Rooney breaks England scoring record LO
— Wa y n e Rooney became England’s all-time leading goalscorer after netting his 50th international goal in a historic 2-0 victory over Switz e r land at Wembley i n Euro 2016 qualifying o n Tuesday. With England having already qualified for next year’s tournament, the stage was set for their captain to surpass Bobby Charlton’s mark of 49, which he had equalled in Saturday’s 6-0 win in San Marino. After substitute Harry Kane broke the deadlock, the moment duly arrived in the 84th minute, Rooney crashing a penalty into Yann Sommer’s top-right corner and being rewarded with a standing ovation that left him wiping away tears.—AFP N D O N
Azarenka sorry for fellow concussion victim Bouchard NEW
Y ORK —Victoria Azarenka, who once suffered a frightening oncourt collapse through concussion, sympathised with Eugenie Bouchard on Monday after the Canadian suffered a tournament-ending head injury at the US Open. Azarenka was forced out of the Australian Open in Melbourne in 2010 when she collapsed during a match. At first, it w a s thought the incident w a s caused by the Australian summer’s notorio u s searing temperatures. But it emerged the collapse was due to a concussion suffered when she hit her head in the gym earlier in the day.—AFP
Bad boy Kyrgios left out of Australia Davis Cup team L ONDON —Tennis ‘bad boy’ Nick Kyrgios has been left out of his country’s Davis Cup semifinal against Britain in Glasgow next week to focus on his “personal and professional” development, captain Wally Masur said on Tuesday. The 20year-old, accused of not trying during a match a t Wimbledon t h i s y e a r a n d handed a 28d a y s u s pended ban by the ATP after making lewd suggestions about the girlfriend of opponent Stanislas Wawrinka during a match in Montreal last month, is his country’s secondranked player at number 37 in the world. Bernard Tomic, who also has a chequered disciplinary record, Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Groth and teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis will make up Wally Masur ’s team. “After some good healthy discussion with Nick and his team we have agreed on a plan to help him develop all aspects of his game and ensure a long and successful future in the sport,” Masur said in a statement.—Agencies
3rd ODI: Taylor, spinners deliver big England win OLD TRAFFORD—England clawed their referral.
game, it is 242. Still, when England were 205 for 2 with 17 overs to go, it seemed a score of something approaching 350 was possible. But Australia’s new-look attack bowled with impressive control and maturity and England managed only 100 runs for the loss of six wickets in the final 18 overs of their innings. The ball became much more difficult to time as it aged. Perhaps for that reason, the most fluent batting in either innings came from the opening batsmen, Jason Roy and Aaron Finch. At one stage Roy, mixing touch and power in a manner that speaks volumes for his development as a batsman, took a jadedlooking Mitchell Starc for four boundaries in five balls. But batting at the other end appeared far less straightforward. Alex Hales, timing the ball sweetly enough but unable to pierce the field, managed 9 from 31 balls before clipping to midwicket and when Roy was lured down the pitch and drawn into a miscued drive, it seemed England’s momentum would falter. After a torrid start against the hostile Pat Cummins, Morgan helped Taylor add 119 in 18 overs and provide the platform for England’s total. While OLD TRAFFORD: Ben Stokes struggled before slogging a catch during England vs he looked uncomfortable against Cummins’ short ball Australia, 3rd ODI day-night match. the bowler was clocked at alBut, while he never threatened to most 96 mph - he eventually found someon a dry surface, claiming 5 for 73 between them in 20 overs. Moeen Ali fin- score at a run a ball and never threat- thing approaching fluency.—AFP ished with career-best ODI figures while ened to be pretty, he Adil Rashid has never bowled better in manoeuvred the an England shirt.It was England’s first ball well, scampered win in eight ODIs against Australia and 47 singles and, only their second in 13. It means the even when his col- England innings: Australia innings: sides go to Headingley with the series leagues failed and Roy c Maxwell b Agar .. 63 Burns c Morgan b Finn .. 9 the innings fal- Hales c Marsh b Cummins 9 Finch c Woakes b Rashid53 poised at 2-1 with two to play. There are, as ever, some caveats. It tered, kept his head Taylor c Agar b Starc .. 101 Smith c Finn b Rashid .. 25 was an important toss that England and ensured his Morgan c Starc Bailey c Stokes b Ali ..... 25 won, with the pitch turning consider- side posted a com- b Maxwell ....................... 62 Maxwell c Bairstow b Ali 17 petitive total. It ably by the end, while Australia were Stokes c Finch b Maxwell 14 Marsh b Plunkett .......... 