THE SHILLONG TIMES, SHILLONG, WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018
(TWELVE)
The Shillong Times
Afghanistan name spin-heavy Afridi to lead World XI Eoin Morgan pulls out due to injury squad for historic India Test
Brief Scores
NEW DELHI: World's premier T20 bowler Rashid Khan will headline a fourpronged spin attack in the 15-strong Afghanistan squad announced on Tuesday for the historic one-off Test against India in Bengaluru, starting June 14. Apart from IPL sensations Rashid and young Mujeeb ur Rahman, the other two spinners are chinaman Zahir Khan and leftarm orthodox Amir Hamza Hotak in the Ashgar Stanikzai-led squad. Rashid and Mujeeb had made the entire world sit up and take notice of their talent in the shortest format, but the duo is set to face a different battle of attrition with the red SG Test in their hands. Between them, they have played only four firstclass games (all four played by Rashid while 17-year-old Mujeeb is yet to play a longer format encounter). The batting will primarily depend on skipper Stanikzai, flamboyant opener Mohammed Shahzad and batting all-rounder Mohammed Nabi. In all, the squad has a collective experience
India to host Afghanistan for one-off Test on June 14
of 205 first-class games, which makes it 13.6 fourday games per player. Only four players have an experience of 20 plus first-class matches. Nabi, who has the experience of playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past two IPL seasons, is the most capped first-class
player with 32 games. He is followed by skipper Stanikzai with 23 games, pacer Wafadar (22 games) and Shahzad 20 games. Afghanistan will miss their experienced seamer Dawlat Zadran out with an injury and the pace department will be handled by Yamin Ahmadzai Wafadar
and Sayed Ahmed Shirzad. Experienced left-arm seamer Shapoor Zadran has been picked for the T20s against Bangladesh in Dehradun but he has not been picked in the longer version as he last played a four-day game in 2013. Undoubtedly, all eyes will be on Rashid, whom
Toss to remain in Tests, tougher sanctions for bad behaviour and ball tampering MUMBAI: Toss will remain the fundamental starting point of a Test match as the Anil Kumble-led Cricket Committee of the ICC Tuesday decided against abolishing the spin of coin in the game's traditional format, calling it an "integral part of the narrative". Led by the former India captain, the committee made a slew of recommendations with regards to poor player behaviour, and urged the world cricket's governing body to take tough measures and restore the "culture of respect" among competing teams and its players. It also called for greater sanctions for indulging in ball tampering. However, one of the primary points
of discussion was whether to do away with the toss (visiting team getting right to choose) in order to minimise the home advantage during Test matches. However, the committee, also comprising former international captains such as Mike Gatting, Mahela Jayawardene, current international coach Mike Hesson (New Zealand) and former Australia opener and match referee David Boon, agreed that host nations should prepare quality pitches keeping the World Test Championship in mind. "Acknowledging that the preparation of Test pitches that could provide a risk to the competitiveness of the ICC World Test
Championship, the Committee urged Members to continue to focus on the delivery of pitches that provide a better balance between bat and ball in line with ICC regulations." The abolition of toss became a contentious issue as most of the former players and stakeholders termed it a negative step. The bulk of the time over the last two days was spent in discussing poor players' behaviour that has plagued the game for quite some time along with issues like ball tampering, which saw Australia's captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner being suspended for one year due to their involvement in the scandal in South Africa. Some of the
suggestions with regards to Code of Conduct include: Raising the sanctions associated with ball tampering; creating a new offence for offensive, personal, insulting, offensive or orchestrated abuse; the consideration of the introduction of a new offence of attempting to gain an unfair advantage; creating a Code of Respect; match referee to have the authority to downgrade or upgrade a level of offence or sanction. The committee also recommended a change in points system to the ICC Chief Executives' Committee. The committee recommended that points should only be awarded for each match and not a series win. (PTI)
Tendulkar has termed as the "best T20 bowler in the world". "He is doing really well, specially the shorter format – T20, he did fantastic for Sunrisers, he is a quality bowler and everyone needs to accept and respect that. Afghanistan can't be taken lightly, because in cricket and in generally in life you cannot take anything for granted," India's stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane said. "Qualifying for a Test is the biggest thing for Afghanistan cricket and that is good for cricket. We don't want to take any team lightly. We just want to go out there and play with the same intensity as we do with every other team." Afghanistan Squad: Ashgar Stanikzai, Mohammed Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Ihsanullah Janat, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Zahir Khan, Amir Hamza Hotak, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai Wafadar, Mujeeb ur Rahman. (PTI)
DUBAI: Eoin Morgan has been forced to pull out of the ICC World XI squad for the May 31 Twenty20 International against the Windies at Lord's due to a fractured finger. Morgan, England's limited-overs skipper, had been set to captain the side. He will be replaced as captain by former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, while Morgan's compatriot Sam Billings will take his place in the squad. Surrey all-rounder Sam Curran and England fast bowler Tymal Mills have also been added to the World XI squad, an ICC report on Tuesday said. Afridi, a leg-spinning allrounder, represented his country in over 500 international matches and famously broke the record for the fastest ODI century in his maiden international innings as a 16-year-old.
