sign in sign up
<<
Home , Dilhara Fernando, Kevin Pietersen, Mitchell Marsh, Pawan Negi

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 SPORTS Door is shut on Pietersen return: Morgan

JOHANNESBURG: England limited-overs series, and the batsman has returned some regularly said he still wants to play for third-highest scorer in ’s Big Bash first series victory over the South Africans in quashed speculation impressive performances in the South African England. “Interesting he’s saying it’s HIS call! League. His teams made the final in both more than a decade. The ODI team is looking that might be recalled for the and Australian T20 leagues. Very interesting! Hmmmmm...!” Pietersen tournaments. His success in the shortest for- good in , too, with a 2-0 lead in World , saying “that door is com- But speaking to British newspaper The tweeted yesterday. Pietersen was the second- mat prompted suggestions England might the five-match series ahead of the third game pletely shut” for the country’s leading run- Daily Mail from England’s tour of South highest runscorer in South Africa’s Ram Slam re-think its position with Pietersen and con- on Tuesday. scorer in all formats. Africa, Morgan said: “That door is completely late last year, with 401 from just seven games sider recalling him. Morgan said it would not The World T20 in starts on March 8. Pietersen has become a T20 specialist shut. Kevin will not be picked. That’s from at an average of 80.20. , the happen. England appears to have moved on England is in a group with defending cham- since his acrimonious departure from the me.” Morgan’s comments prompted a top runscorer, made 437 runs but played 11 from Pietersen anyway, sealing a 2-1 test pion , South Africa, West Indies and England setup following the 2013-14 Ashes response on Twitter from Pietersen, who has games. The 35-year-old Pietersen was the series win in South Africa last month for its a fifth team that’s still to qualify. — AP McCullum ends one-day career with strong legacy

CHRISTCHURCH: Brendon McCullum’s with four half centuries. But it was the one-day international career ended yes- speed at which he scored, at a strike rate terday with a 55-run win over Australia at of 188.50, that got crowds gasping, none Seddon Park, though the legacy of the more so than his 25-ball 77 against aggressive right-hander is likely to have a England in Wellington. much longer effect on the sport in New McCullum had asked New Zealand to Zealand. ‘dare to believe’ and that innings in the The New Zealand captain, who made third game of the tournament got the his debut against Australia at the country unequivocally behind the side, Ground in January, 2002, is retir- believing they could be witnessing a ing from all internationals after the sec- once-in-a-lifetime event for the co-hosts. ond test against ’s side in Since being forced to make his retire- Christchurch. ment announcement due to the timing His retirement will leave a hole at the of the World Twenty20 squad selections, top of New Zealand’s order in he has been greeted by enthusiastic limited-overs matches, while it could also crowds throughout the Australian one- change the way they approach games in day series, lauding his contribution to future. The right-hander’s rip, snort and the game. bust approach with his superb eye and At last week’s series opener in lightning bat speed that enabled him to Auckland, a school day, several young- hit through the line, particularly through, sters alerted their teachers they had or over, the cover field or down the played truant with a sign that read “I ground electrified crowds. should be at scool”. When the mood took him, he could Yesterday McCullum was flanked by a be so destructive that games were lost, guard of honour from the Australians. His or won, before he was dismissed. first four scoring shots were boundaries One such game at Queenstown and his third six, a casual flick off Scott against Bangladesh in late 2007 was typi- Boland over mid- was his 200th in cal. Having dismissed the visitors for 93, one-day internationals. He is just the McCullum then blasted 80 from 28 balls. fourth player to hit 200 one-day sixes but New Zealand won the game in six the only one to have 100 in as overs and television commentators joked well. He hit his sixth off he had finished the game so quickly Mitchell Marsh in the 10th over when he because he had booked a tee time at a guided the ball to the vacant third man nearby golf course during the change of boundary but was dismissed on the next HAMILTON: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, bottom center, holding the Hadlee Chappell trophy poses for a photo with his teammates after they won the innings. ball for 47 with New Zealand 84-1. series over Australia in the 3rd Cricket match at Seddon Park in Hamilton, New Zealand, yesterday. — AP The innings typified his career. His LEGACY approach