WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2013 SPORTS

Misbah: I don’t listen to critics Rugby players test positive Mosley, Mundine fight is off DUBAI: Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq says his career would have ended LONDON: Five players at English Premiership clubs tested positive for SYDNEY: Backers for Shane Mosley say the American boxer has withdrawn long ago if he’d listened to his critics. pundits at home came down recreational drug use during the 2012/13 season, the Rugby Football from his scheduled bout with Anthony Mundine in Sydney today due to a hard on Misbah after Pakistan was upset by Zimbabwe in Harare last Union (RFU) announced yesterday. contract dispute. month. But Misbah came back strong in leading his side to its own stunning The third annual doping report by the RFU, the English game’s govern- Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer issued a statement from victory, a seven- defeat of top-ranked South Africa in their first test ing body, said 345 tests took place as part of the illicit drugs programme, Los Angeles saying “we have no choice but to protect our fighter” because last week. “I am not bothered what people are saying because if I would which conducts out-of-competition tests for common illicit drugs, focus- terms of the contract had not been met. have listened to them my career would have been over in 2001,” Misbah ing on Premiership players. Five positive results were returned. The official weigh-in was scheduled for late yesterday in Sydney but local said on Tuesday as he prepared for the second test, starting from today. A However, these cases were treated confidentially as they were initial media reported that Mosley had already been spotted at the airport and draw will give Pakistan its first test series victory against the offences, resulting in a ‘first strike’ fine of £5,000 ($8,000) and access to Golden Boy Promotions says “boxing superstar Sugar Shane Mosley will Proteas since they beat ’s team in 2003 at assessment, rehabilitation and counselling. instead be going home.” home. In a statement, Mosley was quoted as saying: “I’m very disap- “I don’t just listen to the guys because I know what I am “The five players who returned positive tests belong to Premiership clubs,” an RFU spokesman told Britain’s Press Association wire service. pointed with this turn of events because I was planning on mak- doing after playing 15-20 years of cricket,” he said. “I know ing a big statement by beating Mundine, but I was left with no It is the first time since the illicit drugs programme was introduced for what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong.” choice but to withdraw. “The fans in Australia have the 2009/10 season there have been violations of the policy. The knock on Misbah has long been about him con- welcomed me with open arms, and I hope to Four major illicit drug groups are tested-cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy suming too many deliveries to build the team total. Yet, in a return to fight for them one day in better circum- team which has often struggled, his reliable defense has and amphetamines. “A small number of adverse findings via the illicit stances.” been the main resistance. drugs programme is a reminder that we can never assume the anti-dop- The 42-year-old Mosley, who has held world This year he’s been particularly productive, at the age of ing job has been ‘done’,” Rugby Players’ Association rugby director David titles at lightweight, welterweight and light- 39. He tops the world this year with 1,441 international Barnes said. In addition to the illicit drugs programme, there were a total middleweight divisions, was due to fight runs that include 480 in six tests and 961 in 21 one-day of 617 in and out-of-competition tests for performance-enhancing Mundine in a WBA light-middleweight bout at internationals. —AP drugs.—AFP the Sydney Entertainment Centre. —AP

Rain forces Vatican fields early stumps cricket club as sport and faith merge : claimed said. “Every opportunity you get, three as Bangladesh you want to put your hand up and VATICAN CITY: The Vatican served tea and cucumber sand- reduced New Zealand to 107-3 make the most of it,” said Wagner, wiches yesterday as it launched its first cricket club, an initia- yesterday before rain forced an who replaced left-arm spinner tive aimed at forging ties with teams of other faiths. early close on the second day of Bruce Martin for this Test. No, Pope Francis isn’t taking up the sport long associated the second Test in Dhaka. “For me personally it was with manicured grounds and English nobility; the soccer-mad A downpour led the umpires to tough to miss out on the first Test, “slum pope” still prefers the lower-brow sport of his beloved suspend and then call off play but it’s one of those things; that’s San Lorenzo club. after an early tea break with the the nature of the game.” “When But he and the Vatican have long championed sports as game evenly poised. New Zealand you get another chance you’ve good for mind, body and soul, and the cricket club is the lat- had dismissed the hosts for 282 got to use it and you’ve got to est initiative of the Vatican’s