Maradona offers condolences to family of Awana DUBAI, United coaches United Arab Maradona said, accord- Arab Emirates (AP) — Emirates club Al Wasl, ing to a statement. A week after kicking a visited the family of Maradona met fan, Diego Maradona Awana, who was killed Awana’s father and fam- showed his more Sunday in a car crash. ily and joined them in humane side Thursday Awana played for Bani prayer. He also “prom- by offering condolences Yas. ised to give Awana’s to the family of “Football is about family all the support deceased football player more than just goals and that they would need,” Theyab Awana. numbers, it’s about pas- according to the state- Maradona, who sion and compassion,” ment. Diego Maradona Friday 30th September, 2011 Ronaldinho says he wants Marsh stresses need for hard work to play at 2012 Olympics BY REX CLEMENTINE SAO PAULO (AP) — Ronaldinho says Sri Lanka have gone through 11 Test he wants to play for Brazil at the 2012 Olympics to try to win one of the few Matches without winning one and the titles he still doesn’t have in his career. newly appointed coach Geoff Marsh The 31-year-old playmaker has stressed the need for hard work and regained his spot in the national team patience to get back to winning ways. after returning to Brazilian football at Since champion spinner Muttiah the beginning of the year and wants to Muralitharan retired from Test cricket, be in the squad in London. Sri Lanka have lost one Test each to Ronaldinho says his “dream is to Australia, England and India while draw- win the gold medal in the Olympics,” a ing eight Tests. competition he has already played Marsh, a former Australian opening twice without success. batsman, has had two stints as an inter- The Olympic tournament is played national coach, first with Australia (from with under-23 squads but each team can 1996 to 1999) whom he guided to both use up to three players older than 23. Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA player of World Cup and Ashes success and then the year, was one of those picks in the with Zimbabwe (from 2001 to 2004). The 2008 Beijing Games, when Brazil lost to 53-year-old addressed the media yester- Argentina in the semifinals and day clad in a Sri Lankan team practice returned home with the bronze medal. shirt and revealed his ambitions in his third stint as an international coach. “I am a strong believer that if you work harder on your basic skills of the game and put yourself under pressure in Harbhajan dropped match scenarios at training you will CHENNAI, India (AP) — Indian selec- improve your game. You try to keep it tors dropped senior spinner Harbhajan simple and don’t confuse players. There’s Singh on Thursday from an injury-hit enough pressure on individuals when squad for the first two one-day interna- they go out for a game and you need to tionals of its home series against Newly appointed Sri Lankan coach Geoff Marsh address the media at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters yesterday. England next month. keep it simple,” Marsh told journalists (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) India’s cricket board said that yesterday. Match. Australia have found that in the the day he arrived in Colombo. A fort- in the series. It’s a bit unique that while I Harbhajan, who missed a recent one-day Sri Lanka’s standing in Test cricket series in England because of a stomach last few years and it takes a little bit and night ago, Geoff was in Kandy to see his am coaching, my two sons are playing has dropped two notches since injury sustained during a preceding Test you lose your consistency. It does take a elder son make his Test debut and the international cricket. It’s something we Muralitharan retired and currently the series, will make way for rookie Punjab team is ranked number five. “What a while. We can’t look back, but look for- pictures of his celebration after Shaun have spoken about. They certainly don’t leg-spinner Rahul Sharma. cricketer Murali was. He bowled a lot of ward. There’s another Murali somewhere reached his maiden century were well see it as an issue. I have coached them India ODI squad: Gautam Gambhir, overs and took a lot of wickets and he around the corner.” publicized. and I have thrown balls to them and they Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat was one of his own. It takes time for While Marsh’s elder son Shaun has “I do apologize for that,” Marsh would be knowing where I would be tar- Kohli, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh younger players to come in and develop. already played Test cricket, his younger laughed. “I was a dad at that time and not geting them. We did that with Shaun in Dhoni (captain), Manoj Tiwary, Ravindra Touch wood we are not going to go too son Mitchell was named in the a coach. I coached against Shaun in the the IPL and he still did make runs any- Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen much longer without winning a Test Australian squad to tour South Africa on IPL last year and he scored the most runs way.” Kumar, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav,Vinay Kumar, Sreenath Aravind, Rahul Sharma. Carlton Cup Basketball Tournament Carlton won, the game lost by Rex Clementine firmed by Opposite Ball Side Colombo BC. All these men are key Referee. But the Lead Referee dis- members of Carlton BC. By the looks of it, Carlton Sports agreed! With such names in their rank, Club is conducting a successful bas- Carlton officials and players Carlton SC emerged as the major ketball tournament and they seem were busy yesterday trying to con- force in local