more often than not paid off His biggest legacy, however, may be and at times when reining in his instincts Toe catch gives NZ the way in which his personal approach could have been more beneficial, which has been transferred to the side, whose told in his statistics. attacking style since he assumed the He ended his career after 260 matches captaincy in late 2012 have been entic- with a strike rate of 96.37, the sixth high- ing crowds back to the game. est amongst batsmen who have scored series over Australia That was evident at last year’s World more than 2000 ODI runs. Cup, where McCullum’s bristling aggres- However, his all-out attack meant he sion helped drive New Zealand to their scored just 6083 runs at an average of HAMILTON: A bizarre off-the-toe catch by Matt first final. 30.41, with five centuries and 32 half cen- Henry brought a fairytale end to Brendon SCOREBOARD He scored 328 runs in nine innings turies. — Reuters McCullum’s ODI career when New Zealand beat Australia by 55 runs in Hamilton yesterday. The vic- tory in a game that was in Australia’s favour until HAMILTON, New Zealand: Completed scoreboard in the third and final ODI between New Henry’s of Mitchell Marsh, saw McCullum Zealand and Australia in Hamilton yesterday: end his limited overs career with a 2-1 series win New Zealand Australia over the world champions and the Chappell- M. Guptill c Hastings b Zampa 59 U. Khawaja c Ronchi b Bracewell 44 Hadlee Trophy. Australia, set a target of 247, had B. McCullum c Hastings b Marsh 47 D. Warner c Elliott b Henry 16 their tails up when they needed 83 off the last 16 K. Williamson b Boland 18 S. Smith lbw Sodhi 21 overs with five in hand and Marsh, their H. Nicholls c Smith b Hazlewood 18 G. Bailey b Henry 33 match-winner in Sunday’s second tie, in full flight. G. Elliott c Maxwell b Marsh 50 G. Maxwell c McCullum b Sodhi 0 But the momentum swung back in New C. Anderson c Khawaja b Boland 27 M. Marsh c&B Henry 41 Zealand’s favour when a Henry edged off L. Ronchi c Boland b Marsh 5 M. Wade c Guptill b Milne 17 Marsh’s bat, on to his foot, and rebounded back to D. Bracewell b Hastings 2 J. Hastings c Elliott b Anderson 6 the bowler. The umpire turned down an appeal A. Milne lbw Boland 5 A. Zampa c McCullum by Anderson 2 from Henry. But when the replay on the big screen M. Henry 0 confirmed what Henry suspected the umpires J. Hazlewood not out 5 I. Sodhi b Hastings 0 S. Boland run out (Nicholls) 2 called for an official review which showed the ball Extras (lb6, w9) 15 Extras: (lb2, w2) 4 had not touched the ground and a clearly angry Total (10 wickets; 45.3 overs) 246 Total: (10 wickets; 43.4 overs) 191 Marsh was out. Fall of wickets: 1-84 (McCullum), 2-123 Australian captain Steve Smith ultimately (Williamson), 3-131 (Guptill), Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Warner), 2-75 (Khawaja), backed the dismissal but there were questions over 4-171 (Nicholls), 5-223 (Anderson), 6-237 3-94 (Smith), 4-94 (Maxwell), 5-153 (Bailey), 6- whether the review would have been called had (Ronchi), 7-237 (Elliott), 8-246 164 (Marsh), 7-179 (Hastings), 8-184 (Wade), 9- there not been a loud crowd reaction to the replay (Milne), 9-246 (Bracewell), 10-246 (Sodhi) 184 (Zampa), 10-191 (Boland) on screen. “The right decision was made. He was : Hazlewood 10-0-45-2 (w1), Hastings Bowling: Henry 10-1-60-3, Milne 8.4-0-42-1, out. There was no doubt about that,” Smith said. 7.3-0-42-2 (w1), Boland Anderson 6-1-16-2 (w1), Bracewell 6-0-15-1 “I think Mattie Henry sort of thought there was 9-0-59-2 (w1), Marsh 6-0-34-3 (w1), Zampa 10- (w1), Sodhi 8-0-31-2, Elliott 5-0-25-0. a little something and it wasn’t until we saw some- 0-45-1, Maxwell 3-0-15-0 (w1) : New Zealand by 55 runs. thing on the big screen that the decision actually went upstairs so I was a little disappointed with that.” With Marsh’s decision the Australian innings Martin Guptill, who had played a support role Maxwell (0) as Doug Bracewell and Ish Sodhi kept collapsed with their last five wickets falling for 27 while his captain was at the crease, took 61 balls for New Zealand in the game with three for 19 in an runs in 10 overs. his 59, his 30th half century. As in the second economical 44 deliveries. was dis- New Zealand’s innings had suffered an even match in Wellington, won by Australia by four wick- missed early for 16 leaving Khawaja and Smith to worse meltdown when they lost their last six wick- ets, New Zealand found themselves losing momen- build the innings and get valuable batting time ets for 23 to be all out for 246. tum in the middle order. and before the first Test starting in Wellington on McCullum, one of the biggest hitters in the Henry Nicholls were quickly in and out for 18 each Friday. Australia were 94-4 when Marsh went to the game, reeled off 47 in 27 deliveries to give New before Elliott (50) and Corey Anderson (27) tried to middle. He put on 59 with