SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2015 SPORTS ICC should fix Windies club v country row: Clarke

SYDNEY: The world governing body balance that allows top players to also “I’d like to see that changed. That will Tests in and Sydney. mer captains , should do more to prevent a repeat of the take part in competitions such as the come down to the ICC (International Anticipated easy wins for Australia has and Darren Sammy who are all on duty club versus country player crisis that and Australia’s cur- Council) and West Indies Cricket also turned off fans, with speculation that with their Australian Big Bash franchises, threatens to turn the West Indies-Australia rent Big Bash League. Board trying to get together to make it the Boxing Day crowd on Australian crick- along with fellow Windies players Andre Test series into a farce, Michael Clarke said “The players that are here playing in work.” et’s biggest day of the calendar could be Russell, and Lendl yesterday. the BBL (Big Bash League) I think it’s really The worst fears for the West Indies the lowest in 16 years. While there is Simmons. The former Australian skipper said disappointing they’re not part of the West series in Australia were realised when widespread discontent with the West “I think international cricket has to be international cricket must remain the pri- Indies Test team,” the recently retired they crashed to an innings defeat inside Indies board, a lack of money in the the priority,” said Clarke, who rarely played ority for players over participation in the Clarke told the Sydney Morning Herald. three days in the first Test in Hobart last Caribbean game is also seen as a key fac- in domestic T20 competitions during his raft of lucrative global Twenty20 tourna- “There’s a number of players in Australia week. tor for many senior players turning their Test career. “T20 tournaments are impor- ments now available to high-profile stars. who would be in their number one There is little confidence the backs on Tests to chase the riches on offer tant and fantastic to watch, but I think But he accepts Tests will only remain the picked Test team. I think it’s disappointing Caribbean tourists can lift their game for in T20s. The Windies’ national team are there’s nothing more special than repre- pinnacle of the game if authorities find a for the game and Test match cricket. the feature Boxing Day and New Year playing the three-Test series without for- senting your country.” — AFP

Lyon hoping to show white ball form ahead of World T20

MELBOURNE: Australia spinner Nathan Cup victory for Australia in march. Lyon fought hard to cement his place in “You’re going to have to ask Rod Marsh the test team and now hopes to convince and the rest of the selectors about that selectors of his white ball prowess in time one,” Lyon told reporters on Saturday of his for the World Twenty20 in India. fleeting appearances in limited-overs crick- Lyon celebrated his 50th test against et. “I want to be the spinner in all three for- West Indies in Hobart last week but played mats. I don’t know how many times I have the last of his eight one-day internationals to say it. more than a year ago and has yet to repre- “That’s my goal and the T20 World Cup sent Australia in a T20 international. is definitely on my radar. I just have to The 28-year-old will have a chance to come out here and perform well for the impress on Sunday when he bowls for the Sydney Sixers and enjoying in the Sydney Sixers in the domestic ‘Big Bash’ T20 BBL.” Lyon will also have to battle for his tournament, a match pitting him against spot in the squad for the March 8-April 3 the Hobart Hurricanes’ Cameron Boyce, the World T20 against spin-bowling all-rounder incumbent spinner in the national team. Glenn Maxwell and Ashton Agar, who Lyon collected eight from his four forced his way into the one-day team on Big Bash (BBL) matches last season and was the tour of England this year. A former one of the Sixers’ best in their opening loss groundsman at Adelaide Oval, Lyon sur- to cross-town rivals Sydney Thunder on passed Hugh Trumble’s 141 test wickets in Thursday. Although he made his test June to become Australia’s most prolific debut in 2011, it took Lyon nearly three off-spinner and now has 175 to his name. years to nail down a permanent place in He said he felt confident he could thrive the side after a number of false starts and with “red ball, white ball or pink ball.” setbacks. Proving himself a contender in “It doesn’t faze me what game I’m the shorter formats has also been a slow playing in, I just want to do well for the process and he was omitted from the team I’m playing for and get the right squad that secured a fifth 50-over World result.” — Reuters

HAMILTON: BJ Watling of New Zealand (R) plays a shot during day two of the International match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday. — AFP Chameera’s blitz puts Sri Lankans on top