culture ministry to use sports to early in the morning thanks to Neil grab it with both hands.” engage in dialogue with the contemporary world. Wagner’s maiden five-wicket haul, The pitch provided some Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, John McCarthy, but Bangladesh struck back vicious turn as New Zealand leg- was the brainchild behind the initiative and said he hopes the through Shakib. spinner Ish Sodhi chipped in with St. Peter’s Cricket Club will field a team to play the Church of He took two wickets in his first two wickets to finish with 3-59. England at Lord’s sometime next fall. two overs, with New Zealand in Wagner had Bangladesh skip- trouble at 32-2 at lunch before per at He said the aim is to boost interfaith dialogue, given crick- and Ross Taylor gully for 18 before Sodhi dis- et’s immense popularity in largely non-Catholic India, rebuilt. Williamson had to leave missed , caught at Pakistan and Bangladesh. It would be a “very special occasion” DHAKA: New Zealand’s Kane Williamson falls on ground as a bouncer ball hits him during the if seminarians from Rome’s pontifical universities might one the field after struck slip for 19. second day of the second cricket Test match against Bangladesh. —AP him with a bouncer, but he Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi day play students at Muslim or Hindu religious schools on the returned soon afterwards as launched a counter-attack, hitting subcontinent, he said. Shakib removed incoming bats- a four and a six but could not SCOREBOARD The initiative also is aimed at educating Italy, the Vatican man Brendon McCullum. repeat his heroics in the first Test and even Pope Francis that “there is some sport other than Rubel took a stunning catch at when he scored an unbeaten cen- DHAKA: Scores at stumps on the second day of the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Sher- football!” he said before passing around a tray of cucumber deep square leg as the New tury and claimed a hat-trick. He e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday: tea sandwiches, a mainstay of cricket events. Zealand captain fell for 11. fell for 14. Bangladesh first (overnight 228-5) Rubel) 10-282 ( Razzak) The club is expected to count on some 250-300 students Resuming on 228-5 at start of play, Wagner completed his haul c Williamson b Wagner 95 : Boult 16-2-55-1, Bracewell 14-1-57-0 (w1), and priests at the Vatican and various pontifical universities Bangladesh managed to add only with the wicket of Rubel for four c Williamson b Boult 7 Wegner 19-5-64-5, Sodhi around Rome where cricket is already being played informal- 54 more runs in the face of tight while Sodhi bowled Marshall Ayub b Wagner 41 18.5-3-59-3, Williamson 4-0-30-0, Anderson 3-0-14-1 ly; from these individual teams a Vatican one would be select- bowling. for 13 to wrap up the innings. c Watling b Anderson 47 New Zealand first innings ed and fielded as early as the spring. Wagner finished with 5-64, Williamson (28 ) was Shakib Al Hasan lbw b Sodhi 20 P. Fulton lbw b Shakib 14 Rome’s Capannelle Cricket Club is letting the Vatican use making full use of overcast condi- alongside Taylor (37 not Mushfiqur Rahim c Fulton b Wagner 18 H. Rutherford c Mominul b Shakib 13 its pitch, and McCarthy said anonymous private sponsors tions to induce some edges from out) when play was called off. Nasir Hossain c Taylor b Sodhi 19 K. Williamson not out 28 were prepared to fund equipment, organizational and other the batsmen, after play resumed Shakib said Bangladesh must take Sohag Gazi c Williamson b Wagner 14 R. Taylor not out 37 related costs. 30 minutes early to make up for those two wickets today if they Abdur Razzak b Sodhi 13 B. McCullum c Rubel b Shakib 11 The Vatican already has its “Clericus Cup” soccer tourna- overs lost on the opening day due want to take the lead and put New Rubel Hossain c Watling b Wagner 4 Extras (b4) 4 ment, which pitches the Swiss Guards against seminarians to rain. “I take quite a bit of confi- Zealand under pressure. “We need Al-Amin Hossain not out 0 Total (for three wickets. 33.3 overs) 107 from the North American College and other teams. dence out of that and that’s some- to pick up the two wickets at the Extras (b2,lb1, w1) 4 Fall of wickets: 1-31 (Rutherford), 2-32 (Fulton), 3-101 And just on Sunday in another sporting initiative, the cul- thing I think that any bowler crease now because they are the Total (all out, 74.5 overs) 282 (McCullum) ture ministry organized a “Race of Faith,” laying down a 100- works hard for in their career,” most important batsmen,” he said. Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Anamul), 2-90 (Marshall), 3-166 Bowling: Al-Amim 6-3-14-0, Sohag Gazi 6-0-13-0, meter (yard) track along the main boulevard leading to St. Wagener said of his first five-wick- “They are the senior players and (Mominul) 4-208 (Tamim), 5-228 (Shakib), 6-246 Shakib 11-1-25-3, Razzak Peter’s Square to emphasize sports’ positive spiritual and edu- et haul in nine Tests. can always play big innings.” The (Mushfiqur), 7-252 ( Nasir), 8-266 ( Sohag), 9-274 ( 5-1-33-0, Rubel 5.3-0-18-0. cational values. —AP “So I’m pleased with that,” he first Test ended in a draw. —AFP