WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014 SPORTS

Yuvraj in World T20 squad ‘Brad’ pack to lead Aussies No Kaka for Brazil friendly

NEW DELHI: All-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s limited over prowess secured him a place in SYDNEY: Australia have opted for experience over youth in an attempt to RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari yesterday brought in two new faces India’s 15-member squad yesterday for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next win a maiden World Twenty20 title by selecting veterans Brad Hogg, Brad but dropped AC Milan veteran Kaka in unveiling his Europe-based players to face month. One of the cleanest strikers of the ball and more than a handy left-arm Hodge and Brad Haddin in their 15-man squad for the tournament in South Africa in a March 5 friendly. spinner, Singh, 32, was instrumental in India’s triumph in the Bangladesh next month. Scolari, architect of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup success in Japan as well as last year’s inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 where he hit England The 43-year-old Hogg played his last test in 2008 but the spin bowler home triumph over Spain on the Confederations Cup, said he will call up three more paceman Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over. was man of the match in last week’s Big Bash final for the victorious Perth home-based players ahead of the game in Johannesburg. Though he could not cement his place in the test squad, Scorchers and is now set to become the oldest player in the history of inter- The new faces are Bayern Munich defender Rafinha and Singh, 32, was also the architect of India’s 50-over World national T20 cricket. Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho. Brazil will be with- Cup 2011 victory at home where his all-round exploits Middle-order batsman Hodge, 39, also played his last test six years ago out Fluminense striker Fred, who scored five times in the earned him the player of the tournament award. but is rewarded with a call up after celebrating his own career renaissance Confederations Cup, as the 30-year-old aggravated a serious Singh was not part of the Indian 50-over squad in New following years spent on the outer fringes of Australian selection. The thigh injury last week. Aside from Fred, the World Cup hosts Zealand which lost the five-match series 4-0. Stuart Binny, notion that the shortest form of cricket is a young man’s game has been are short of forwards and last year saw Atletico Madrid’s in- son of former India all-rounder Roger, was also named in the further dismissed by the selection of 36-year-old test wicketkeeper Haddin, form Brazil-born forward Diego Costa elect to play for his squad to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni who would be who replaces Matthew Wade after a sparkling display with the bat in the 5- adopted country, Spain. seeking his third world title in Bangladesh. 0 Ashes series win over England. Former Milan star Alexandre Pato is out of form and goalscor- Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder “We have selected a squad that has plenty of experience playing the ing duties will be borne, at least against South Africa, by Ravindra Jadeja are expected to share the spin Twenty20 format in the sub-continent, which augers well for the challenges Neymar and Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk with Bernard workload even though the selectors included a of Bangladesh,” chairman of selectors John Inverarity said in a statement of Shakhtar Donetsk providing back-up. There was no third spinner in leggie Amit Mishra. India yesterday. “We have a group with good depth in power hitting and a range place for Lucas or Maxwell of Paris Saint Germain. Julio begin their World Twenty20 campaign of bowling options.” Australia open their campaign against Pakistan in Cesar retains his slot as undeisputed first choice goal- against 2009 champions Pakistan in Dhaka Mirpur on March 23 but will first head to South Africa for a series of warm- keeper despite not playing all season with English on March 21. —Reuters up internationals leading into the tournament.—Reuters Championship side Queens Park Rangers.