14 Wednesday 19th March, 2008 Maradona tops Bolivia's Morales

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) - Diego "Not even God can ban that - Maradona and Evo Morales much less (Sepp) Blatter," he matched soccer skills at a charity added, referring to the president of game in the Bolivian capital as the FIFA. Argentine hero joined the soccer- FIFA last week ratified a rule mad president in rejecting a FIFA requiring players to arrive at the ban on high-altitude international host city a week before interna- matches on Monday. tional games above 9,000 feet (2,750 The two 47-year-olds played meters), and two weeks for match- every minute of the spirited hour- es higher than 9,800 feet (3,000 long game, delighting 25,000 fans meters), to allow time to adjust to from both countries at Hernando the thin air. Siles Stadium, high in the Andes at With soccer teams' complicated 11,800 feet (3,600 meters) above sea travel schedules, the rule essential- level. ly bans high-altitude games. FIFA Maradona's diamond earrings has expressed concern about possi- flashed in the brilliant mountain ble negative health effects on low- sunlight as he led a team of retired land players, and said that high- Argentine all-stars to a 7-4 victory altitude games would give high- Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona, center, fights for the ball with Bolivia's President Evo Morales over Morales' motley squad of sev- land nations like Bolivia a greater during a charity soccer match in La Paz, Monday, March 17, 2008. (AP Photo/STR) eral dozen former Bolivian greats, home-field advantage. palace staffers, security guards, Not all countries seemed to ty match was a donation for vic- launched into a Bolivian patriotic the final whistle, a winded but and local television newcasters. mind, however. Chile announced tims of catastrophic flooding in song after Maradona's first score, exultant Maradona defiantly "I speak for all of Argentina on Monday it would ignore the Bolivia's eastern lowlands, and as if the great player had in a sin- pounded his still-heaving chest and when I say that we do not fear the FIFA ruling for its upcoming World fans arrived at the park bearing gle moment brought back the digni- issued his verdict on playing at altitude," Maradona told the cheer- Cup qualifying match against clothes, bags of sugar or rice, even ty Bolivian fans feel FIFA has high altitude. ing crowd at halftime. "All of us Bolivia and play the June 14 game packages of toilet paper. stripped away from their national "Yes you can!" he hollered, giv- have to play where were we were as originally scheduled in La Paz. Maradona scored three goals to game. ing the delirious crowd a thumbs born, my brothers and sisters. Admission for Monday's chari- Morales' one. A military band As he departed the field after up.

Richard Hadlee: England Hansie barred from ease pain of '78 loss by Sir Richard Hadlee were crucial. Dropped catches did Hall Of Fame The Daily Telegraph not help either, though England uncharacteristically dropped a Rugby union legend Naas Botha has rejected the possibility of disgraced former Proteas captain Thirty years ago, at the Basin few as well. Hansie Cronje being inducted into the South African sports Hall of Fame. Reserve, New Zealand won their The bowlers needed to be Over 90 sports stars from the republic have been entered but Botha, who was possibly the first-ever Test against England. more patient, more demanding Last week, the class of '78 and more accurate, and they did biggest rugby icon of the Apartheid era and now head of the Hall of Fame, is adamant returned to Wellington, not only not bowl anywhere near enough Cronje's name will not be added. to reminisce and enjoy the occa- maidens, which had been a fea- Cronje was banned for life from cricket for match-fixing before dying in a sion, but also to watch and, we ture of the first Test. Bowlers all plane crash in 2002. had hoped, inspire the current too often searched for the 'glory' "To be honest, the criteria is clear," Botha told Afrikaans newspaper team to clinch the three-match ball and in doing so, missed the series with another victory. target, allowing easy runs. Sondag. "The bottom line is that whoever is inducted cannot cast any Expectations were high after Some injudicious stroke play shadow of doubt on his sport whatsoever and cannot have brought the emphatic win in the first from the batsmen led to soft dis- the sport into disrepute. Test, but the party was spoiled by missals, while there was also mis- "So unfortunately Hansie would not be eligible." England, who secured a comfort- judgment in letting the ball go, The decision has caused a storm of controversy in able victory - and deservedly so. only to see the stumps knocked Cronje's home town of Bloemfontein, where he is still They did most things better than over. the Kiwis. There were concerns Chasing 438 for victory was regarded as a hero. going into this match that the always a tough ask. It would have Black Caps might be complacent, been a world record had they but that did not appear to