Windies in pressure after NZ declare at record 609-9 Guyana, and the highest Test score at Dunedin, eclipsing the 586 for seven New Zealand made against Sri Lanka in 1997. Taylor, whose previous best score was an unbeaten 154 not out against England at Manchester in 2008, made his first Test double hundred. After the declaration, Trent Boult had Kirk Edwards caught at second slip by Peter Fulton New Zealand 1st innings: Best ................ 34.1-5-148-3 for a duck before Tim Southee Fulton b Sammy ............ 61 Gabriel ............ 27.5-4-148-0 dismissed Kieran Powell Rutherford c Deonarine Sammy ............. 23.1-4-79-2 caught behind for seven to reb Shillingford ................. 62 S Shillingford ... 46-7-138-1 duce the tourists to 24 for two. Redmond b Best ............ 20 Deonarine ........... 22-0-76-2 Darren Bravo (37 not out) and LRPL Taylor not out ... 217 West Indies 1st innings: Marlon Samuels (14 not out) McCullum b Sammy .... 113 KA Edwards c Fulton b combined to settle the innings Anderson c Ramdin b Best0 Boult ................................. 0 and guide their side to the Watling c Edwards b Best41 Powell b Southee ............ 7 close, albeit 542 runs in arrears. Southee b Deonarine ...... 2 Bravo not out ................ 37 Taylor played a controlled Sodhi c & b Deonarine . 35 Samuels not out ............ 14 innings as he did not hit a six in Extras: (lb 8, nb 1) ........... 9 Wagner run out (Bravo/ his entire 317-ball, 491-minute Best) ................................ 37 Total: (2 wickets) ........... 67 innings. Taylor shared in five Extras: (b 10, lb 10, nb 1)21 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-24 partnerships of more than 60 Total : (9 wickets dec) . 609 Bowling: ........... O-M-R-W runs. The largest of 195 with Fall of wickets: 1-95, 2-117, TA Boult ................. 8-5-7-1 captain Brendon McCullum 3-185, 4-380, 5-385, 6-469, 7- TG Southee .......... 7-1-15-1 (113) was a New Zealand N Wagner ............. 6-2-27-0 record for the fourth wicket 472, 8-548, 9-609 Bowling: ........... O-M-R-W IS Sodhi ................ 3-0-10-0 against West Indies, surpass-
DUNEDIN—West Indies were
struggling at 67 for two after Ross Taylor´s first Test double century helped New Zealand to 609 for nine declared on day two of the first Test here at the University Oval on Wednesday.
Triathlon: Armstrong mulls race with McCormack A USTIN —Disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong is open to the idea of a oneon-one race showdown with Australian triathlon star Chris McCormack, a twotime World Ironman champion. McCormack, the 2007 and 2010 World Ironman champion, also captured the 1997 International Triathlon Union world crown and the 2012 ITU Long Distance world title. Armstrong had hoped to enter the Ironman and triathlon events but his admission of taking performance-enhancing drugs after being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles left him ineligible for any sanctioned events requiring World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) tests.— AFP
Taylor made 217 not out and combined in a string of productive partnerships to push New Zealand past 600 for just the fourth time in their Test history. It was their highest score against West Indies, surpassing the 543 for three in 1972 at
ing the 189 runs Mathew Sinclair and Nathan Astle compiled in late 1999. The hosts had resumed the day´s play on 367 for three after Taylor and McCullum had completed centuries just before the close on Tuesday. McCullum was bowled by a Darren Sammy delivery that nipped back and hit off stump to leave the hosts 380 for four, before Corey Anderson was caught behind for a duck before lunch. Taylor and Watling (41) then shared in an 84-run partnership before the wicketkeeper was well caught by Edwards at second slip when Tino Best got a delivery to pop off a length and New Zealand were 469 for six. Pace bowler Southee was dismissed three runs later for two, well caught by Bravo at slip after he prodded at a Narsingh Deonarine delivery, before Taylor and Ish Sodhi (35) combined for a 76-run partnership.—AFP
Australia retain same XI for 2nd Ashes Test ADELAIDE —Michael Clarke declared himself fit and ready last month was England´s on Wednesday to lead an unchanged Australian lineup in the second test against England. It´s the first time in 12 months, he´s had an unchanged lineup in back-toback Tests, and comes in the wake of the 381-run demolition of England in Brisbane — Australia´s first win in 10 Tests. The Australians considered adding allrounder James Faulkner at the expense of No. 6 batsman George Bailey to increase their bowling options, but Clarke said Shane Watson had fully recovered from a hamstring strain that restricted him to two overs in Brisbane and should offer enough backup for the frontline seamers and spinner forget the last Ashes Test Nathan Lyon. The defeat at the Gabba played in Australia. Clarke wanted to forget the last Ashes Test played in Adelaide. England captain Alastair Cook would prefer to
first Test loss in a year that included a series win in India and a 3-0 Ashes win at home against Australia, and it has had dramatic after-effects. Australia: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (captain), Steve Smith, George Bailey, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon. 12th man: James Faulkner. England (from): Alastair Cook (captain), Michael Carberry, Joe Root, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson, Monty Panesar, Chris Tremlett, Jonny Bairstow, Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin.—AP
Rapturous welcome for Nepal’s T20 heroes KATHMANDU—Hundreds of turn home from Abu Dhabi last Thursday, when they came out to support the team cricket fans packed the streets of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu Wednesday, hailing the Himalayan nation’s newest heroes at a victory rally after their shock qualification for the Twenty20 World Cup finals. Dressed in navy blue jackets, the players boarded an open-topped bus covered with marigold garlands, waving to fans at their first public appearance since their re-
where they clinched qualification last week. “I bunked school today to participate in the victory rally. So you can imagine how happy I am,” Chiran Panday, a gleeful ninth-grader, told AFP as he waved a small national flag. Fans danced to traditional music and smeared holy vermilion powder on the cricketers’ faces to express their joy at the team’s feat
qualified for the finals of a major cricket tournament for the first time. Nepal only began fielding a national side in 1996 and football remains the most popular sport. The central government has already promised to award each of the 15 team members one million Nepali rupees ($9,976). Electronics engineer Binod Kunwar told AFP he
because, “I realised how cricket can unite people together.” The victory brought a rare burst of good news to the country, which remains in the throes of a political crisis seven years after the end of a civil war. The Twenty20 World Cup is due to take place in Bangladesh between March 16 and April 6 next year.— AFP
DUNEDIN: Ross Taylor acknowledges the applause on reaching his maiden double-century during New Zealand vs West Indies 1st Test on Wednesday.
