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guyanatimesGY.com
thursday, november 21, 2013
Narine keeps it simple K
ochi, India - A person of few words, Sunil Narine avoids the limelight away from the cricket field. But, after a concerted effort to get him to speak, the wily off-spinner finally took some time off during the Champions League Twenty20 2013 last month, and spoke in detail about his bowling, his variations, his concerns pertaining to the longer-format and the upcoming ODI series against India. “I tend to be quiet and humble, I like it that way. When you get too excited things fall apart,” said Narine, who was part of the Trinidad and Tobago team that lost to Mumbai Indians in the semi-final. “It’s tough (to handle the limelight), but at the end of the day I’m doing something that I love, so that makes it easier.” Narine’s high-arm bowling action is deceptive and few batsmen can come up with answers when he gets the ball to talk. But with access to match footage readily available and team analysts forever on the lookout for the weaknesses of an opposition player, Narine admitted that some batsmen had indeed started reading him. “Only some batsmen have been able to find me. But it’s not about the mystery, it’s about the consistency,” he said. “How hard you work and how effectively I can vary my pace and length.” Elaborating on his technique, Narine continued, “I have about three variations. I plan well before I run up to bowl, so that helps. Having a clear mind and a clear head, so that I just concentrate on putting the ball in the right areas.”
Outstanding
In the shorter formats of the game – where spinners are often regarded as easy targets for big hitters – Narine has been an outstanding success. Ranked No. 2 on the ICC’s list of top ODI bowlers, Narine reckoned it was in the longer format that he still has certain issues to address. “In Tests you need to have a little more patience. In the shorter formats, the batsman is always coming at you so there is more opportunity of getting wickets. In Test cricket you have to settle down, and put a mindset that you are going to bowl longer spells. So that is a big test to my concentration level and consistency. I need to work on them.” When Shane Shillingford, the right-arm off-spinner, was preferred over Narine for the two-Test series against India, the decision raised a few eyebrows. But Shillingford lived up to the expectations of the se-
South Africa clinch narrow D/L win
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he two sides renewed rivalries for the 20th time in all formats in 2013 and the narrow win gave South Africa their 15th victory after posting 153-7. Pakistan were 60-2 when the rain brought an end to the contest after 9.1 overs of their response, leaving them five runs short of the revised victory target. Quinton de Kock (43) and Hashim Amla (31) scored well for the hosts and a slow start from the tourists saw them miss the chance to win the first match of a two-game series. The wet conditions caused a delay in Johannesburg but South Africa quickly got into their stride when play got under way. De Kock and Amla put on a 72-run partnership before
Quinton de Kock powered South Africa’s speedy start
SCOREBOARD
Sunil Narine bowling in the nets ahead of the ODI series against India
lectors by grabbing 11 wickets at 31.45, including two five-wicket hauls, and subsequently retained his place in the squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour. Narine claimed he was not frustrated at having missed the cut. “You want to play all formats of the game, but I guess we have a lot of spinners back in the Caribbean and I don’t see any reason for me to try too hard and get frustrated if I don’t get picked,” he said. “At the end of the day I am enjoying whatever I am playing and I wish to play as much as I can.”
