Wednesday 28th September, 2011 In a nail-biting finish, Monro then crashed over the line as the Japanese scramble defence was found wanting. He missed the conversion but Japan end World Cup managed a trickier penalty with just 90 seconds to play to draw the teams level at 23-23, Arlidge’s desperate drop-goal drifting short and wide. CANADA 23 (Phil MacKenzie, Ander with frustrating draw Monro, Daniel van der Merwe tries James Pritchard con Monro 2 pens) drew JAPAN 23 (Kosuke Endo, Shota Horie tries James Arlidge 2 cons 3 pens) at McLean Park. Referee: Jonathan Kaplan. Crowd: against Canada 14,335. AAkkhhttaarr’’ss bbooookk Japan’s hopes of breaking their Canada 23 Japan 23 20-year World Cup winless streak were ruined as a last-minute penalty ccoonnttiinnuueess ttoo by Canada’s fly-half Ander Monro scores. left the two sides drawn at 23-23. Arlidge added a penalty in the 25th minute, but Monro’s first effort make headlines MATCH STATS came back off the post. make headlines It was the second successive Japan then took command of the World Cup that the two teams have match, seeking to run everything and when Canada attacked to employ a registered a draw, Japan needing a BY RUSSELL PALIPANE ferocious offensive defence. last-gasp conversion to tie the scores Colourful and controversial former Pakistan at 12 points apiece at the 2007 tourna- A flustered, leaden-footed Canada were particularly lax at the break- speedster Shoaib Akhtar continues to make headlines ment. in retirement, just as he did during his playing days. Monro, who had taken over kick- down and suffered a number of turnovers because of the hard-hitting It was a joy to watch the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ gather ing duties from injured fullback steam during his long run-up and let loose his fero- James Pritchard had had a shocker tackles, Nicholas and lock Luke Thompson to the fore for Japan. cious 100 m.p.h. deliveries that often had batsmen with the boot here, but showed quaking in their boots. enough steel to bang over a 79th John Kirwan’s side bravely spurned a couple of kicks for goal in The Pakistani has now unleashed more fury, espe- minute penalty to draw the scores cially among the Indians, with the release of his auto- level after also crossing for a try he a bid for a try before the half-time hooter. graphy ‘Controversially Yours’. His book is just that — had failed to convert. he has spared no one. He writes that India’s iconic Tries from Shota Horie and And they were rewarded when a well-worked wrap-around move stars Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid did not Kosuke Endo allied with 13 points have the ability to finish matches. Tendulkar, he adds, from the boot of James Arlidge had between Arlidge and Nicholas in mid- field saw Endo slicing through some was “scared to face his scorching pace.” put Japan in the driving seat and This criticism levelled at two of India’s best play- seemingly ready to make up for previ- feeble defence for a try Arlidge again converted to make it 17-7 at ers apparently led to the cancellation of the launch of ous Pool A losses to France (47-21), his book in Mumbai, Sunday. And in the Indian sub- Tonga (31-18) and New Zealand (83-7). half-time. Canada enjoyed the best Japan’s Kosuke urbs of Dahisar and Thane, protesters carried But it was not to be as Japan’s Endo, left, is pushed posters of the world’s fastest bowler on donkey early tenacious defence, led magnifi- possible start to the second period, Phil Mackenzie riding away by Canada’s backs, according to a report in ‘The Toronto Sun’. cently by centre Ryan Nicholas, faded An effigy of Akhtar was to be torched in the towards the end of a match that had a terrible tackle by replace- Phil Mackenzie, right, ment Bryce Robins to sprint streets, but local police stepped in. No further an almost festival feel to it. during their Rugby proof required that you do not mess around with The match opened at a frantic in from 35 metres. Monro missed the conversion to World Cup game in Tendulkar in a country where he is treated like a pace, DTH Van der Merwe chopped Napier, New Zealand, god. Tendulkar, who holds most, if not all of the down just short of the line by leave the score 17-12 to Japan. batting records, went on record as saying, “ It’s arguably the tap tackle of the tourna- When the Japanese Tuesday, Sept. 27, below my dignity to react to Shoaib’s comment.” ment so far from Japan fullback defence strayed offside in the 2011. (AP) Akhtar, who was never far from controversy dur- Shaun Webb. 64th minute, Monro kicked ing his playing days and was banned and reinstated Van