—Reuters NBA results/standings Warriors pound 76ers Indiana 119, Denver 80; Toronto 108, New Orleans 101; Detroit 109, San Antonio 100; Boston 102, Milwaukee 86; Houston 107, Minnesota 89. OAKLAND: Marreese Speights scored a career-high 32 blowout in November 2010. The Pacers (40-11) still have the points to hand his former team a near-record setback, lead- NBA’s best record, the league’s best home record (25-2) and Eastern Conference ing the Golden State Warriors past the woeful Philadelphia now lead two-time defending champion Miami by four Atlantic Division 76ers 123-80 on Monday night. Philadelphia, which lost 123- games in the Eastern Conference. W L PCT GB 78 at the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night in a game it scored 17 points to lead the Nuggets Toronto 27 24 .529 - trailed by 56 points in the third quarter, nearly matched the (24-26), who have lost three straight. They played without Brooklyn 23 26 .469 3 NBA mark for the largest total margin of defeat in consecu- several injured players, including Andre Miller, Danilo tive games. The lost by 95 points combined Gallinari, JaVale McGee, Nate Robinson and . NY Knicks 20 31 .392 7 in back-to-back games in November 1966, according to Boston 19 34 .358 9 STATS. RAPTORS 108, PELICANS 101 Philadelphia 15 38 .283 13 Michael Carter-Williams scored 24 points for a rebuilding Kyle Lowry had 19 points and 12 assists, Patrick Patterson 76ers team that never put up much of a fight. The two-game scored a season-high 22 and the beat the Central Division stretch was the worst in nearly 20 years for the 76ers, who New Orleans Pelicans.DeMar DeRozan also had 22 points, Indiana 40 11 .784 - lost back-to-back games in April 1994 by a combined 93 Terrence Ross added 14 and scored 12 for Chicago 25 25 .500 14.5 points. No other team in NBA history has lost two straight Toronto, which has won five consecutive meetings and sev- Detroit 22 29 .431 18 games by at least 40 points each. Philadelphia has now en of eight against New Orleans. The first-place Raptors Cleveland 18 33 .353 22 done it twice. Speights finished 12-of-15 shooting and moved three games ahead of Brooklyn in the Atlantic Milwaukee 9 42 .176 31 grabbed eight rebounds, and added 23 Division by winning for the ninth time in 11 home games. points and eight assists to help the Warriors go ahead by 49 had 23 points and 10 assists, and Anthony in the fourth quarter. Davis scored 19 for the Pelicans, who lost their second Southeast Division straight and have dropped four consecutive games in Miami 35 14 .714 - PISTONS 109, SPURS 100 Toronto. Atlanta 25 24 .510 10 scored 21 points and the Detroit Washington 25 25 .500 10.5 Pistons beat the San Antonio Spurs in John Loyer’s first CELTICS 102, BUCKS 86 Charlotte 22 29 .431 14 game as interim coach. Detroit abruptly fired Maurice scored 29 points and Kelly Olynyk added 14 Orlando 16 37 .302 21 Cheeks on Sunday after only 50 games as coach, but points and 11 rebounds as the Boston Celtics pulled away although they’ve been unimpressive for the most part this from the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter. Western Conference season, the Pistons have played better lately. The comfort- The Celtics used a 12-4 run to start the final quarter to able win over the Spurs was Detroit’s fifth in seven games. break open what had been a tight game. Green had seven Northwest Division Rodney Stuckey scored 20 points for the Pistons, and points during the spurt and 11 overall in the quarter, while Oklahoma City 41 12 .774 - Greg Monroe added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Marco Olynyk scored 10 after Boston entered the fourth clinging to Portland 36 15 .706 4 Belinelli led the Spurs with 20 points. Detroit pulled even a 70-68 lead. added 13 points and 10 Denver 24 26 .480 15.5 with Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the Eastern rebounds for Boston. Brandon Knight had 22 points for Minnesota 24 28 .462 16.5 Conference. Milwaukee, which also got 17 points from Gary Neal and 16 OAKLAND: Philadelphia 76ers’ Michael Carter-Williams (1) Utah 17 33 .340 22.5 points from John Henson before he left late in the game dribbles next to Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson ROCKETS 107, TIMBERWOLVES 89 with an ankle injury. —AP during the first half of an NBA game. — AP Pacific Division had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and the LA Clippers 36 18 .667 - surging used a fourth-quarter push to hold Phoenix 30 20 .600 4 off the for their sixth consecutive victory. Chandler Parsons had 20 points and Golden State 31 21 .596 4 scored 19 for the Rockets, who have won six straight for the LA Lakers 18 33 .353 16.5 