TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015

Outsiders determined to stay in World Cup club

SYDNEY: Afghanistan coach Andy Moles has victories over both the West Indies and between World Cups. side to who in the course of a 21- question is what do you want the World Cup no doubts over the thorny issue of the 2019 Zimbabwe were no longer seen as shocks. In True there were, as was the case in 2011, year span from their appearance as a non-Test to be? Do you want it to be a jamboree of World Cup and the controversial plan to cut the end they were only denied a quarter-final some lopsided ‘blow-outs’. But they didn’t just nation at the inaugural World Cup in 1975 world or the pinnacle of the one-day the number of teams from 14 to just 10. place on net run-rate, with the West Indies involve the Associates with England, who in went to champions by the time of the 1996 game?” Richard Done, the high performance “It’s called the World Cup, and the secret is scraping through at their expense. common with the non-Test quartet failed to edition. The likes of Afghanistan pacemen manager of the ICC, said he had been encour- in the name,” he said. After Ireland became the Even in Sunday’s seven- defeat by qualify for the last eight, on the receiving end and , UAE bats- aged with the competitive performance of the last of the four non-Test or Associate nations there was a moment for Ireland to of thumping defeats by , New man Shaiman Anwar and Scotland seamer Associate teams. taking part at the World Cup to bow out of the savour with William Porterfield making Zealand and Sri Lanka. Josh Davey, whose 15 at this World “It is encouraging to see the competitive tournament on Sunday, there were plenty of a fine hundred. “I’d love to think it was not our Cup have so far only been bettered by performances of the associate members in the supporters for Moles’s opinion. last World Cup game,” said Porterfield. “I think ASTONISHING RISE Australia’s Mitchell Starc, all made a name for World Cup and that the ICC High Performance Indeed there has been a chorus of criticism, something has to be done if they (the ICC) By contrast, the Scots-who didn’t win a themselves. Programme tours have been an important including major names in the sport such as want to grow the game. “If you cut us out of match all tournament-made “Where can they test themselves if they part in their preparation,” Done told AFP. Done and , regarding the World Cup then what’s the point really for sweat when the Black Caps lost seven wickets can’t test themselves against the best?,” said said the ICC had chalked out a comprehensive plans by the International Cricket Council to us to keep going.” chasing a victory target of 143. Moles. “There’s a certain mystique about the programme for the qualifiers to help them reduce the number of teams taking part. All four Associates taking part at this World Meanwhile Afghanistan’s astonishing rise associate nations and I think it would be compete with the full members. Ireland, long the leading Associate member of Cup-Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the saw them mark their maiden World Cup with a something that would be lost if they weren’t Last October, Afghanistan and UAE were the ICC, beat Test teams for the third World -did enough to show thrilling one-wicket win over Scotland. given the opportunity to do it again.” given an opportunity to play some domestic Cup in a row. how much better they might yet be with more Moles, a former opening batsman with In an interview with AFP last month, ICC teams in Australia while Scotland and Ireland It says much about Irish cricket that their games against top-class opposition in English county Warwickshire, compared his chief executive David Richardson said: “The were given base camps in New Zealand. —AFP Starc difference in Aussies campaign

