SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2017 SPORTS

MOTORCYCLING Marquez claims eighth straight Sachsenring pole

HOHENSTEIN-ERNSTTHAL: World Sunday’s race, with Marquez’s Honda wet conditions.” Petrucci, who finished was faster,” Petrucci said. “In the dry, we’re with his fellow Spaniard. Briton Cal MotoGP champion Marc Marquez team-mate Dani Pedrosa completing the second last week in Assen behind leg- a bit more in trouble compared to the Crutchlow, home hope Jonas Folger and stormed to an incredible eighth succes- front row. Marquez is fourth in the riders’ endary compatriot Valentino Rossi, laid wet. Tomorrow we don’t know which Dovizioso’s Ducati team-mate Jorge sive German Grand Prix pole yesterday, standings, trailing leader Andrea down the gauntlet early on in the second weather it will be.” Lorenzo make up the second row on the as he looks to give his title defence a Dovizioso, who qualified 10th, by 11 and final qualifying session. Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales, who lost grid. The 38-year-old Rossi has had a dif- boost. The Spaniard, who has also won points. But five-time world champion the world championship lead when he ficult week, and he could only qualify in his last seven races across all three class- “It was quite difficult to understand Marquez edged in front on his penulti- crashed out last Sunday, had a difficult ninth position behind Espargaro broth- es at the Sachsenring circuit, snatched when to push,” Marquez said. “I tried to mate lap, before further extending his day and had to settle for 11th alongside ers Pol and Aleix. the fastest time from Danilo Petrucci be calm at the start. I was trying to take advantage to end up 0.16 seconds faster Dovizioso. The nine-time world champion is with just two minutes remaining of quali- care and improve the lap time step-by- with his third pole of the season. “I did The 22-year-old also had a slight third in the world championship, seven fying in wet conditions. Italian Petrucci step. Then at the end I really pushed. I’m my best lap when Marc was behind. He bump with Marquez, and although both points behind Dovizioso and three will line up second on the grid for happy because it’s always very tricky in was able to improve again. Anyway, he riders stayed upright, Vinales was furious behind second-placed Vinales. —AFP

Players consider S Africa tour boycott over talks breakdown

SYDNEY: The Australian Cricketers’ men and women. Nicholson said the avail- Association executive meets today to ability of players for the upcoming decide whether players will boycott this Australia A Tour of South Africa would also month’s Australia A tour to South Africa be discussed at the meeting. Hazlewood after a failure to strike a new pay deal with said waking up effectively unemployed on Australia. Saturday was “a different feel”. CA and the players’ union both con- “To be contracted for the best part of 10 firmed they had failed to reach an agree- years, nearly for me, it’s going to be a differ- ment on a new Memorandum of ent stage and we’ll see how it pans out,” Understanding before Friday’s deadline, Hazlewood told Fairfax Media. leaving players unemployed and threaten- Along with the players, fixtures are also ing fixtures including this year’s Ashes at risk including Australia’s Test tour to series. The ACA likened the rancorous split Bangladesh from August, the one-day in Australian cricket as the worst since the international series in India in September tempestuous days of Kerry Packer’s World and the home Ashes series against England Series Cricket revolution of the 1970s. later this year. CA and the players’ union Leading fast bowler Josh Hazlewood have hit an impasse after the board said the breakdown in pay negotiations has attempted to scrap the 20-year-old left a bitter taste with the players, adding arrangement of giving players a fixed share “we are, obviously, willing to do what we of revenues, in favour of dividing surpluses need to.” amongst elite players and offering a pay The players’ union said it will meet in rise. Leading players hit out at the move to Sydney today to discuss a more detailed scrap revenue-sharing, with Australia bats- response to the contract standoff. man David Warner insisting they “won’t Among the issues that will be canvassed budge” and threatening strike action dur- will be the availability of players for the ing the Ashes. Australia A tour to South Africa scheduled Following the missed deadline, players to begin on July 8, the ACA said and the who are on multi-year contracts that go employment rights for the more than 200 beyond June 30 will continue to be paid, players now out of contract and unem- and will be required to play and train as ployed as of yesterday. before. ACA Chief Executive Alistair Nicholson Players were due to assemble in said the union had planned for the possibil- Brisbane for training tomorrow ahead of ity that no deal would be reached and had the South Africa trip. The first tour match is ANTIGUA: West Indies’ Jason Mohammed plays a shot during the third (ODI) match between West Indies and India, at the put in place a number of measures to deal supposed to start on July 12. Australia’s Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in St John’s, Antigua, on Friday. —AFP with the associated contingencies. Among women’s team are currently competing in them have been the establishment of a the World Cup in England, but they have a players’ support fund to lend direct finan- special contract that will run until the tour- CRICKET cial assistance to those out-of-contract nament is complete. — AFP Malinga falls ill Spinners on song as

