THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2014 SPORTS S Africa in control after early setback

CENTURION: Hashim Amla and his Plessis, who was behind. When Roach senior lieutenant AB de Villiers both hit cen- limped off he had taken two for 52. turies as South Africa took command after Roach’s sandwiched the dismissal early setbacks on the first day of the first Test of Elgar, who was caught at gully off left- against the West Indies at SuperSport Park armer Sheldon Cottrell. The three wickets fell yesterday. in the space of 15 balls. South Africa were 340 for three at the Cottrell said he had been given the new close. Amla, captaining South Africa for the ball because of his ability to make the ball first time in a home Test, made 133 , swing in to the right-handed batsmen. while De Villiers hit an unbeaten 141. “The ball was moving quite a bit but I They will resume on Thursday after adding didn’t have the control I wanted,” he admitted. 283 for the fourth , a South African Cottrell gave credit to Amla and De Villiers.”It is record against the West Indies. The pair came difficult to them. They are experi- together with South Africa in a minor crisis enced, they play spin and pace very well and after losing three wickets for no runs with the they are playing on their home ground.” total on 57. It could have been 102 for four but Rain delayed the start by half an hour and Amla, on 25, had an escape when a ball from the sky was overcast for almost the entire day brushed his off stump but did but with the exception of Roach, the bowlers not dislodge a bail. were not consistent enough to exploit any It was a superb display of by two of assistance from the conditions. After the early the best batsmen in the world but it was not a setbacks, Amla and De Villiers saw their team good day for the West Indians, who failed to through to lunch, adding 45 runs before the take advantage of sending South Africa in to break with largely risk-free batting. bat in heavily overcast conditions. Much of the Their stroke play blossomed after Amla’s bowling was mediocre and the tourists suf- escape in the first over after the interval. Amla fered a blow when Roach, who was comfort- was beaten by a ball from Roach, who ably their best bowler, pulled up lame after appealed for a catch behind. Umpire Aleem BRISBANE: India’s Murali Vijay (right) watches his shot as Australia’s moves to field the ball during the second Test match. — AP bowling five balls of his 16th over half an hour Dar turned down the appeal and a slow after tea. Roach went for a scan on his right motion replay showed the ball brushed his off ankle and a team spokesman said the results stump, causing the leg bail to lift slightly Vijay’s day as India subdue would be assessed overnight. Roach was sur- before settling back into its groove. prisingly not given the new ball and runs De Villiers was first to a half-century, reach- flowed freely from South African openers ing the mark off 78 balls with his tenth four. Alviro Petersen and Dean Elgar before he was The 100 partnership came up at the same Aussies at fortress Gabba brought into the attack after 44 runs had been time off 156 deliveries. Amla?s fifty followed scored in nine overs. soon afterwards off 87 balls with seven fours. He immediately imposed some control De Villiers became the fifth South African BRISBANE: Murali Vijay made Australia’s bowlers and made the first breakthrough in his third to score 20 Test centuries after facing 138 toil in the brutal Brisbane heat with a defiant cen- SCOREBOARD over when he had Petersen caught at first slip balls, while Amla’s 23rd hundred came off 161 tury as India frolicked in the second Test at the and followed up with the wicket of Faf du deliveries. — AFP Gabba yesterday. Vijay profited from two dropped catches by BRISBANE: Scoreboard at the close on the opening day of the second Test between Australia and to score his fourth Test century India at yesterday: against Australia and his first in this country, put- ting the tourists in a commanding position after India 1st innings Total (4 wickets, 83 overs) 311 the opening day. The right-hander, cruelly M. Vijay c Haddin b Lyon 144 Fall of wickets: 1-56 (Dhawan), 2-100 (Pujara), out for 99 in the Adelaide series opener, made it S. Dhawan c Haddin b M. Marsh 24 3-137 (Kohli), 4-261 (Vijay) look easy on a Gabba pitch where the Australians C. Pujara c Haddin b Hazlewood 18 Bowling: Johnson 15-2-64-0, Hazlewood 15.2- have remained unconquered for 26 years. V. Kohli c Haddin b Hazlewood 19 5-44-2, Starc 14-1-56-0, M. Marsh 6-1-14-1, A. Rahane not out 75 Vijay was out late in the day, caught behind off Lyon 20-1-87-1, Watson 10.4-5-29-0, Warner 1- R. Sharma not out 26 spinner for 144 — equalling Sourav 0-9-0 (1nb), Smith 1-0-4-0. Ganguly’s 2003 knock as the highest score by an Extras (b4, nb1) 5 Indian at the Gabba. “Today was really hot and was