Managerless Wednesday stun Leicester
Undercurrent of ill-feeling for India tour of South Africa
L O N D O N — M a n a g e r l e s s J OHANNESBURG —A series South Africa because of the boards as his team arrived in Sheffield Wednesday produced one of the great upsets of the season to beat English Championship leaders Leicester City 2-1 at Hillsborough on Wednesday. The second-tier Owls sacked Dave Jones on Sunday after just one win in all competitions so far this season but two goals from Connor Wickham helped Wednesday stop the rot after Anthony Knockaert gave City a lead in just the third minute. First-team coach Stuart Gray, in caretaker charge, is due to hold talks with Wednesday chairman Milan Mandaric later this week about his future at the Yorkshire club. “We are disappointed for Dave,” said Gray. “I am very grateful, honoured and pleased to take charge of the team tonight and that is all it was. “The chairman has told me there are about 40 applications (for the managership) and I can understand why because it is a fantastic football club with a big fan base and a huge stadium.—AFP
The heat is on as FIFA announces baffling draw procedure BRAZIL—FIFA will go ahead with its controversial decision to stage World Cup matches at midday in tropical venues, president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday as football’s governing body announced a bafflingly complex procedure for Friday’s draw. General Secretary Jerome Valcke caused general bewilderment as he tried to explain the workings of the draw which will decide which teams comprise the eight first-round groups at next year’s tournament. “It’s not easy to understand it the first time, I agree with you” he said. “It took me some time to be sure I had the right explanation.” Each group will consist of one team from each of four pots with Pot 1 featuring the top seeds: Brazil, the host nation, alongside Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Spain, BelKATHMANDU: The Nepal cricket team participate in a victory rally after qualifying for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. gium and Switzerland.—AP
between the top two test teams promises much on the field, where excitement and drama is desperately needed to distract from the ill feeling between the Indian and South African cricket boards. It is No. 2-ranked India’s sublime batting lineup against top-ranked South Africa’s fierce fast bowlers. And who is picked at No. 4 for India in place of the retired Sachin Tendulkar is a story all on its own. But the buildup to the battle at the top of the test rankings has so far been more about officials at the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Cricket South Africa going head-to-head in a game of cricket politics. CSA appointed Haroon Lorgat as its new chief executive in July against the wishes of the BCCI, which responded by cancelling games and cutting its tour by more than half, leaving South Africa with a depleted home season. What is left is a brief twotest series and three one-day internationals, with the BCCI stripping seven international games from its itinerary in
spat. Lorgat, the former ICC chief executive who has a history of run-ins with India’s cricket leadership, also agreed to play no role in the monthlong tour to ensure it went ahead at all. So much for sledging between players getting out of hand. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni recognised the squabbling between the
South Africa, and expressed feelings likely shared by millions of South Africans and around a billion Indian fans, who have been robbed of a series of decent length. “We can arrange a match for the administrators and let them go at them because we were busy playing cricket and we had nothing to do with it,” Dhoni said.—AP
JOHANNESBURG: AB de Villiers of South Africa and MS Dhoni of India with the tournament trophy.
Keen contest on cards, says Mike Horn BIPIN DANI OBSERVER CORRESPONDENT MUMBAI—Mike Horn, the South-African born Swiss explorer and also the motivational speaker will not be sharing any dressing rooms during the forthcoming South Africa-India matches. Horn shared Team India’s dressing room during the 2011 World Cup. He was also with the South African players for sometime during Gary Kirsten’s tenure with the Proteas team. Speaking exclusively from Rio, where he has been offshore for a while, he said, “I have been on expedition this year and not involved with one specific team as a coach for the upcoming matches in SouthAfrica. I love both teams
for different reasons and if you ask me who I want to win, I would say The team that’s ready to go the extra mile”. “I’m not a fan of a team, I’m a cricket fan, and when 2 teams play against each other I want cricket to win. I have had the chance to work with both teams on their quest to become number one, and I have seen some amazing talented individuals, to see these individuals perform well not only with the bat and the ball but psychological is what satisfies me”. “When you coach a team of individuals you prepare the team to win and then it becomes important to succeed. I had 2 great moments full of emotion with both teams and that was with team India in 2011and with the Proteas tour to England becoming the the number one Test side in the world. I want the team that I’m coaching to win !, he further
added. “Dhoni is a great captain, his style of leadership is leading by example. He knows what he can ask from his teammates, and that is a very important leadership quality to have. The most important aspect is his calm cool approach to the game and that suits the Indian playing style. If he sticks to what has worked in the passed and adapt it to the Proteas playing style it is going to be a very competitive and interesting series”. he added. “The Proteas has evolved allot since being the number one Test team, they have an amazing competitive spirit they keep on fighting to the end and has developed a very close bond with each other and that makes for a very difficult team to beat”, the adventurer Horn signed off.