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s controversial fast because he had the same virus. bowler Lasith Malinga has been diagnosed Malinga, 33, took one on Friday, with a viral influenza and will sit out the giving away 51 runs in the game which India down Windies second one-day international against Zimbabwe won by six . The 80-kilo Zimbabwe today, the cricket board said. (176-pound) bowler was disciplined after he Malinga, who was slapped with a suspend- pleaded guilty to comparing the country’s NORTH SOUND: Effective spin bowling and ed six-month match ban earlier this week, sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera to a indiscreet shot selection combined to give India SCOREBOARD has been told to take two days of rest after monkey for saying national cricket players an ultimately comfortable 93-run victory over coming down with the bug. “Medical were too fat and unfit. Jayasekera has given the West Indies in a low-scoring third fixture of a NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: Scoreboard of the third fixture of a five-match One-Day International series reports have ruled him out of the next national players three months to improve five-match One-Day International series on between India and the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday. game and recommended a rest period of their level of fitness or get booted out. He Friday. Set a target of 252 at the Sir Vivian India K. Hope c Jadhav b Pandya 19 48 hours,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a state- said the entire team selected to play against Richards Stadium in Antigua to prevent the visi- A. Rahane c Bishoo b Cummins 72 S. Hope c and b Pandya 24 ment. It added that Lakshan Sandakan did Zimbabwe were below the internationally tors taking an unbeatable 2-0 series lead, the S. Dhawan c Chase b Cummins 2 R. Chase b K. Yadav 2 not play in the first ODI on Friday at Galle accepted fitness level. — AFP hosts were on course with Jason Mohammed V. Kohli c K. Hope b Holder 11 J. Mohammed lbw K. Yadav 40 and Rovman Powell in full flow in a 54-run sixth- Y. Singh lbw Bishoo 39 J. Holder stpd wkpr Dhoni b Ashwin 6 wicket partnership. M.S. Dhoni 78 R. Powell c Pandya b K. Yadav 30 But then India’s frontline spinners Kuldeep K. Jadhav not out 40 A. Nurse c U. Yadav b Ashwin 6 Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin swung the Extras (lb-1, w-8) 9 D. Bishoo not out 4 Total (4 wkts, 50 overs) 251 M. Cummins lbw Ashwin 1 match decisively in their team’s favour. Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Dhawan), 2-34 (Kohli), 3-100 K. Williams b Jadhav 1 From a promising position of 141 for five in (Yuvraj Singh), 4-170 Extras (lb-6, w-17) 23 the 33rd over, the Caribbean side crashed to 158 (Rahane) all out within the next five overs. Yadav and Did not bat: H. Pandya, K. Yadav, R. Ashwin, B. Kumar, U. Total (all out, 38.1 overs) 158 Ashwin took three wickets each in engineering Yadav Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Lewis), 2-54 (K. Hope), 3-58 (Chase), the capitulation that was finished off by Kedar Bowling: M. Cummins 10-0-56-2 (2w), J. Holder 10-1-53- 4-69 (S. Hope), 5-87 (Holder), 6-141 (Powell), 7-148 Jadhav as he yorked last man Kesrick Williams 1 (2w), K. Williams 10-0-69-0 (1w), A. Nurse 10-0-34-0 (Nurse), 8-156 (Mohammed), 9-157 (Cummins) Bowling: B. Kumar 5-0-19-0, U. Yadav 7-0-32-1 (5w), H. with his first ball of the match. (1w), D. Bishoo 10-0-38-1 (2w). Pandya 6-0-32-2 (3w), K. Yadav 10-1-41-3, R. Ashwin 10- Powell had looked dangerous in getting to 30 West Indies 1-28-3 (3w), K. Jadhav 0.1-0-0-1. before a top-edged sweep off Yadav resulted in E. Lewis b U. Yadav 2 Result: India won by 93 runs the pivotal dismissal via a catch at deep back- ward square leg. Mohammed, who managed a top score of 40, well for the last year and a half that I haven’t had shot the score upward. became another victim of the left-arm wrist- too many opportunities to spend time in the “We started well with the ball but let things spinner, trapped leg-before to effectively end middle in ODIs so this was very satisfying,” said get away from us towards the end of their the contest. Earlier it was Jadhav who triggered Dhoni. innings,” said Holder. “Yet again the a late run explosion in partnership with “I am continuing to enjoy my cricket and it’s didn’t deliver and that continues to be a prob- Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India