Crucial role
The New Zealand Tests may be beyond his reach, but his role is likely to be crucial in the ODI series against India that starts today. “I just have to do what I’m accustomed to. I’ve trained hard in the nets,” he said. “Just have to concentrate on my game and focus on the job at hand. Different conditions demand different sort of skills, and I’m confident that I’ve developed the skills.” As he continues to weave a web around the world’s top batsmen, Narine insisted he sticks to the team goal when it comes to dismissing a particular player. “We normally have team goals,” said Narine, who was named after Sunil Gavaskar. “Before a game we sit down and discuss players with the captain and
fellow teammates. So a particular player’s dismissal is not really my plan as such, it’s a team plan.” Plying his trade for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, Narine finished the 2012 edition as the Player of the Tournament with 24 wickets at a miserly 5.47 runs per over. He continued the good work in the next edition where he bagged 22 wickets at 5.46. “I would call it (IPL) a stepping stone in my career,” he said. “During the Champions League T20 2011, I was recognised and that helped my confidence and momentum. IPL has helped me reach where I am today.” After winning the World Twenty20 2012, West Indies were thought to be back on the path of recovery. But with success coming only against relatively weaker sides, such as Bangladesh, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, West Indies still have a long way to go. “I don’t think it’s stagnated,” argued Narine. “We’ve been playing good cricket, it’s just the end result of the game that hasn’t been the way we would have wanted it. But we’re on the right track; we’re coming much closer to winning games than before. We need to take it step by step and not look to reach No. 1 in two days. We have a long process in place; it all depends on how we build from strength to strength.” (www.windiescricket.com)
South Africa innings Q de Kock† c Sohail Tanvir b Mohammad Hafeez 43 HM Amla b Mohammad Hafeez 31 F du Plessis* c Sohaib Maqsood b Junaid Khan 22 H Davids b Shahid Afridi 3 JP Duminy c Mohammad Hafeez b Bilawal Bhatti 11 DA Miller not out 19 WD Parnell run out (Sohail Tanvir/Bilawal Bhatti) 6 DW Steyn c sub (Abdur Rehman) b Junaid Khan 1 M Morkel not out 8 Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-2, nb-1) 9 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 153 Fall of wickets: 1-72 (Amla, 7.5 ov), 2-81 (de Kock, 9.4 ov), 3-87 (Davids, 10.6 ov), 4-110 (Duminy, 15.4 ov), 5-116 (du
Plessis, 16.3 ov), 6-134 (Parnell, 17.6 ov), 7-140 (Steyn, 18.6 ov) Bowling: Anwar Ali 2-0-220, Sohail Tanvir 3-0-27-0 (1w), Junaid Khan 3-0-24-2, Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-25-2, Bilawal Bhatti 4-0-35-1 (1-nb, 1-w), Shahid Afridi 4-0-14-1 Pakistan innings (target: 65 runs from 9.1 overs) Ahmed Shehzad b Tsotsobe 9 Nasir Jamshed c & b Duminy 18 Mohammad Hafeez* not out 13 Umar Akmal† not out 7 Extras (lb-7, w-6) 13 Total (2 wickets; 9.1 overs) 60 Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Ahmed Shehzad, 2.3 ov), 2-50 (Nasir Jamshed, 7.3 ov) Bowling: LL Tsotsobe 4-0-191 (2-w), DW Steyn 2-0-13-0, M Morkel 1-0-10-0, JP Duminy 1.1-0-3-1, Imran Tahir 1-0-8-0
Mohammad Hafeez (2-25) accounted for them both to leave the home side on 81-2. Wickets fell at regular intervals as only Du Plessis (22) and David Miller (19) made notable contributions outside the opening pair. The visitors began their response slowly, but after the dismissal of Ahmed Shehzad they began to raise the runrate through Nasir Jamshed (18) and Hafeez (13 not out). However, after the first ball of the 10th over the rain returned and play was suspended with Pakistan four runs behind on DuckworthLewis. After 40 minutes of steady rainfall the match was finally called off, handing South Africa a narrow victory.
Armstrong settles bonuses lawsuit
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ormer cyclist Lance Armstrong has settled a lawsuit brought by an insurance company that paid him $3m (£1.9m) for successes while doping. The American was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles before admitting he took performance-enhancing drugs. Nebraska-based Acceptance Insurance said the Texan’s drug use meant their policy with him was void. The US Postal Service is also suing Armstrong, 42, for money it spent sponsoring his team from 19982004. A federal judge is expected to rule on Armstrong’s request to dismiss that suit in the next 30 days. Armstrong’s settlement with Acceptance Insurance comes a day before he was due to give sworn testimony in court over the case. He was banned for life by the United States AntiDoping Agency in August 2012 and stripped of the seven Tour de France titles
Lance Armstrong
he won between 1999 and 2005. Armstrong, who also had to return the time-trial bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics after his confession to television host Oprah Winfrey in January,
was reported to be worth $125m (£78m) earlier this year. Last week he told the BBC he would testify with “100% transparency and honesty” at any future inquiry into doping. (BBC Sport)