Friday 9th April, 2010 Strauss calls for ’s 1996 winning outfit rated amongst top 50 most entertaining teams by UK’s Daily Mail restructuring of county cricket LONDON: Andrew Strauss has called for a restructuring of English domestic cricket saying the county circuit ‘could be a better breeding ground’ for the Test Bowled over! game. Having opted out of Twenty20 international cricket Strauss will play in The ‘Mail Online’ the official website Middlesex’s opening Championship of the United Kingdom newspaper game against Worcestershire on Friday and could fit in six first-class matches ‘Daily Mail’, the UK’s second biggest- before the first Test against Bangladesh selling daily newspaper after ‘The Sun’, at the end of May.Yet as he prepares for has chosen the 1996 World Cup winning his longest stint in county cricket since Sri Lanka team of as making his debut six years ago, Strauss the third in the Top 50 Most feels that improvements must be made Entertaining Teams in History. to the fixture list. ‘Daily Mail’ is published by “The lack of preparation for games which the schedule allows is something Associated Newspapers Ltd. and edited that needs to be addressed,” he said. “I by Paul Dacre. The above Top 50 list pub- think there are two things – reducing lished in the ‘Mail Online’ website on the overall volume of cricket would be April 2 has been picked by Tom Bellwood useful, as long as those days off are used In its introductory remark, the web- wisely, and secondly, I think it could be site says: “What is more important: play- better structured into blocks of four-day and one-day cricket, which would you to ing with style or winning at any cost?... prepare for each format better.” As the artists of Arsenal and Barcelona Despite his call for reform, Strauss face off in the Champions League quar- was not supportive of adopting an ter-final, Sportsmail celebrates the great American-style conference system, sporting teams who put aestheticism which has been talked about by the ECB. above efficiency. “I’ve heard all the proposals and each Thankfully, most of our top 50 show has it’s merits. But I think you want the best teams playing the best teams as that entertainment can go hand in hand often as possible.Two divisions has been with success… useful in that respect so finding some- Introducing the 1996 champion SL thing similar would be good from my team, the ‘Mail Online’ Sportmail says: point of view.” He was also critical of “This wasn’t just an entertaining side, the ECB’s decision to abandon 50-over they had come from nowhere to become cricket in favour of a domestic 40-over world champions in the space of a few competition. (Agencies) years - the fairytale story of the World Cup. Sri Lanka were powered by their opening batsman , who mauled all who faced him and Train kills rugby became the prototype for all pinch-hit- ting batsmen at the top of the order. The world cup veteran final was particularly memorable for , who took two catches Yasunori and three wickets, including Australia’s Watanabe, a former Japan top-scorers and Ricky international Ponting, and then scored 107 not out.” rugby player, The Top 10 Teams – was struck and 10. Barbarians – any era. killed by a An English rugby team founded in train after 1890 as a result of William Percy plunging off a Carpmael’s dream to spread good fellow- platform on Saturday. ship among all rugby football players Watanabe, 9. Tottenham - 1961 who played English football team captained by mostly as a Danny Blanchflower to win a title dou- flanker, ble, the league and cup appeared in a 8. Wigan Rugby League in total of 32 Tragic end: Yasunori games for England - between 1988-95 Pioneers: Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga lifts the 1996 Cricket World Cup trophy after beating Australia Watanabe Japan, includ- They won the Challenge Cup eight ing three con- seasons in a row though South Africa were the ultimate ner-up to West Germany 16 years after We doubt it, because this side had it all, secutive World Cups in 1999, 2003 and 7. Ajax - 1972 winner. Jonah Lomu featured in this suffering the same fate at the hands of in spades. 