Billings, a 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, has 30 caps for England in ODIs and T20Is, and has just returned from a stint in the IPL playing for the Chennai Super Kings. Though he was in and out of the side, his 23-ball 56 helped the side, who finished as champions, earn their first win in the tournament. Mills is a fast bowler, touted as the quickest in England. Chronic back injuries have meant he only plays T20 cricket, but he has starred in various domestic competitions around the world, and in 2017 fetched the highest auction price for an overseas fast bowler in IPL history. Sam Curran, a left-arm quick and middle-order batsman, is one of the most highly-regarded prospects in the English game. Still only 19 years old, he has five first-class five-fors and
a best match haul of 10/101. He is the brother of Tom Curran, who made his England debut last summer and has since played for them in all three formats. The injury was sustained while fielding during Middlesex's game against Somerset at Taunton on May 27 as a ball caught him on the top of the ring finger on his right hand. After the blow caused a bruise, Morgan was sent for an x-ray, which revealed a crack. Andy Flower, Andrew Strauss' stand-in as director of England cricket, said: "It is not a bad crack but it is bad enough to keep him out of tomorrow's Middlesex game and the World XI game." All the proceeds from this match will be used to redevelop stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year. (UNI)
Injured Mustafizur to miss T20s DHAKA: Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman on Tuesday withdrew from next month's Twenty20 series against Afghanistan in India because of an injured foot. Mustafizur complained of pain after joining the national training camp last week, at the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which he played for Mumbai Indians. "Subsequent tests have revealed a crack on his left big toe which will sideline him for a few weeks," said a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) statement. Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for the first T20 series between the two countries in the Indian city of Dehradun from June 3 to 7. (AFP)
RNI Regn No: 13759/57 VOL NO: 60 ISSUE NO. 287
Boatman’s body found in Bangladesh From Our Correspondent JOWAI: The body of a boatman who drowned in the Umngot river while saving tourists was found in Bangladesh on Tuesday morning. Police said the body of Spainlious L Gadew (Lamin) of Shnongpdeng village was spotted by Bangladeshi villagers floating on the Piyain river, about 5km from Zero Point in Sylhet district. Later, the Border Guards Bangladesh handed over the body to its counterpart BSF and the police. Gadew, who was rowing a tourist boat on the Umngot with a group of tourists from Nagaland, drowned on Saturday when his boat capsized due to sudden flood. But he rescued all the tourists.
Nurse’s body recovered from Umiam
By Our Reporter SHILLONG: Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor on Tuesday convened a meeting with the police to discuss security arrangements for the counting of votes in Ampati on Thursday from 8 am. Kharkongor said it was informed by police that one company of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) was being retained in Ampati for guarding strong room, besides providing security cover in the innermost cordon of counting centre, which is at the DC's office in Ampati. Police will put in place a
SHILLONG: The body of a girl with face blackened recovered from a downhill cliff along Guwahati-Shillong National Highway on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as that of a nurse from a city hospital. Police said her body was pulled out from Ryndangbriew viewpoint. According to the police, she was a Naga girl working as a nurse in the city hospital. Later, it was known that the girl, identified as 28year-old Leiyaton Soro, was working at Nazareth Hospital. Soro was from Ukhrul district in Manipur and lived in Lower Nongrim Hills here. Though initially it was said the girl was missing since May 26, police are still confused over the date as the body should not have decomposed so early if the girl had gone missing on May 26. The Facebook account of Soro shows the last post was on April 19. Despite conducting search at the site, no clue was found by the police. Police suspect that the girl was murdered but added that nothing could be said until the postmortem report is received.
Registered No.NE/749/2018-2020
SHILLONG, WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018
www.theshillongtimes.com
three-tier security cordon with CAPF in the innermost cordon followed by state armed police in the middle and district armed police in the outermost cordon. Security will also be provided to the winning candidate. In addition, in view of high-pitched campaign witnessed, additional security measures will be put in place to prevent post-poll clashes. A DIG-level officer will be posted to supervise and monitor security and law and order arrangements, the official said. The district election officer will arrange for videography (Contd on P-7)
SHILLONG: UDP president Donkupar Roy has said if the regional parties join hands, they can rule the state again. Roy, who was speaking to reporters after Independent MLA SK Sunn became an associate member of UDP on Monday, stressed the need for complete unity of regional parties for revamping politics in Meghalaya. He rued over the waning influence of the regional forces with time.