testing us all. As a TOUGH DAY FOR SMITH accuracy fears. Paceman Hazlewood, playing in his batsman I could see a lot of bowlers sulking out “I thought the first session was okay, the second debut Test, grabbed the key wicket of for there because it was really hot,” Vijay said. session very good, third session very poor,” 19 in the 45th over, giving Brad Haddin his third “The (post-tea) session was really important for Australia coach said. catch of the innings. us and I thought a lot of people on their team were “It was very hot and we understand that as a Kohli, who was outstanding in Adelaide with a getting tired. I wanted to wait until that time and group and a team but we’ve got to be better than century in each innings, attempted to cut but was make use of it.” Vijay batted for 332 minutes and that in the last session.” Vijay’s dominance came beaten by the extra bounce and edged to the faced 213 balls with 22 fours. He put on 124 with after India had their third bad umpire’s call in the keeper. Ajinkya Rahane for the fourth wicket. series with the dubious dismissal of Cheteshwar It was a tough first day for new skipper Steve At the close India were 311 for four with Rahane Pujara. Smith as his bowlers failed to press on after having unbeaten on 75 and Rohit Sharma not out 26. The Pujara appeared to be caught off the grille of his the tourists on 137 for three halfway through the century continued Vijay’s impressive start to the helmet 40 minutes after lunch and was sent on his day. Smith’s situation was not helped by Mitchell four-match series with scores of 53 and 99 in India’s way by English umpire Ian Gould for 18. Marsh’s right hamstring injury just after lunch. 48-run defeat in the first Test. Pujara attempted to sway out of the way of a Dhawan’s was the only wicket in the morning He was helped along the way by two chances Hazlewood and his gloves went up to session and it was all-rounder Marsh who made the put down by Shaun Marsh on 36 and 102, both off shield his face, only for the ball to come off the breakthrough. Marsh claimed his first Test victim ’s bowling and by a tiring grille to Brad Haddin. when Dhawan slashed away from his body and Australian bowling attack on a sweltering day. It Pujara stood at the wicket before leaving shak- top-edged to Haddin for 24. was a sorry day in the field for the Australians, with ing his head at the umpire’s decision, which fol- Marsh pulled up in pain after bowling his sixth both new pacemen and Mitchell lowed dubious calls suffered by over and left the field. India have not won in five Starc having fitness problems in the heat and a and Rahane in the first Test. Tests at the Gabba. The Australians have not lost at third bowler off the field with ham- India appear to be paying for their refusal to use the ground since a nine-wicket defeat to the Viv string trouble. the decision review system in over Richards-led West Indies in 1988. — AFP

PRETORIA: South Africa’s captain Hashim Amla, plays a shot on the first day of their first cricket Test match against West Indies at Centurion Park in Pretoria. — AP Ex-cricket chief rues SCOREBOARD ’s negligence CENTURION: Close of play scores on the first day of the first Test between South Africa and the West Indies at SuperSport Park yesterday. ABU DHABI: Former Pakistan cricket chief Nasim ’s (PCB) Lahore headquarters to September 2008. South Africa, first innings 74-1 (1nb, 1w), Roach 15.5-4-52-2 (1w), Ashraf said yesterday he regretted that a failure to in 2007 but it was not made operative after he “At that time there was no lab other than the A. Petersen c Smith b Roach 27 Benn 30-5-82-0, Samuels 11-0-45-0, deal with bowlers with suspect actions had result- resigned a year later. “It’s a great loss to lose one in Australia and ours would have been the sec- D. Elgar c Samuels b Cottrell 28 Brathwaite 1-0-2-0 ed in the loss of ace spinner Saeed Ajmal and all- bowlers like Ajmal and Hafeez,” Ashraf told ond and the Asian Cricket Council had promised to F. du Plessis c Ramdin b Roach 0 To bat: S. van Zyl, Q. de Kock, V. Philander, rounder . reporters. “We invested in the bio-mechanic lab in use that facility for Asian bowlers,” said Ashraf. H. Amla not out 133 D. Steyn, K. Abbott, M. Morkel Ajmal was suspended in September for illegal 2007 and had our men trained in Australia but Ashraf said he hoped that Ajmal can fight his A. de Villiers not out 141 West Indies: D. Ramdin, K. Brathwaite, D. action while Hafeez was sidelined two months lat- unfortunately the board changed the next year way back. “I think it will be tough for Ajmal,” said Extras (b3, lb5, nb1, w2) 11 Smith, L. Johnson, M. Samuels, S. er, seriously hitting Pakistan’s preparations for next and the lab couldn’t get operative.” Ashraf of the bowler who is doing remedial work Total (3 wkts, 91 overs) 340 Chanderpaul, J. Blackwood, K. Roach, J. years’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Since Ajmal’s suspension the PCB has launched before another reassessment on his action. Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Petersen), 2-57 Taylor, S. Benn, S. Cottrell Their suspensions were part of a massive crack- its own crackdown, suspending 16 bowlers in “I have a belief in Ajmal who is a fighter and has (Elgar), 3-57 (Du Plessis) Match situation: South Africa are 340 for down on chuckers by the International Cricket domestic cricket. Ashraf said chucking was com- a strong will and he will not give up easily, so I pray Bowling: Taylor 16.1-2-77-0, Cottrell 17-1- three wickets in the first innings. Council (ICC) started in June this year. mon in Pakistan’s domestic cricket. that he gets cleared and bowls at the same level as Since then ten bowlers have been reported for “In our cricket the phenomenon of chucking he used to do before the suspension.” Ashraf said suspect actions, and seven of those suspended. Sri was very common and there was no testing lab. sports medicine can help such bowlers who have a Lord’s to host World Cup finals Lanka’s Sachitra Senanayake and New Zealand’s Had it happened we would not have lost Ajmal and kink in their arm. Under the ICC rules all bowlers were cleared earlier this month. Hafeez just a few months from the World Cup,” said are allowed to flex their elbow by 15 degrees, LONDON: Lord’s has been chosen to host the England taking on South Africa at the home Ashraf claimed he set up a laboratory in the Ashraf who was PCB head between October 2006 beyond which the action is deemed illegal. — AFP 2019 World Cup final and the 2017 Women’s of Somerset in 2017. World Cup final, the England and Wales Headingley has been handed a Test in Cricket Board announced yesterday. 2017 when the West Indies are the tourists The ECB also revealed the 2019 semi-finals and they will also play Tests at Edgbaston and will be held at Old Trafford in Manchester and Lord’s, with one-day internationals at Bristol, Edgbaston in Birmingham. The Oval, Taunton, Old Trafford, The Oval, The Rose Bowl and Chester-le-Street, Headingley, Trent Bridge, Trent Bridge and a T20 international at Cardiff, Bristol and the Rose Bowl are all also Chester-le-Street. due to host World Cup games, with all the South Africa also visit in 2017 and they will venues subject to International Cricket play Tests at Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Council (ICC) approval. Old Trafford with ODIs at Chester-le-Street, Lord’s, the north London venue regarded Headingley and Lord’s. as the spiritual home of cricket, staged the Pakistan come calling in 2018 with Tests at first three World Cup finals in 1975, 1979 and Headingley and Lord’s while India will also 1983, and also the finale to the 1999 event. play five-day matches at Edgbaston, Lord’s, The West Indies won the first two, while India The Oval, the Rose Bowl and Trent Bridge. were victorious in 1983 and Australia in 1999. India will also face ODIs at Bristol, “The ICC Cricket World Cup attracts televi- Headingley, Lord’s, Old Trafford and Trent sion audiences which have the potential to Bridge while England will play 50-over games outstrip all other major international sporting against Australia at Cardiff, Chester-le-Street, events,” ECB chairman Giles Clarke said. Old Trafford, The Oval and Trent Bridge. “As chairman of the ICC’s Financial and Australia will also be the visitors for a T20 at Commercial Affairs Committee I know that we Edgbaston while India face England in the are anticipating a global television audience shortest format at Cardiff. of more than two billion for the final.” In 2019, as well as playing Australia, Meanwhile, Headingley and Old Trafford, England face Pakistan in five ODIs at Bristol, Lord’s, The Oval and Edgbaston will host the Chester-le-Street, Headingley, The Oval and five Ashes Tests in 2019, with Trent Bridge and the Rose Bowl and a T20 at Cardiff. Cardiff both missing out after being named to The ICC Champions Trophy will be held in host matches in 2015. England in 2017 and Cardiff, The Oval and Cardiff misses out after being given the Edgbaston will host matches in a repeat of honour of hosting the opening Ashes Test in 2013, with The Oval staging the final. England 2009 and 2015, while Trent Bridge won’t have will also face the winners of the ICC Test an Ashes contest for the first time since 2009. Challenge at Lord’s in 2019 with a four-match Taunton has also been handed its first series between the 10th-ranked Test nation international as part of the ECB’s and winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup COLOMBO: Sri Lankan cricket team pose for a group photo in Colombo yesterday prior to the team’s departure for a cricket tour in New Major Match Awards announcement, with deciding their opponents. — AFP Zealand. will play two Tests and seven one-day internationals to prepare for the World Cup. — AFP