of three hours, 17 minutes 25.56 seconds. Christopher Cornelius, Daraj Garbarran and Curtis Dey occupied the other top three places respectively.
Miami Marlins baseball star Jose Fernandez dies in boat crash
Jose Fernandez was the Miami Marlins’ firstround draft pick in 2011 JOSE` Fernandez, a pitcher for the Miami Marlins baseball team, has died in a boat crash at the age of 24. The US Coast Guard said Fernandez was one of three people killed in the crash yesterday, off Miami Beach, Florida. A scheduled Marlins home game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday has been cancelled.
The club said it was “devastated by the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time”. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Todd Garofalo told local news station WSVN: “They found a boat that was up against the jetties. They did do an initial search and they found three victims - two on top of the water, one underneath the boat and they had unfortunately passed away.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the 32-foot vessel had a “severe impact” with large rocks that form part of the jetty. The names of the other two individuals are being withheld until their relaSee page 23