der Merwe got a try soon his first penalty to cut his several times, also took pot shots at former Pakistani after, however, bumping a tackle to go team’s deficit to two points. skipper Wasim Akram and some of his former team- in under the posts for a five-pointer Arlidge restored the five-point mates. He also admitted he frequently tampered with Pritchard converted. lead a minute later and the New the ball, adding all of the top Test bowlers do it. With But Japan came roaring back, Zealand-born fly-half stretched the the publicity this book has already generated, one can hooker Horie driven over the tryline score to 23-15 with a 73rd minute assume it will fly off the shelves. after Alisi Tupuailai’s offload, penalty, meaning Canada had to Arlidge adding the extras to equal the score twice to regain the lead. Malinda Warnapura West Indies start as favourites against Bangladesh BY ROHAN KALLICHARAN far wrong at this particular moment. umpires! However, that is exactly what stars in Unichela win With the West Indies in mind, it is this series is for both sides. Whilst Sachin Tendulkar gets a a young side that will leave the British Winning is a habit, and it is one A superb all well deserved - although forced - rest, Isles en route to Bangladesh. As is the that is foreign to both of these sides, round perform- Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina modern trend, there will be a very dif- who sit seventh and ninth respectively ance by Sri and Gautam Gambhir plod on through ferent ODI and T20 Squad to that for in the ICC Test rankings. Despite the Lanka cap, another month of cricket in the the Test matches. From a squad of 15 undoubted talent of some of the Malinda Champions Trophy T20 before England for the ODIs, only nine will remain for Bangladeshis, they have simply failed Warnapura, pro- arrive for a pointless One-Day the Test series. to establish themselves at top level, pelled Unichela International series, prior to India’s The notable absentees from both and have gone through an alarming to a comfortable much-anticipated visit to Australia. squads are Chris Gayle and Dwayne number of captains in the process. nine wicket win Whilst I have often been critical of Bravo. It’s ironic that they are current- Against a West Indies side ranked two over Sri Lanka the Board of Control for Cricket in ly waltzing around India in the places above them, but increasingly Cricket India (BCCI), the fact remains that the Champions League, but not as part of feeble on their travels, this is a series Development International Cricket Council (ICC) is the squad from the West Indies - that Bangladesh must see as one that Squad U-20 XI to equally to be blamed for some of the Trinidad and Tobago – proof, perhaps, they can win in home conditions. annex the glitter- crazy scheduling in the modern game. that it is not only India that is falling In Stuart Law, they have a much ing MCA Even the England and Wales Cricket foul of the IPL and Champions League. more abrasive coach than the affable ‘Centenary’ tro- Board (ECB) are not immune, with In the not too distant past, had Jamie Siddons, and he will pull no phy in the final Brief Scores (Final): their financial commitments to Sky someone described a series between punches with his players as they look of the MCA ‘Centenary Year’ 2011, SLC U-20 98 all out in 19.0 overs (Shean Television, resulting in last weekend’s West Indies and Bangladesh as a to improve upon a dismal record of Invitational Twenty20 super tournament tour of England by the West Indies, a watershed series for both sides, it three victories in 69 Tests, two of which came to a close at the Colts Jayasuriya 16, Chathuranga Kumara 24, tour that lasted precisely 48 hours and would have preceded a visit from the which were against a West Indian grounds on Sunday. Malinda Warnapura 2/18, Malinga Bandara 71.4 overs. To describe the internation- men in white coats, and I mean some- side depleted by the players’ strike of On a slow turning wicket on his 4/12) al circuit as a circus would not be too thing slightly more sinister than the 2009. home grounds, Warnapura bowled his quota of overs, bagging 2 for 18, held on Unichela: 99 for one wicket in 11.1 overs to a superb catch in the deep and (Malinda Warnapura 41 not out, Dilruwan remained not out on 41 in 25 balls, Perera 38 n.o.) including three sixes and three Bangladesh Danushka, Kaushal guide SL Under-19 fours, which earned him the Man-of-the–Match award, adju- women’s dicated by his father, Upali to remarkable comeback win Warnapura, who was the Maliyadeva College’s Kaushal faced 81 balls for his Match Referee.