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SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014 Frustrated Sagan determined to grab a chance EPERNAY: Peter Sagan has earmarked yesterday’s by year. “I had the chance to take the yellow jersey and I finish, which he won, with just one sixth placed finish 234.5km stage from Epernay to Nancy to land his first vic- always get close to winning. Even (Thursday) I wanted to before that. His victory came after Kittel dropped out of tory on this year’s Tour de France. The 24-year-old Slovak sprint but I had no luck. the reckoning with more than a kilometer still to ride, but has been the most consistent rider on the Tour so far and “It’s a little frustrating, maybe sometimes I ask too Greipel insisted his victory was down to him being in the holds the points leader’s green jersey. But after twice fin- much to myself. But now I just want to keep concentrated right position rather than Kittel being absent. “I’m not ishing second, three times fourth and once fifth on the six and to try again.” Sagan crashed for the second day in a looking at Kittel, I don’t know what happened with him. I stages, he cut a frustrated figure at his inability to turn that row on Thursday, to add to his general dark mood. “The don’t need to hide, I’m still one of the fastest in the bunch. regularity into a victory. But yesterday’s stage promises to most important thing is that I have nothing broken. Two I just need to be there at the right time in the right place,” be his best chance yet, with two short tough climbs in the crashes in two days are not something that make me hap- said the 31-year-old Lotto-Belisol rider. final 20km. The second ends just 5.5km from home and py, but I’m OK,” said the Cannondale team leader. “I hope Meanwhile, race leader Vincenzo Nibali is preparing that after a brutal 1.3km ascent at an average gradient of to absorb the bruises I have on my body as soon as possi- himself for the inevitable attacks he will face once the Tour 7.9 percent. ble.” The finale may not suit Kittel, who stands at 1m88cm reaches the Voges. As soon as today’s 161km run from It means pure and burly sprinters such as Germans and weighs 82kg, but he hasn’t ruled himself out of the Tomblaine to Gerardmer reaches its bumpy finish, that’s Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel, who have won four sprint final sprint, despite not managing to get involved in where the attacks are likely to begin. With a complicated finishes between them, could get dropped on the climb, Thursday’s run in. Having won all three bunch sprints and chaotic first week behind them, Nibali is sitting pretty leaving a better all rounder like Sagan to strike. “If I look before then, rumors of his powers had been greatly exag- on a lead of more than two minutes on almost all his GC back to the stages we’ve done, I have two different feel- gerated, according to the 26-year-old Giant-Shimano rider. rivals. And the 29-year-old Sicilian says he’s been taking ings. I have a good advantage in the green points classifi- He wrote on Twitter: “Who ever said we’re unbeatable, strength from wearing the yellow jersey. “For sure the jer- cation, I finished always in the front,” said Sagan. “On the you’re wrong as you saw today. But we know the mistakes sey gives me great energy but at the moment I’m just try- other side, this is not my first Tour de France, it’s the third we did & we’ll be back soon. We lose & win together!” As ing to ride in the best way I can. The yellow jersey is some- experience, and my aim is to do better and improve year for Greipel, he had been out of form until Thursday’s sprint thing extra,” he said. — AFP Sethi restored; Pakistan cricket crisis deepens ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court yesterday restored Najam Sethi as the country’s cricket chief, a day after he was deposed by the govern- ment, in a fresh twist to a long-run- ning administrative crisis. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), ousted veteran journalist Sethi and appointed a former high court judge as interim chief, directing him to hold elections for the chairmanship within 30 days. But the Supreme Court set aside the PM’s orders, a court statement said-the latest round in a bruising 15- month battle to lead the PCB. A series of court cases and government decrees have seen the PCB chairman- ship change hands between Sethi and Zaka Ashraf five times since May last year. Ashraf, who first took the job in October 2011, was suspended by Islamabad High Court in May last year after he tried to extend his MIAMI: Rances Barthelemy (left) fights Argenis Mendez during a boxing match begun late Thursday in Miami. Barthelemy won a unani- tenure by getting himself elected in a mous decision over Mendez and captured the International Boxing Federation junior-lightweight title. — AP process termed “dubious” by the court. Since then Ashraf was restored twice by an appeal bench of the Barthelemy captures IBF Islamabad court-in January and May this year. His second restoration was chal- lenged by Sethi in the Supreme junior lightweight title Court, which on May 21 reinstated Sethi. The Supreme Court was unhappy about Sharif’s decision to MIAMI: Rances Barthelemy won a unanimous decision over Argenis Mendez ninth and scored with lefts to the head. In another close exchange later in include Sethi in a 12-member gov- and captured the International Boxing Federation junior-lightweight title the round, referee Tellis Assimenios deducted a point from Barthelemy for erning board, widely seen as an Thursday night. Despite losing two points on fouls, Barthelemy was the hitting below the belt. Another punch below the belt by Barthelemy in the attempt by the government to get aggressor for most the bout at American Airlines Arena. The fight was a 10th prompted Assimenios to deduct a second point from the challenger. him elected in the next 30 days. Shah rematch of their first bout that ended in a no-contest on Jan. 3.All three With the likelihood of the scorecards narrowing because of the point deduc- judges scored the bout for the unbeaten Barthelemy, 115-111. There were tions, Barthelemy chased Mendez and landed lefts to the head in the 11th became the 29th PCB chairman in no knockdowns. “This was a difficult fight,” Barthelemy said. “I faced an round. Mendez, of the Dominican Republic, moved around the ring, avoid- the country’s 66-year history but his Argenis Mendez, who risked it all to keep his title. Thankfully, I knew how to ing follow-up combinations. tenure lasted for just one day. The lat- overcome all obstacles.” Barthelemy aggressively pursued Mendez in the 12th, landing combina- est twist adds to an at times baffling Barthelemy, a native of Cuba now living in Miami, pressured Mendez in tions to the head. Mendez stood up to Barthelemy and landed short left saga in Pakistan’s cricket administra- the opening seconds, throwing rights to the head. Although Mendez hooks to the head. In their first fight, Barthelemy initially was a second- tion which critics say have made it a blocked some of Barthelemy’s lead shots, a few found the target. Utilizing a round knockout winner. But Barthelemy’s two-punch combination that fin- laughing stock. The PCB chief was reach advantage, Barthelemy (20-0, 12 knockouts, 1 no contest) kept a ished Mendez occurred after the bell. The Minnesota boxing agency, which traditionally appointed by the ruling charging Mendez at a distance as he connected with lead left jabs. supervised the bout, overturned the result, making it a no-contest after an party of the day, a practice widely Barthelemy also closed range in the third round, scoring with lefts and rights appeal from Mendez’s promotional company, Iron Mike Productions. criticized over the years and frowned to the body. But fighting at tight quarters helped Mendez enjoy productive Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who serves as Iron Mike’s presi- on by the International Cricket rounds in the seventh and eighth. Mendez, making his third title defense, dent, sat at ringside for Thursday’s bout. Barthelemy weighed the junior- Council. — AFP landed combinations to the body and left hooks to the head. lightweight limit of 130 pounds for the rematch, one more pound than Barthelemy pinned Mendez (21-3-1, 11 KOs, 1 NC) to the ropes in the Mendez. — AP .

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