2007. The Dutch soccer champions and side Italy They were unique to a man and He also made great contributions to European Cup winners featuring leg- 5. Barcelona - 2009 3. Sri Lanka 1996 Cricket World words struggle to describe the efficacy the Brave Lupus’s three consecutive ends like Johan Neeskens and John This Barca soccer team featuring Cup Winners with which they played the game, on a victories in Japan’s top league between the 2004 and 2006 seasons before retir- Cruyff Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique won the 2. Harlem Globetrotters platform that mere mortals could only ing from the game last year. 6. All Blacks - 1995 European Championship last year, and As showcase teams go, this is easily dream of. It was art with Pele in his last According to reports, the 35-year old The most complete Rugby World Cup are on a roll the finest. The true basketball wizards World Cup, this was the side that pro- plunged off the platform when there team in the history, according to former 4. Hungary - 1953-54 1. Brazil - 1970 duced perhaps the finest team goal of were no other people around him. He South African fly-half Joel Stransky. Ference Puskas led this Mighty Will this side ever be beaten in all time in the final against Italy. Quite died after being hit by a train at The best team of the 1996 World Cup Magyars to emerge 1954 World Cup run- terms of sheer breath-taking ability? rightly, they let them keep the trophy. Kamakura Station carrying some 300 passengers. (Pannetrugby.com)

Argentine legend Diego now he has to make his career Maradona has said that Lionel and at the end we’ll see who was After Malik, Asif faces legal Messi is in the form of his life, Messi on the path the greatest of all time. But he’s claiming he is “playing a kick- on the right path. I saw that he’s about with Jesus”, but also to greatness says mature and full of will,” trouble from ex-lover warned he must maintain his Maradona said. “How could I not focus. be happy for Messi to win the : Hell has no fury like stung Veena who had been going Maradona is viewed as the Maradona World Cup. The Maradona and a woman scorned. After Shoaib steady with Asif for more than a greatest Argentine player of all Pele polemics will end and the Malik, another top Pakistani year and claims to have stood by time, but that title is under best thing is that Messi is cricketer Mohammad Asif is him in his most difficult period of threat from the 22-year-old after Argentine.” learning it the hard way as he has life when he was serving a ban for a stunning season which And according to his been taken to court by a former a doping offence. reached its zenith on Tuesday Barcelona team-mate Gerard night with a four-goal demoli- lover over a financial dispute. “He had promised me that Pique, who played with him as a tion of Arsenal in the youngster, Messi’s talent was While Shoaib has managed to once he returned to play for Champions League. obvious from an early age. get out of his marriage controver- he would clear up my Now the national coach has ‘’When I was coming through sy with Ayesha Siddiqui in money but unfortunately he has lavished praise on his star play- the ranks something happened , Asif is in trouble not done that,” she said. er, but warned Messi not to that was going to change the his- with his former girlfriend, actress “The cheques that bounced make the same mistakes that he tory of the club - the signing of did when he was a player. Veena Malik. were for payments of Rs 3.9 and Leo,’’ said Pique in the Daily “He’s at a select level, being Veena has served a legal Rs 7.4 million each,” she said. Mail. ‘’I remember the first time the best in the world and a star notice on Asif after two cheques Shoaib, who is in to wed he trained with us. He was so at Barcelona. Leo is playing he gave her to settle an outstand- tennis star Sania Mirza, was mak- small we were afraid to touch kick-about with Jesus,” ing money dispute bounced. ing headlines after being accused him because we thought we’d Maradona said.”There are hurt him. But then we all “He gave me two cheques Mohammad Asif of marrying and dumping Ayesha moments when you are invaded Argentina’s Lionel Messi in noticed his touch on the ball was amounting to 11.3 million rupees without divorce. by loneliness, but you have to be action against Brazil during a not at all bad. as part of an agreement to clear even taking our calls now,” she The dispute was finally settled strong so you don’t end up doing World Cup qualifying soccer an amount of nearly 18 million added. when Shoaib gave Ayesha a things one did,” he said, appar- ‘’Some of the coaches told us match in Rosario, Argentina, not to tackle him too hard so as rupees that he owes me,” Veena Veena demanded her money divorce on Wednesday despite ently referring to his drug addic- Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP) not to injure him. But even if we said. back from Asif after he recently maintaining all along that he tion during his playing days. Maradona added that after wanted to, we couldn’t get any- “But both cheques bounced entered into wedlock with anoth- never committed himself to the with Messi talking about many where near him. He was so Argentina’s World Cup warm-up and I had no alternate but to send er girl chosen by his family. girl who was making these allega- issues. quick, he was impossible to tie win against Germany in Munich him the legal notice as he is not The news of the marriage tions. (The Times of India) “I told him I’d done my thing, down.’’ (ESPN Sport) on March 3, he spent two hours

Friday 9th April, 2010