"There are many reasons why the influence of regional parties declines. It will pose a threat to the future of the state if they do not unite," he said, adding, "The members of UDP yearn for the unity of all regional entities and like-minded leaders. If there is unity, we hope to rule the state again." According to Roy, discussions and talks are important while mulling the idea of unity. He appealed to others to be associated with the party. Expressing happiness at
over winning by-election By Our Reporter SHILLONG: Both the Congress and the NPP have claimed that the parties are confident to win the Ampati seat. While MPCC leaders said there was no problem for the Congress to retain the seat, NPP leader and deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong said after analysing all the 39 polling stations, "the reports reaching are that the NPP candidate will win the seat but with a reduced margin". "We are winning as per the calculations
arrived at from the polling booth," Tynsong said. NPP leader Nihim D Shira also echoed his views and said this time, the party will secure the seat. The Congress is banking on the intelligence inputs to substantiate its claim. Ampati development a myth The NPP leadership has exposed lack of educational facilities in Ampati contradicting the claim of former chief minister Mukul Sangma that he developed Ampati on all fronts. (Contd on P-7)
Sunn's association with the party, Roy said the move will strengthen the hold of regional parties in the state. Meanwhile, Sunn who won the Assembly election in February as an Independent candidate, said he chose to be associated with UDP to bring all-round development in the state. With Sunn raising questions in the last Assembly session, he said being in the ruling side, there would be no restriction for him to follow up on the issues he has raised in the Assembly.
Independent MLA from Mawphlang SK Sunn submits a letter to UDP chief Donkupar Roy confirming his association with the party on Tuesday. (ST)
Irani rejects NEC shutdown ‘rumours’ By Our Reporter
Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani addresses media persons in the city on Tuesday. (ST)
ST POLL Question: Do you think an alliance of regional parties will be able to successfully run the government in the state? (Poll closes at Midnight)
Yesterday’s Result Question: Do you think there has been fair voting in Ampati in the wake of reports of use of money, muscle power? YES
52%
NO
48%
Committee of All Saints' Diocesan Higher Secondary School, Shillong congratulates all the students of Classes X and XII for the great success achieved by them in the Board Examinations. The Chairman and the Managing Committee also take this opportunity to congratulate and to thank the Teachers and the Staff of the School for the hard work put in by them. We wish you all the success in the future. We cordially invite all our students and their Parents to the Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, June 10,2018 at 4:30 pm in the All Saints' Cathedral Church. Your presence will be a blessing.
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Have to respect people: Prestone
MDA justifies opposition to Cong, NPP make claims Citizenship Bill
UDP chief calls for united regional force By Our Reporter
By Our Reporter
ESTABLISHED 1945
Unprecedented security for counting of votes in Ampati
The Chairman and the Management
Printed, published by Smt. Shobha Chaudhuri on behalf of Shillong Times Pvt. Ltd. Published from Shillong Times Building, Rilbong, Shillong and printed at Shillong Times Pvt. Ltd, Shillong Times Building, Rilbong, Shillong. Editor: Patricia Mukhim. Phone: 2227488, 2223488, Fax (Shillong) 0364-2500463; (Tura) 03651-222526, 222825 E-Mail: letters@theshillongtimes.com / for advt: stnewsdesk@yahoo.co.in
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SHILLONG: Union Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani has denied reports that the Centre is planning to shut down the North Eastern Council (NEC) saying she has not heard anything in this regard. "No, I think it's a rumour I have heard no such news. I will not answer on rumours," the BJP leader said while responding to queries here during a press conference on Tuesday. When asked about the
hike in petrol and diesel prices, Irani said, "I will only say one thing like Amit Shah that a time-bound solution will be given by my colleague in the government. I am sure he will be available for question from the press. I will also assure you that these numbers that we are talking about are numbers that were possible only because of good governance under the leadership of the Prime Minister." Denouncing the previous Congress-led UPA government, the minister
said the present government addressed the economic problems and the burden of debt following the series of scams under the UPA. ‘No Cong comeback’ Irani rubbished the claim of the Congress that it would come back to power at the Centre in 2019. She said since Congress lost many states and local polls, there is no chance for Congress president Rahul Gandhi to revive the party and come back to power. (Contd on P-7)
By Our Reporter SHILLONG: The NPP-led MDA government has justified the Cabinet opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill. In response to the Assam BJP president criticising the Meghalaya government for opposing the Bill, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on Tuesday the government was acting based on the wishes of the people. The Assam BJP leader had said the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) wanted only the views of the people and not of the government. However, Tynsong said the Assam leader should
understand that the government is of the people and for the people and there is no separate entity. "We have to respect the people of our state. Be it Congress or any other elected government, people's aspirations have to be understood as it is the people who made the government," Tynsong said. To a question, Tynsong said JPC had communicated to the government regarding the meeting in Shillong. "We arranged the meeting and informed the stakeholders," he said. BJP minister AL Hek said it was a collective decision to oppose the Bill conserving the sentiments of the people.