HAMILTON: Sri Lanka fought their way back into the Brisk start playing across the line and getting an edge which was second Test against New Zealand with a destructive Latham and Guptill made a brisk start for New smartly taken by Mathews at first slip. Chameera com- burst by young quick Dushmantha Chameera on day Zealand as they cruised through to 81, giving New pleted the four-over rout to have Taylor caught by two in Hamilton yesterday. Chameera took his first five- Zealand three consecutive half-century opening stands Dinesh Chandimal without scoring. bag as New Zealand slumped from 81 without for the first time in 14 years. Chameera had been kept McCullum, who put away his natural attacking loss in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 292 to be out of the attack for most of the but when instincts, was initially given out on 17 off 47 balls when 232-9 at stumps. he came in he was on the money almost immediately, caught by Udara Jayasundera in the deep. He was Doug Bracewell was 30 after a ninth-wicket having Latham caught by at leg called back as he headed off the field as television stand of 31 with Neil Wagner (17) who was dismissed gully for 28. In his next over he took out New Zealand’s replays showed Nuwan Pradeep’s was a no ball. on the last ball of the day. The 23-year-old Chameera, kingpin Williamson for one. But he failed to make the most of the reprieve with bowling at up to 146 kilometres per hour (90.6 mph), Again targeting the leg side, as he did with Latham, his eventual dismissal coming one run later when he was used sparingly by Angelo Mathews, taking Chameera tempted Williamson into a pull shot which was neatly caught one-handed by Kusal Mendis at three for 17 in his first spell and two for 30 in his second. was skied to Suranga Lakmal at deep square leg. short leg. Santner made 38 and Watling 28 as New SINGAPORE: France’s Kristina Mladenovic of UAE Royals hits a return against In partnership with the wily 37-year-old Rangana Guptill, who had looked solid as he reached 50, Zealand tried to recover but they still ended the day 60 Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova of Philippine Mavericks during their women’s singles Herath, playing his 67th Test, they took New Zealand escaped the wrath of Chameera only to fall to Herath, runs behind with only one wicket remaining. — AFP match at the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) tournament in apart when it seemed openers and Martin Singapore yesterday. — AFP Guptill were settling in. SCOREBOARD New Zealand lost four wickets for eight runs in four overs as Chameera claimed the scalps of Latham, Kane HAMILTON, New Zealand: Scoreboard at stumps on day two of the second Test between New Williamson and Ross Taylor while Herath removed Zealand and Sri Lanka in Hamilton yesterday: Guptill. Sri Lanka 1st innings (overnight 264-7) New Zealand 1st innings India recalls Brendon McCullum tried to steer his side out of D. Karunaratne c Watling b Southee 12 M. Guptill c Mathews b Herath 50 trouble and put on 39 for the fifth wicket with Mitchell K. Mendis c Watling b Southee 31 T. Latham c Karunaratne b Chameera 28 Santner before he became Herath’s second wicket. U. Jayasundera run out Santner/Watling 26 K. Williamson c Lakmal b Chameera 1 Yuvraj, Nehra Chameera, who in his second spell removed Tim D. Chandimal c Watling b Bracewell 47 R. Taylor c Chandimal b Chameera 0 Southee and Wagner, was delighted with his perform- A. Mathews c Latham b Southee 77 B. McCullum c Mendis b Herath 18 ance. M. Siriwardana c Taylor b Boult 62 M. Santner c Chandimal b Pradeep 38 NEW DELHI: Veterans Yuvraj Singh month. “This is my fourth Test and I get five wickets so I am K. Vithanage c McCullum b Boult 0 B. Watling c Vithanage b Lakmal 28 and Ashish Nehra yesterday Yuvraj, remembered for his six six- very happy,” he said, adding the wicket he treasured R. Herath run out (Williamson) 4 D. Bracewell not out 30 returned to India’s Twenty20 side for es in an over to Stuart Broad during most was Williamson. The lean fast bowler said Sri D. Chameera c McCullum b Bracewell 4 T. Southee c Jayasundera b Chameera 4 S. Lakmal c Williamson b Wagner 4 N. Wagner c Vithanage b Chameera 17 next month’s limited-overs tour of the inaugural edition of the World Lanka worked out the batsmen would fall for the leg- side trap “because that’s the way they naturally play”. N. Pradeep not out 2 T. Boult not out 0 Australia, where it will play five one- Twenty20 in 2007, was picked as Guptill believed New Zealand were not out of the Test. Extras: (lb11, w12) 23 Extras: (lb3, nb7, w8) 18 day internationals and three India looks for a finisher batting at “We’re not where we’d like to be. Obviously we had to Total (10 wickets; 80.1 overs) 292 Total (9 wickets; 78.4 overs) 232 Twenty20 games. number six or seven for the World weather a bit of a storm after lunch when Sri Lanka Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Karunaratne), 2-44 (Mendis), Fall of wickets: 1-81 (Latham), 2-83 (Williamson), The 34-year-old Yuvraj, who last Twenty20 to be held in India In bowled very well,” he said. “But the fight we showed 3-115 (Jayasundera), 4-121 (Chandimal), 5-259 3-86 (Guptill), 4-89 (Taylor), 5-128 (McCullum), 6- played international cricket at the March-April. down the order through Dougie (Bracewell), Mitch (Siriwardana), 6-259 (Vithanage), 7-264 (Herath), 168 (Santner), 7-196 (Watling), 8-201 (Southee), World Twenty20 in Bangladesh dur- Nehra, 36, last played for India in (Santner) and BJ (Watling) we are still in this game.” Sri 8-284 (Mathews), 9-288 (Lakmal), 10-292 9-232 (Wagner) (Chameera) Bowling: Lakmal 16-4-48-1 (w1, nb1), Mathews ing March-April 2014, was selected the 2011 World Cup but has been Lanka’s first innings wrapped up quickly on the second after some fine performances in fairly consistent over the years in the Bowling: Boult 20-2-51-2, Southee 21-5-63-3 11-7-25-0, Pradeep 17-4-34-1 (w1, nb5), Herath day with only 28 further runs added, half of them by (w1), Bracewell 22.1-4-81-2 (w1), Wagner 9-1-51-1 22-1-75-2, Chameera 12.4-3-47-5 (w2, nb1). domestic one-day games this Indian Premier League. — AP top scorer Mathews who was out for 77, caught at third (w2), Santner 7-0-34-0, Williamson 1-0-1-0. slip by Latham off Southee.

