October 17 - 23, 2015
Sports Interational
55
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
Defence wins WNBA Championship for Minnesota Lynx
Zaheer Khan took 311 wickets at an average of 32.94 in 92 Tests and 282 at 29.43 in 200 one-day internationals.
India seamer Khan retires from international cricket INDIA’S left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan has retired from international cricket. The 37-year-old says he is not fit enough to deal with the demands of the modern game. Zaheer took 311 wickets at an average of 32.94 in 92 Tests and 282 at 29.43 in 200 one-day internationals. “As I was training for the upcoming season, it dawned on me that my shoulder may not last the rigours of bowling nearly 18 overs a day - that’s when I knew it was time,” he said.
He has made himself available for the Indian Premier League in April and May next year but plans to retire from all cricket after the Twenty20 competition is over. Zaheer played his last Test in February 2014 against New Zealand in Wellington before a tendon injury in his left arm forced him out of the side. He was part of India’s World Cupwinning squad in 2011, when his 21 wickets made him the tournament’s joint leading wicket-taker with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi. (BBC)
THE Minnesota Lynx entered through the doors of the Target Center in Minneapolis Wednesday with a goal to win their third WNBA title in five years. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy. They were facing an Indiana Fever team that had gone headto-head with them in the first four games of the series. Yet when it was all said and done, the Minnesota Lynx found themselves holding the championship trophy. Led by finals MVP Sylvia Fowles’ 20 points and 11 rebounds, the Lynx topped the Fever handily 69-52. “It is an unbelievable experience,” said Lynx forward Maya Moore. “I don’t really have words for that feeling. I mean, the way we came out and just executed and started pushing that lead, and the crowd was just so into it, and it just built and built. That last minute, when we were up 15 or so, I just lost it.” While Wednesday night’s game started out close, it certainly didn’t end that way. At the peak of their run, the Lynx were able to hold a 23 point lead in the fourth quarter. And after four very close games in the early part of the series - all of which were decided by 10 points or less - a comfortable double-digit lead wasn’t something many expected. “[I was] a little surprised,” said Fever coach Stephanie White. “You’re never really shocked because Minnesota is so good. But at the same time, it seemed like we couldn’t quite get a handle on the ball. They were moving us around a lot on the defensive end and really getting great shots.” The Fever’s troubles truly began in the second quarter. While they led
Minnesota comfortably beat Indiana 69-52 on Wednesday to clinch a third WNBA title in five years.
17-15 after the opening quarter, they scored just a combined 12 points in the second and third quarters. In fact, their four points in the second quarter was the lowest point total by an individual team in WNBA Finals history. The Lynx took advantage, too. By the time the third quarter had ended, Minnesota was up 48-29. “We kind of got away from what was working for us,” said Fever guard Briann January. “It allowed them to get some easy buckets, allowed them to get on a run, and then we were playing catch-up. So we put ourselves in a tough situation.” Turnovers also plagued the Fever Wednesday night. After just three turnovers in the first quarter, the Fever combined for 15 total turnovers in the second and third quarters - several of which were unforced. And while it was the final game of the final series, the Fever seemed out of energy at times. White, while she may not understand it, saw it at some points, too.
“I don’t know really, I don’t know how you can get tired in an environment like this,” White said. “The fans were awesome - they have been all season long. It’s what you dream of playing for. But at the same, I feel like some of our decision making showed a little bit of fatigue.” The Fever were able to make a slight comeback in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done. The Lynx’s lead was too great. And at the moment, the Lynx aren’t concerned with how they won the series. All that matters to them is that they won it at home. “I know when it got towards the end, it was just really, really special,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. “Our fans requested that we win one at home, and I don’t necessarily know that that was our plan, but it worked out in a way that - I mean, how more exciting do you get than a Game 5 in front of your home fans with the turnout that we had and they were incredibly engaged?
China Open 2015:
Djokovic makes light work of Nadal NOVAK Djokovic’s dream season continued Sunday with a victory over his arch-rival Rafael Nadal in the final of the China Open for the loss of just four games. Djokovic has won the tournament at the Olympic tennis stadium in Beijing for the past four years and racked up 29 straight wins in the Chinese capital. Nadal, despite his fine revenge win of Fabio Fognini in the semifinals, was never able to get on terms with the world number one and his overall career lead over the Serb has been trimmed to 23-22, with seven of the last eight encounters going the way of Djokovic. The 6-2 6-2 scoreline was unflattering to the Spaniard who detained Djokovic on court for 91 minutes, his longest match of
the week, but the result was never seriously in doubt from the moment Nadal was broken in the very first game. He also needed the attention of the trainer in the second set and was broken twice more in sliding to defeat against the unstoppable Djokovic. Consolation for Nadal, who was seeking his fourth title of the year, but no grand slams, is that he has moved to sixth place in the race to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month. Djokovic will start as undoubted favourite to round off his year by defending that title, having won three of the four slams and eight tournaments to date in compiling a 68-5 record in 2015.
It is on a statistical par with his stellar 2011 season when he compiled a 70-6 record and he can improve it in this week’s Shanghai Masters, where Nadal also competes. He was delighted by his play in Beijing, winning a sixth title on a court he has made his own in recent years. “I played a great tournament overall and continued playing well today. Rafa and I have played 45 times and I hope that continues,” the 28-year-old told the ATP Tour official website. “The scoreline, especially in the first set, doesn’t indicate the real battle that we had on the court,” he added. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, who beat Djokovic in
Novak Djokovic has made the China Open title his own with four straight titles in Beijing.
the final of this year’s French Open, captured his fourth title of the season as he won the Japan Open in Tokyo. He beat unseeded Frenchman
Benoit Paire 6-2 6-4 in just over an hour at the venue to be used for the tennis events at the 2020 Olympic Games. (CNN)