be the won, but the reality is they case - they were keen to continue should have been chasing a lot the momentum and put England smaller target. Beijing air quality finds some risk to athletes under pressure. The Black Caps' From the start, the seam demise was more about a deter- bowlers were able to beat the bat Russell: BEIJING (AP) - An road cycling and marathon, mined England team who lifted regularly - batsmen never felt as analysis conducted on but that results are better than their performance after a disap- though they were really in, know- Give Ambrose time Beijing's air quality indicated expected, an International pointing first Test. Smarting ing that at some stage they would some risk to athletes in out- Olympic Committee official from the backlash they received get an almost unplayable ball. A Jack Russell "I don't think door endurance events such as said Monday. from their media and supporters, lot of batsmen in both teams got hailed the start Tim we can keep doing they certainly had a point to out in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Ambrose made to that all the time his Test career - and and at some stage prove. England made a big decision now wants to see you've got to give a Lapses of concentration by to drop out-of-form bowlers Steve him given time to guy time to devel- the Black Caps with the ball and Harmison and Matthew Hoggard become a "great op and become bat and failure to take advantage and replace with them with the player". great players - as when England were 136 for five, inexperienced Stuart Broad and Ambrose was the Australians did the inconsistent Jimmy named man of the with Gilchrist." match in Wellington Ambrose Anderson. after his first- became just the I could understand the ration- innings century fourth wicketkeep- ale for their omission (lack of steered England er in history to match conditioning and their fig- towards their first score a fifty and a ures in the first Test), but it was a overseas Test match century in his first brave move on a pitch that suited win in two years, two Tests and the faster bowlers. Broad and while his perform- Russell feels ance behind the Ambrose's early Anderson responded with work- stumps also earned success with the manlike performances and sup- positive reviews. bat will earn him ported Ryan Sidebottom, who for Ambrose is the favour with the me is the bowler of the series to seventh player to be English media. date. handed the gloves by But he warned England's unlikely hero was England in all forms Tim Ambrose there will be occa- man-of-the-match Tim Ambrose, of international sions when things cricket since September 2006 and don't go so well and he hopes who battled bravely and scored Russell feels the team is in desperate Ambrose will be given the chance to his maiden Test century in only need of consistency in that position. overcome those hurdles. his second Test. Though he was Russell, who kept wicket for He continued: "The guy's got a lot well beaten on perhaps 30 occa- England between 1988 and 1998, says of talent and looks a tremendous sions outside the off stump, his England have unearthed a real talent prospect. The fact he's done so well innings made the difference. If and he must now be nurtured in the with the bat early on is a massive England had been dismissed for same way that Adam Gilchrist was bonus. developed by Australia. "It seems to come down to how 220, the result might well have He told Sky Sports News: "He's many runs you score now with our been different. done really well to start with, hope- wicket-keeper as much as anything I sensed that those England fully now his confidence will grow, else a lot of the time - sometimes they players who lost to New Zealand his experience will grow and he'll pick up on the keeping, sometimes in 1978 and were in Wellington to turn into a great player. I hope he they don't. witness an England victory to does that. "So the fact he's come in and done square the series, may have had a "The problem is if you chop and really well with both to start with is change every so often then the devel- great and he deserves a good run wry smile. Geoff Boycott (the opment of a player slows down or is now. first-ever England captain to lose halted and you have to start with a "There will be a time when things to New Zealand), Bob Willis and new player. go slightly wrong for him; he won't Ian Botham, all on commentary "That's what's happened in this get any runs and he may drop the odd Bollywood actress Mahima Chowdhary, performs a dance duties, may have had some of the case. On the last couple of occasions catch. during the Indian Cricket League match between Chennai we've had a fresh wicketkeeper com- "You've got to understand those Bold move: dropping Hoggard demons from that historic loss, Super Stars and Kolkata Tigers in Hyderabad, India, ing in to make his debut and start off things happen with cricket, as it does and Harmison was a big deci- eased somewhat. his England career. with any sport." Monday,March 17, 2008. sion (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A)