basketball replacing to be hell-bent on winning it as well, vince journalists that the Lead Colombo BC and Colombo Bulls as by hook or by crook! What hap- Referee had the final say.But a the leading basketball playing club pened on Wednesday night at the check on basketball rules reveals in the country.The arrival of a Police Park at Bambalapitiya is one that the role of the Lead Referee new force in any sport is certainly of the most disgraceful acts seen in changes among the three referees good as it tends to raise competive- the local basketball scene in the throughout the game as they ness. But how Carlton SC tries to recent history.Carlton may have change positions. More importantly, manipulate things is unacceptable progressed to the final, winning the it emerged that it was not Lead and that type of behaviour has no semi-final against Navy SC by one Referee’s role to determine whether place in the sport. point, but Navy won the hearts of it was a three pointer or not. And by Some of the men who helped many that evening when the sport observing whether the shooter was Carlton SC become the force that it and fair play were taken for a ride. cutting the line, the Lead Referee is have been dumped. The club’s It was the sport that lost and not had, in fact, neglected his job. first coach Panduka Ranasinghe Navy SC. Navy protested immediately and was unceremoniously removed In Wednesday’s semi-final clash the remaining three seconds of the last year while Dr. Chula between Navy and Carlton, the game turned out to be a farce. Senaratne, country’s Chairman of sailors were the underdogs. Like in Carlton’s celebrations were Selectors and a pioneer in estab- their previous game against Police muted as if they knew deep down lishing Carlton Cup has been side- SC, they had trailed for most part of within that rules had been manipu- lined this year. the game. But their never-say-die lated to assist their win. Navy had Instead, some ‘podians’ have attitude surfaced in the last quarter been ripped-off following the refer- taken over and the quality of the and it did again as they recovered eeing let-off. tournament has suffered as a from a no hope situation. The decision of the Technical result. Unlike Carlton SC, Navy has no Committee was delayed until One good thing, however, is that star players in its ranks. The secret Thursday afternoon, but the previ- Carlton SC’s players haven’t lost for its success is the ability to play ous night itself the Navy officers their grace. Police Sports Club a as a team and enjoy the success of knew what was coming. Navy knew decade or so ago were known for each other. That becomes very that it was fighting a losing battle. their notoriety on the court. handy when you take on a team Since its inauguration two years Opponents were abused and even filled with stars. ago, Carlton has been able to assaulted by Police players on the In the semi-final, after trailing by attract sponsors to sustain the court while referees turned a blind 15 points, Navy reduced the gap to sport. As a result they have been eye. Many enthusiasts of the sport two points with less than 90 seconds able to revive inter-club tourna- must be hoping that we will not to go. Then with four seconds left on ments that were few and rare in return to those dark days. the clock, Carlton was leading by the earlier years due to lack of But there have been rather dis- three points and seemed to have funds. Leading basketball players turbing reports of a young Carlton sealed their place in the final. But in the country joined ranks with official allegedly threatening a ref- no one should take it easy against Carlton BC for pecuniary gains. eree as he got on his bike to return Navy until the final whistle. Then While Chamath Serasinghe and home after Carlton lost a game to Navy fired a three pointer from the M.K. Shiran abandoned Otter’s, Colombo BC earlier in the tourna- left wing to level the scores at 63-63. Prageeth Pushpakumara and ment. The confirmation that it was a three Sidath Senanayake turned their Carlton officials and players point was given by the referee backs on Wattala BC with should uphold the spirit of basket- responsible for giving shot com- Chamath Danawansa together ball. The belief of winning at any mands in that area and was con- with Mithila Abeysekara dumping cost needs to be abandoned. New cricket playing conditions start this weekend ISLAMABAD (AP) — Two also be a change in powerplays in for reduced innings of a sched- new balls will be used by a field- ODIs. uled duration of less than 40 ing side from each end in one-day The total number of powerplay overs. cricket when revised rules for the overs will remain at 20 per A runner will also not be international game come into innings with the first block of 10 allowed for an injured player dur- force this weekend. being at the start of the innings. ing Test, ODI or Twenty20. The changes to playing condi- “The remaining second and However, the injured or ill bats- tions were approved by the third block of (five) powerplay man will have the option of retir- International Cricket Council’s overs may not be taken so as to ing hurt and returning to bat at Executive Board in May, following commence earlier than the 16th the fall of ninth wicket. proposals from its Cricket over nor be completed later than Other changes provide extra Committee. the 40th over,” the ICC said time to complete a Test match and Besides two new balls, to be Thursday in a statement. affect a bowler’s attempt to run used in alternate overs, there will The restrictions will not apply out a non-striker before delivery.