13 missing seven of the XI that played in was, for its un- Bairstow run out ........... 17 Wade b Finn .................. 42 the World Cup final a few months ago ruffled calm, its ma- MM Ali b Cummins ........ 1 Agar c Roy b Plunkett .... 5 and are very much a team in transition. turity and its judge- Plunkett run out .............. 1 Starc c Bairstow b Ali ..... 1 almost Woakes not out ............. 14 Cummins b Plunkett ........ 5 But, with a couple of obvious additions ment, - David Warner and James Faulkner in Jonathan Trott- Rashid not out ................. 1 Pattinson not out ............ 2 particular - it may not be far from the esque. Extras: (b 1, lb 5, w 11) .. 17 Extras: (lb 3, w 7) ........... 10 And, if the to- Total: (8 wickets) ......... 300 Total: (all out) .............. 207 side that represents them in the 2019 tal was a little less World Cup. Both these teams are in a Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-86, Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-75, than seemed prob- 3-205, 4-231, 5-271, 6-273, 7- 3-106, 4-128, 5-141, 6-154, 7redevelopment phase. Australia will also reflect that they able at one stage, it 279, 8-291 165, 8-167, 9-172, 10had opportunities to bowl England out still required a Bowling: ........... O-M-R-W 207Bowling: ..... O-M-R-W far more cheaply. Eoin Morgan was record run chase. Starc .................... 10-0-79-1 Finn ....................... 8-1-43-2 missed - a relatively simple stumping The highest suc- Pattinson .............. 6-1-36-0 Woakes ................. 4-0-22-0 chance to Matthew Wade off the im- cessful chase in an Agar ...................... 9-0-45-1 Plunkett .............. 10-0-60-3 pressive debutant Ashton Agar - when ODI at Old Trafford Cummins ............. 10-1-50-2 Rashid ................. 10-1-41-2 he had 15 and Taylor would have been is 285, but that was Maxwell .............. 10-0-56-2 MM Ali ............... 10-1-32-3 given out leg before off Glenn Maxwell in a 55-over a side Marsh ................... 5-0-28-0 Stokes ..................... 2-0-6-0 for 41 had Australia utilised their DRS game. In a 50-over way back into the ODI series against Australia with a 93-run victory at Old Trafford. A maiden international century from Man of the Match James Taylor provided the bedrock of England’s total of 300, before their spinners went to work
It was, in some ways, a slightly oldfashioned performance from England. Taylor, demonstrating the leadership qualities that saw him promoted to the vice-captaincy for this game, faced 47 dot balls in his innings and only managed one boundary in his first 50 runs.
Djokovic to face Cilic for US Open final spot N E W Y ORK —Novak Djokovic de- Lopez, playing in his first US Open Lopez managed just five points on the
feated Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7- quarter-final after 55 consecutive Djokovic serve in the 25-minute opener 6 (7/2) to reach the US Open semi-fi- Grand Slam appearances, was and was broken twice. But Lopez, one of four men over nals, a 21st last-four spot in his last 22 shellshocked in the first set. In front Grand Slams. The top seed and 2011 of a subdued Arthur Ashe Stadium 30 to make the last-eight, rallied in the champion, playing in his 26th con- which had thinned out after the Serena second set, breaking in the second secutive quarter-final at the majors, Williams-Venus Williams blockbuster, game on his way to a 4-1 lead.—AFP claimed his 55th match win in New York. Djokovic, this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, also enjoyed his fifth win in five meetings against Lopez and will take a staggering 13-0 career record over defending champion Marin Cilic into their Friday semi-final. Cilic reached the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 win over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. “Feliciano is one of those rare players who serves and volleys on first and second serves,” said 28-year-old Djokovic after winnning a ninth successive quarter-final in New York. “He has a big serve. I played a bad game in the second game of the second set and it was gone. “The fourth set was anyone’s. He had some break points while I had to wait until the tiebreak to get a look. “I played it well and I am happy to get through in four.” Djokovic had been pushed to four sets by Lopez’s Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut in the NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic reacts after beating Feliciano Lopez in the quarter-final previous round. But the 33-year-old of US Open.
Miandad cautions ICC on calls to dump toss in Test cricket I SLAMABAD —Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad on Wednesday advised International Cricket Council (ICC) to move with caution before paying any consideration to calls to rid Test cricket of the toss.
