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I am happy to be able to bowl properly: Zaheer Khan

Photo source: PTI

Formula One 2016 season

ormula One’s 2016 season will kick off in April at the Australian Grand Prix, the latest start to the championship since 1988. The season-opener at Albert Park street circuit has usually been held in March, though it was pushed back to April in 2006 to become the third round on the calendar when Melbourne hosted the Commonwealth Games that year. Organisers gave no reason for the 2016 change but said in a statement it would “condense the season,” which finishes in November. Media

have

speculated

that

Formula One MANAGEMENT is aiming to condense the season to reduce costs for teams and shorten the downtime between races in a bid to maximise interest in the championship. Pundits have also suggested a condensed season could be a bargaining chip for FOM to pack in more races into the calendar. The later date at Albert Park will also mean an earlier start for the race, given it falls after the end of daylight savings in the state of Victoria when clocks are switched back an hour. The AGPC was unable to provide further comment but confirmed the move was a directive from FOM.

Making an impact straightaway after a near year-long sabbatical due to injury, veteran speedster Zaheer Khan said that he will get better and better as he bowls more in competitive match situation. The left-arm paceman took two early wickets to give Delhi Daredevils side a good start but he said he was still not at his best. “It was good to be back. I am glad things have worked out well. Definitely it’s not the best as I call it but I am happy to be able to bowl properly,” Zaheer said after his team’s crushing nine-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. According

Picture Source: in.com

Shahid Afridi to quit international cricket next year

akistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi on Thursday announced he would retire from Twenty20 cricket next year, ending a colourful international CAREER which earned him unmatched popularity in his homeland. The 35-year-old retired from one-day cricket after last month’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand where Pakistan reached the final eight, but said he would continue to play the shortest form of the game. “I will retire from Twenty20 cricket after next year’s World Twenty20,” Afridi, who left Test

May 2015 Edition

cricket in 2010, told reporters. “I will continue to play county in England and a few Twenty20 leagues but my international career will end next year.” India host the sixth edition of the World Twenty20 in March-April next year, where Afridi said he hoped to leave on a high. “I want to finish my career with pleasant memories and had never thought I will play for Pakistan for so long,” said Afridi. Surprisingly inducted at the young age of 16, Afridi made headlines around the world when he smashed a 37-ball hundred

in only his second one-day international, against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996, setting a world record. Afridi, known for his madcap approach to batting, his skillful leg-breaks and good looks, maintains the world record for most sixes: 453 across all formats of the game. He was appointed Twenty20 captain last year, having earlier led Pakistan in one-day internationals and Tests as well. He scored 8,064 runs in 398 oneday internationals but fell just five short of 400 wickets.

to 36-year-old Zaheer, the thing that he missed the most was aggressive batsmen taking him on a challenge of an on-field duel. “I enjoyed the pressures of a batsman coming at you. I was playing after a year and it was tough. It was good to feel that pressure. These are the things I missed. The pressure of setting the field, having to think about it. I was nervous but I felt good. We executed the plans well,” relief was palpable in his statement. Asked about comments from a certain section of media which wrote him off, Zaheer sounded dismissive. “It was their job to write. That’s the way it goes.

My career will be over and I will say that it is over.” Talking about his dismissal of dangerous Virender Sehwag off the second delivery of the KXIP innings, Zaheer said,”You can’t give him (Sehwag) room. The wicket was on slower side and it worked in my favour.” The out-of-favour paceman is still optimistic about Daredevils’ chances of making it to the playoffs. “It’s about winning eight games to make it. We now have to win 4 out of the remaining 6 games. That’s how we are looking at it. We will keep our focus and look at the positive things,” he signed off.

BCCI bans Narine from bowling offbreaks

unil Narine has been banned from bowling his offbreaks in any match organised by the BCCI, including in the IPL. He may, however, continue to bowl his other deliveries the knuckle ball and the quicker straight ball. If he uses the offbreak again in the ongoing IPL, he will be suspended from bowling in BCCI-organised matches. Narine had been reported again for a suspect action following Kolkata Knight Riders’ game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 22 in Visakhapatnam. He then went to the ICC-accredited Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre in Chennai for a biomechanical ANALYSIS of his bowling action. The BCCI suspect bowling action committee‎ reviewed the evidence of the match footage and the analysis, and concluded that Narine’s action for his offbreak was illegal. Since being reported, Narine missed

Knight Riders’ match against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday as the franchise had decided to not risk playing the offspinner. Narine had been reported twice during the Champions League T20 last year and was subsequently banned from bowling in the final of the tournament. He skipped West Indies’ tour of India and later withdrew from their World Cup squad, choosing to focus on remodelling his action. He underwent testing at the University of Loughborough and was cleared but the BCCI asked him to undergo another round of tests at the Sri Ramachandra University. He was then cleared by the BCCI suspect action committee and played five games for Knight Riders this season before being reported again.

He will now have to undergo corrective work on his action again after which he can request for another assessment by the BCCI committee.