George Bailey for the Zealand a flying start. His innings included three regain the initiative with a 52-run stand. fifth wicket and had reached 41 off 42 deliveries sixes to give him 200 sixes in his 260-match ODI When Anderson was dismissed New Zealand before his unusual dismissal and from there career which leaves him fourth on the overall list were set to mount a late assault at 223-5 with 10 Australia folded. Henry was New Zealand’s most HAMILTON: New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum (R) with his wife Ellissa inter- headed by Pakistan’s with 351. overs remaining but they imploded instead. successful bowler with three for 60 while Sodhi (8- act after the third one-day international cricket match between New Zealand and With McCullum at the crease the New Zealand Australia in reply raced to 75-1 before losing 0-31-2) and Bracewell (6-0-15-1) were the most Australia at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday. — AFP run rate was near 8.5 but slowed after his dismissal. (44), Steve Smith (21) and Glenn economical. — AFP India bid to cement T20 top spot in SL showdown

PUNE: India will look to cement their number bowlers have not done well,” Dhoni said in of veteran batsman , who will one status when they begin a three-match series Australia. “It is good to have him and I think he is miss the first game with a hand injury. against Sri Lanka today, their final work-out on a great asset to the side irrespective of the for- Ford, who also coached the islanders from home soil before hosting the World Twenty20. mat.” 2012-14, has called for patience as Sri Lanka Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side vaulted seven embark on a rebuilding phase. places in the T20 rankings after their recent 3-0 KOHLI RESTED “I think Sri Lanka cricket finds itself in the very away series victory against Australia and will look Star batsman has been rested but early stages of a very important rebuilding stage. to build on their momentum when they face the India’s other big names are set to feature against A lot of hard work needs to be done,” the South Graham Ford-coached Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, who are the reigning World T20 cham- African said last week. The two teams will face The series is Ford’s first assignment since pions and could leapfrog their hosts in the rank- each other on February 9 (Pune), February 12 returning for a second stint in charge of the ings if they pull off a surprise victory. (Ranchi) and February 14 (Visakhapatnam). islanders last week. After a relatively disappoint- Kohli has been replaced by ing tour of Australia, India’s spin king who struck a century in the last of the ODIs in Squads: will look to the series as an Australia but failed to make the cut for the World India: MS Dhoni (capt), , Shikhar opportunity to get back in the groove ahead of T20 squad that was announced on Friday. The Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Suresh the Asia Cup which is being held in Bangladesh series could see the young all-rounder Raina, , Hardik Pandya, Ravindra ahead of the World T20. Pawan Negi handed a debut after he was surpris- Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwin, the world’s top spinner in Test cricket, ingly picked in the 15-man World T20 squad. , , Bhuvneshwar was outshone Down Under by Ravindra Jadeja While India carry a familiar look, Sri Lanka have Kumar, Pawan Negi. and Jasprit Bumrah but the conditions back been forced to field a depleted side with a num- Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), home are expected to suit him well. Dhoni is a ber of their top players staying at home. The likes Tillakaratne Dilshan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Milinda big fan of the lanky off-spinnner and told of regular T20 skipper , Test captain Siriwardana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara reporters last month that Ashwin’s dip in form and premier spinner Rangana Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Asela Gunaratne, was due in part to the side’s increasing reliance Herath are racing against time to get fit for the PUNE: Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh (L) Ravindra Jadeja (R), Ajinkya Rahane (2R) and , Dushmantha Chameera, on him in all formats. World T20. Having been recently outplayed by Suresh Raina (3R) look on as captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni dribbles a football during a , Kasun Rajitha, Binura “He just makes my job slightly easy, especially New Zealand in the recent Test, ODI and T20 training session ahead of the T20 international match between India and Sri Lanka at the Fernando, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeffrey for a consistent period of time when my fast series, Sri Lanka will also be without the services MCA International Cricket Stadium in Pune yesterday. — AFP Vandersay. — AFP