first time since taking seven in a row from Jan. 13-23, 2012. Sacramento 17 34 .333 17.5 Back after missing one game with a bruised left quadri- ceps, Kevin Love led Minnesota with 31 points and 10 Southwest Division rebounds. Chase Budinger had 15 points for the San Antonio 37 15 .712 - Timberwolves, who have lost four straight and six of seven. Houston 35 17 .673 2 Dallas 31 21 .596 6 PACERS 119, NUGGETS 80 Memphis 27 23 .540 9 David West scored 25 points and Roy Hibbert added 14 New Orleans 22 29 .431 14.5 as the routed the short-handed Denver Nuggets. Indiana snapped a five-game skid in the series, beating the Nuggets for the first time since a 31-point With a new commissioner, NBA enters its Silver age

NEW YORK: His name is already on the ball. Now Silver, 51, has always been ahead of the curve Adam Silver can put his stamp on the NBA. On All- when it comes to basketball. He attended Duke Star Saturday in New Orleans, Silver will deliver his University in the early 1980s before the Blue Devils first state of the league news conference as com- became a powerhouse, when nobody camped out missioner, a chance to tell a worldwide viewing outside Cameron Indoor Stadium because you audience how he plans to make the NBA bigger could just get into games with a student ID. He and better than it was under David Stern. Don’t moved to Chicago to attend law school and began expect anything major. going to games with friends in the early days of After working so closely with Stern during his Michael Jordan, before the Bulls became the 22 years at the league, Silver’s fingerprints were biggest thing in basketball. already all over the $5.5 billion business long Now Silver is following one of American sports’ before he became in charge of it this month. greatest commissioners. He acknowledges there “I’m not coming in with a five-point plan,” Silver will be times it will feel “lonely” without Stern told The Associated Press during an interview in there to face big decisions together, but Silver has his office at NBA headquarters. “I’m not an outsider worked so closely with Stern and been involved in coming into the league. I’ve been part of this so many aspects of the league that the transition league for a long time and if there was something should be a natural one. “Adam has been prepar- that I thought should’ve been done markedly dif- ing for the job for a long time, he understands the ferent than the way it’s done now, I think David business and I don’t see him having much difficul- and I would have pushed each other to do it. ty shifting into the role of commissioner,” former “My priority is the game and that’s what I’ll be NBA Players Association executive director Billy telling people next Saturday.” He has been at the Hunter said. NBA since 1992, overseeing the league’s enter- But Silver, designated as Stern’s successor in tainment empire, helping negotiate collective October 2012, knows that doesn’t mean it will bargaining agreements, and on Feb. 1, he always be easy. “I didn’t have the same apprecia- replaced Stern. He is liked by owners and respect- tion for what he was going through on a daily ed by players, all believing Silver is the person to basis as the commissioner until I really thought continue the massive growth the league saw about, ‘What if that were I and I had to make that under Stern. decision?’” Silver said. “And it’s very different being “He’s someone who has the same kind of feel sort of the voice in the ear of the guy making the that we have, in the sense of how can we make decision as opposed to the guy making the deci- this pie bigger? How can we make this game big- sion.” ger?” Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade said. Nonetheless, he believes the league is in a good “He’s going to be a good commissioner I place and ready to grow. He met with executives believe. Strong in what he believes in. He was in from Facebook and Twitter while visiting the (CBA) meetings as well, so we know what kind Sacramento and Golden State during his first week of guy he is and we respect him.” as commissioner, seeking ways to bring the NBA to While the NBA’s international growth is fre- a larger audience than ever. “To me,” Silver said, quently considered Stern’s greatest achievement, “the game is fantastic. The challenge is to use Silver seems focused on boosting the game’s pop- these new technologies and platforms to help ularity in the United States. more fans discover the game.”— AP