MELBOURNE: Publicly labelled “soft” by former test bowler only a few months ago, paceman Mitchell Starc has come of age at the and could prove key to Australia’s hopes of winning a fifth trophy. The 25-year-old left-armer currently leads the wickets tally at the tournament with 16 scalps at the end of the pool phase, one ahead of a clutch of bowlers with 15, but with an eye-popping average of 8.50. Once known as the “lesser Mitchell”, Starc has put Australia’s most feared strike bowler firmly in the shade, the fellow left-armer taking a modest nine wickets at an average of 22.66. “The ball’s coming out nicely. I can’t com- plain. It’s coming out consistently well, but more importantly we’re winning games,” Starc said in comments published by The Australian newspa- per. “That’s all that matters. “I’ve been working on different plans, whether that be in training or in a game, and it’s nice to see them coming off.” Starc’s form at cricket’s global showpiece has elevated him to the most lethal wicket-taker in the one-day game. The Adelaide Oval has one of Australia’s slow- est pitches, particularly since its redevelopment as a venue for Australian Rules football matches, but Starc’s pace, bounce and variation could prove a handful for Pakistan when the teams clash in the quarter-finals on Friday. Starc has set the tone for Australia’s cam- paign, capturing the team’s first World Cup wick- et in the opener against England when a flus- tered Moeen Ali tried to pull a short ball only to be beaten for pace and at mid-on. He all but out New Zealand with a six-wicket haul that dragged his team into the match after they were skittled for 151 in Auckland and appeared ripe for humiliation. His ability to swing the ball both ways and into right-handed batsmen has prompted com- NEW ZEALAND: ’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot to hit the winning runs parisons with Pakistan great Wasim Akram. during the Cricket World Cup Pool B match in this file photo. —AFP SOFT EFFORT Straight-shooter George Bailey, who led Asia quartet defy convention Australia against England before making way for regular captain Michael Clarke, said Starc was ADELAIDE: Co-hosts Australia and New Mortaza said his biggest challenge was “more feared” as a ‘death bowler’ in the final Zealand may be the teams to beat, but the to check the growing excitement in the overs than either of South Africa pace duo Dale striking feature of this World Cup is Asia’s team over making the knock-out rounds Steyn and Morne Morkel. four Test nations defying conventional wis- for the first time and the prospect of play- Only a few months ago, however, Starc was dom to make the quarter-finals. ing before some 90,000 spectators at the making headlines after outspoken pundit Warne The belief that Asian cricketers struggle MCG. “Everyone is excited about the game HOBART: Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc appeals unsuccessfully in this file photo. —AFP remarked that he looked “a bit soft” when strug- on the hard, bouncy wickets Down Under but as a professional unit we must focus on gling for line and length on a baking, hot day place in tests, being picked for one match then wicket in the Sydney match-having India open- was thrown out of the window as India, Sri the task ahead ,” he said. “It’s a chance to during a test match against India in Brisbane. tossed out on a number of occasions. er Murali Vijay nicking behind-happened with Lanka, Pakistan and moved show the world that we are among the top For a sporting country that values toughness His 15 matches have yielded 50 wickets at a Warne behind the microphone for the host ahead from the group stages. teams.” above all qualities in elite sport, there are few- modest average of 35.44. He was dropped after broadcaster. Three more wins will see a team er criticisms more scathing than the ‘S-word’ the “soft” effort in Brisbane, but returned for Warne praised the bowler and has since jok- crowned the 2015 champions-just like SEMI-FINAL GUARANTEE and Warne was moved to clarify his comment the final test against India in Sydney and took ingly claimed credit for his brilliant form. Starc Pakistan did when the World Cup was last The India-Bangladesh match means that after a subsequent media storm. five wickets for the match. Before the test he has since let his work on the pitch do the talk- held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 at least one Asian team will be guaranteed Competing with a bull-pen of fast bowlers said he wasn’t “losing sleep” over Warne’s criti- ing. ‘Soft’ won’t be the first word thrown — and another victory for Asia cannot be a place in the semi-finals, but Sri Lanka and for the third seamer spot behind Johnson and cism. around when Pakistan’s brain trust convene to ruled out. “There is no reason why an Asian Pakistan will also be strong contenders for Ryan Harris, Starc has struggled to cement his But in a neat piece of symmetry, his first prepare for Friday’s match. —Reuters side can’t win this time,” legendary the last four. Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram, who Sri Lanka, who take on the powerful but was part of the 1992 winning team, told inconsistent South Africa in Wednesday’s AFP. first quarter-final at the Sydney Cricket “They have played well and deserve to Ground, have the prolific Kumar Domingo expects S Africa go through. In a knock-out situation, past Sangakkara in their ranks. form will really not count. Everything The 37-year-old left-hander, playing depends on how you play on that day.” one-day cricket for the last time, has to peak against Sri Lanka Defending champions India bounced already hammered an unprecedented four back from a dismal tour of Australia prior to consecutive centuries and tops the the World Cup to record six straight wins in charts with 496 runs. SYDNEY: If South Africa do end up choking in ter-final clash with Sri Lanka. he roared. the league, which surprised many, but not With the 38-year-old Tillakaratne the latter stages of the World Cup, it will not be The 40-year-old was clearly expecting ques- “It’s been part of South African cricket for team director . Dilshan having made 395 runs with two because of any tension filtering down from their tions about South Africa’s history of crumbling quite some time, every time we get to these “I’m not one bit surprised,” the former hundreds, it promises to be an enthralling coach. under pressure in the knockout stages of tourna- events it’s going to be questioned,” he added all-rounder told the Wisden India website. contest between Sri Lanka’s in-form bats- Russell Domingo could not have presented a ments and one reporter had barely started to when the laughter had died down. “What we are looking forward to now is to men and the Proteas’ attack led by Dale more relaxed demeanour than he did in front of speak before he interjected. “Choking! It’s chok- “We’ve faced the fact that in the past we have carry on the good work. Not think too far Steyn. Coach Marvan Atapattu is confident the media yesterday, two days before their quar- ing! It’s taken you four minutes, that’s a bit slow,” let opportunities slip by us. Hopefully we’d have ahead, but keep the momentum going.” that Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions who learned from the mistakes that previous sides India’s quarter-final opponents at the iconic lost in the finals in both the last two edi- have made at events like this. Cricket Ground on Thursday will tions, are equipped to deal with the pres- “And by all means we want to avoid that hap- be Bangladesh, the surprise team of the sures of a knock-out game. pening to us but at the end of the day, we just tournament who knocked England out in “Over the last few years in big tourna- want to play good cricket if the opportunity aris- the league. ment matches, I’ve seen people raise their es.” Bangladesh went through almost the game and raise the whole team,” he said. South Africa have never won a knockout entire last year without a win in Test or one- “These guys can do it again. When it comes match in six World Cups, their three trips to the day cricket, but the tactical acumen of their to pulling together and working towards a semi-finals coming when the last four was decid- Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusinghe common goal, we’re among the best.” ed by round robin groups. and adviser Heath Streak has Pakistan, described by South African They have had their fair share of bad luck too, paid dividends. coach Russell Domingo as “predictably most notably when the method of calculating Two consecutive centuries by unpredictable”, lived up to that reputation targets after overs were lost to rain robbed them Mohammad Mahmudullah and incisive fast by bouncing back from two defeats to win of the chance of a victory over England in the bowling by Rubel Hossain and young four in a row. Sydney semi-final in 1992. Taskin Ahmed led the turnaround for the And as they prepare to tackle mighty “In 1992, I was 16-years-old,” Domingo chor- Tigers, and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Friday, tled when asked whether it was a motivation. promises more from his side. skipper Misbah-ul Haq was convinced his “There’s nothing we can do about what hap- “We are hungry for success and I am team can win the tournament and repeat pened in 1992, all our energy is focused on what confident we can reach new heights,” said the feat of their 1992 predecessors. “Of we need to do leading into this game.” Mortaza, whose team sent India crashing course we can win the World Cup,” Misbah Domingo said he had been trying to get the from the first stage of the 2007 World Cup said after knocking Ireland out of the race. SYDNEY: South African cricketer AB de Villiers runs to take a catch during a training session at squad to focus on more recent successes when in the Caribbean. “We have the momentum.” —AFP the Sydney Cricket Ground. —AFP they were in pressure situations.—Reuters