“Instead of dumping the century-old tradition of toss, the ICC should focus on removing faults which have turned test cricket to a mediocre level. I fear abandoning the toss will further disturb Test cricket,” he told media persons. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and West Indies great Michael Holding have recently called cricket chiefs to redeem Test cricket of the toss. Ponting during the recent Ashes series in England has suggested that the away side should choose who bats first in order to counteract any advantage the hosts may gain from preparing a pitch that suits them best. Steve Waugh, another former Australian captain also expressed same sentiment and backed the idea of abandoning the toss for giving advantage to a touring team. But Javed Miandad believed that discarding toss may cause serious setback to Test cricket, which he said had already
lost attraction after the influx of T20 cricket. “Toss is good for cricket. It gives way to a lot of discussion on television and radio. Everyone remains attached and curious from the time when the coin is in the air till a captain wins and takes a decision to elect to bat or otherwise.” He said that winning or losing the toss could also impact preparations of a home side so it is equal for the two playing teams and therefore there was no logic to abandon it. Miandad said proposals to dump toss were being floated after Australia suffered defeat in the recently concluded Ashes series in England adding that the loss of toss was not the main cause of their (Australia’s) failure, rather their batsmen failed to adapt to English conditions that cost them dearly. “They played as if they were in Down Under. Their batting technique was flawed and they played against the merit. The toss cannot be blamed for their disappointing performance.” He was of the view that quality Test players were vanishing from all cricket playing nations adding that like past cricketers the modern players should have the calibre to perform in all conditions. “Test cricket means putting players to test in some tough conditions. I believe the test of a player begins when he is made to play in alien conditions. A quality batsman or bowler can perform everywhere; whether he is at home or away.” He said the ICC had clear rules about standard of pitches and asked the world’s cricket governing body to form a permanent committee for examining quality of Test pitches around the world. “The task of the committee should be to assess whether a wicket is playable or not. The committee should have clear cut directions to ensure standard pitches everywhere.” However; the former captain said that he would have no objection if ICC tries to do any experiment about abandon the toss. “I don’t mind if the authorities concerned try do an experiment. But I believe this is not going to happen as several countries, including India will oppose any such move,” he added.—APP
Australian keeper Haddin retires SYDNEY—Tenacious Australian wicketkeeper ing the retirement of Adam Gilchrist.
Only three Australian wicket-keepers and batsman Brad Haddin announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednes- played more Tests than Haddin: Ian Healy (119), Adam Gilchrist (96) and Rod Marsh (96). day after a stellar career. And his 270 dismissals as a wicketkeeper Vice-captain of the Test team for much of the last two years, the 37-year-old will con- sit behind only Gilchrist (416), Healy (395) and tinue to play only Twenty20 cricket for the Marsh (355) for Australia.—AFP Sydney Sixers. “I came to the realisation after Lord’s,” Haddin said. “I’ve had a privileged run, but I lost the hunger on the Ashes Tour. “It was an easy decision to retire.” Haddin controversially lost his place on Australia’s England tour after performing below his usual high standards in the opening game and returned home last month for family reasons. He praised new skipper Steve Smith as a “great leader”. “I think Australian cricket is in good stead,” he told a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Haddin played 66 Tests SYDNEY: Brad Haddin with his family at the SCG on the but had to wait until he was 30 day he announced his retirement from international to win his first Test cap follow- cricket on Wednesday.
Hong Kong Sixes called off for the second year in succession Bipin Dani OBSERVER CORRESPONDENT SANGLI (Maharashtra)—The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament which is being played every year at the Kowloon Cricket Club (Hong Kong) is being called off for the second successive year. This was revealed by Dr John Cribbin, the Deputy Director (Academic Services). Speaking exclusively over his mobile from Hong-Kong, he says, “the event, which has always been well supported by ICC and many of the Full Members of ICC, provides a wonderful showcase for our sport and brings many leading players to Hong Kong. To be mounted successfully the event needs a major sponsor and this has proved difficult to secure in the past two years. Regrettably therefore we concluded in late July, as we had not been able to sign up a major sponsor, that we would again have to defer the event”. “The Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA) sees the HK Cricket Sixes as a significant part of its strategy for the development of the sport in Hong Kong, particularly its primary commitment to widen participation by Chinese people in cricket”. “We are, however, confident that we will be able to put arrangements in place for 2016. In May this year we appointed our first CEO, Mr. Tim Cutler, and one of his priorities is to seek more commercial sponsorship to underpin our efforts in
developing the game. This will build on our strong roots, our national team’s success in having both ODI and T20i status (we will be competing in the T20 World Cup in India next year), our commitment to increasing participation in the sport by both Chinese men and women as well as youths, and our showcase international event, the HK Cricket Sixes”, he further added. “The Sixes format can also play a role in development while its shorter duration can provide an exciting event - we recently hosted a successful (though weather affected) ‘Sixes4Nepal’ event involving some of the Nepal National Team as well as our own leading players to fundraise for the earthquake recovery in Nepal”. Consider for Olympics “We also believe that the Sixes format could be considered for the Olympics and hope the emerging debate on the potential for cricket in the Olympics may take this into account. In our plans for 2016 we hope we may widen the participation to include some leading Associate countries, particularly from the region, who may play in a pre-event qualifier to join the main event. We have, of course, for a number of year involved the China National Mens and Womens teams in guest appearances at the event”. “All in all therefore we see a bright future for the event and are optimistic that we will see it return successfully in 2016”, Cribbin concluded.