Brathwaite, Blackwood in the runs but Windies collapse again

GEELONG: Opener Kraigg Brathwaite was kind of losing concentration. “I had to carried on his Test form but the West put that behind me and just focus on Indies’ woes were exposed again in anoth- each ball.” Brathwaite, who scored 94 in er batting collapse in their tour game his side’s miserable second innings of 148 against a Victoria XI in Geelong yesterday. in the first Test, picked up where he left off The Caribbean tourists, who were in Bellerive. The 23-year-old retired on 78 smashed by an innings and 212 runs in at tea, having faced 175 balls in a valuable last week’s first Hobart Test, were looking hit-out. to rediscover some confidence ahead of Blackwood scored 69 before he was the second Test, starting at the Melbourne trapped lbw by legspinner Jeremy Hart. Cricket Ground on Boxing Day. But after , who posted a century in the reaching 226 for three the Windies col- first Test, was rested but otherwise it was a lapsed losing 5-31 on the opening day of full-strength batting order that misfired. their two-game in oppressive heat. , who was promoted to Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood were first drop in the absence of Bravo, scored the only batsmen to pass 50 as the West 45 off 39 balls before paceman Jackson Indies reached 303 for eight at stumps on Coleman had him out edging. Hart, who day one. finished 38 not is yet to play first-class cricket, snared four out. wickets for 93 and sliced through the mid- Both teams toiled as the temperature dle order. reached over 44 Celsius (112 Fahrenheit), It was the latest sorry story in what has making it the Victorian provincial city’s been a woeful tour. “We got some starts... hottest day in December on record. we just need to convert those starts now,” Blackwood described it as the most sti- Blackwood said. “We’ll just have to go fling playing conditions he has endured in back into the nets and continue to work a match. hard. “We’re just putting in the work and SINGAPORE: India’s Rohan Bopana (L) is watched by Croatia’s Ivan Dodig (R) of Micromax as he plays a return against “I was so tired after running some hopefully it will pay off in the next Test Brazil’s Marcelo Melo and Australia’s Nick Kyrgios of OUE during their men’s doubles tennis match at the threes,” he told reporters. “At one I match.” — AFP International Premier Tennis Match (IPTL) in Singapore yesterday. — AFP