reached 251 for good to see the hunger and desire from all the lem.” West Indies need to win the fourth match four batting first on a sluggish pitch affected by players.” It was the arrival of Jadhav at the crease at the same venue today to have a chance of prolonged, torrential rains the day before. in the 43rd over, when Rahane became squaring the series going into the final match on Lasith Malinga Dhoni top-scored with an unbeaten 78 off 79 Cummins’ second wicket of the innings, that July 6 in Kingston. —AFP balls and was named man of the match, but the real impetus came from Jadhav, who blazed 40 off 26 balls in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of England recall Ballance 81 runs off just 46 deliveries. Ajinkya Rahane held the innings together for South Africa opener after the loss of early wickets, the opener extending his excellent run of form in the series with 72, his third consecutive score over 50. LONDON: Batsman Gary Ballance has Ball ruled out through injury. “I thought the pitch got easier for batting as been give a chance to revive his England Roland-Jones, 29, made his one-day the day went along so I was really pleased with Test career after being named in the squad international debut last month at Lord’s the fight we showed towards the end of our for next Thursday’s first Test against South against Ireland and is joined by Mark Wood, innings and then from our bowlers,” said India Africa. who earns a recall after almost a two-year captain Virat Kohli. The Zimbabwe-born 27-year-old has hiatus. “There is great excitement around “We may now be looking at giving some of battled his way back into contention with a the first Test of the summer and with the our other players in the squad an opportunity to superb season for Yorkshire in the County start of a new era under the captaincy of show how they can perform in these conditions.” Championship after being dropped follow- Joe Root this is an exciting time for English ing a torrid series against Bangladesh last cricket,” said Whitaker. ‘SATISFYING’ FOR DHONI October. “Toby Roland-Jones is a player we have Comprehensively beaten by 105 runs in the “Gary Ballance could play his first Test been monitoring for quite some time and second match in Trinidad five days earlier follow- since October,” said England national selec- deserves his chance after a strong couple ing a rain-ruined no-result to start the series, tor James Whitaker. “He has been in fantas- of seasons with Middlesex in red ball crick- West Indies took early advantage of the pitch tic touch with the bat in the Championship et. “He came close last year when he was conditions. averaging over 100. He deserves to be named in the Test squad against Pakistan in Miguel Cummins removed Shikhar Dhawan included and we feel that he will add matu- July. “Toby has been in good form this cam- in just the third over while justified rity and experience to our middle-order.” paign and his ability to seam the ball along his decision to bat first on winning the toss Ballance’s county team-mate Joe Root with the fact that he can score useful runs when he claimed the prized scalp of Kohli, who will lead the side for the first time since down the order gives us a number of was brilliantly caught by debutant at replacing Alastair Cook as skipper in options.” gully. Rahane found a reliable partner in Yuvraj February, although the Essex opener Singh, the pair putting on 66 for the third wicket retains his place in the squad. Squad: before Devendra Bishoo trapped Yuvraj lbw for Senior bowler Stuart Broad was includ- Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James 39. Dhoni then joined Rahane in another impor- ed after shaking off a heel problem, while Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Gary tant stand of 70, although both found the spin- uncapped Middlesex seamer Toby Roland- Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Liam GALLE: Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza (right) reacts after their victory on the first one-day interna- ners especially hard to get away on the turgid Jones could make his Test debut at his Dawson, Keaton Jennings, Toby Roland- tional (ODI) cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at the Galle International Cricket surface. “Our batting has been performing so home ground with Chris Woakes and Jake Jones, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood. — AFP Stadium in Galle on Friday. — AFP