THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017 SPORTS Black Cap Guptill out for three South Africa matches

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s in-form open- for the T20, the Black Caps first place after a strong performance gainst ousted them from the 2015 World Cup in a “New Zealand are a street-smart team and ing batsman Martin Guptill will miss the first instead turned to uncapped 20-year-old Australia and Larsen said he was the logical dramatic semi-final in Auckland. South they find ways to compete but we have a three matches of South Africa’s tour after Glenn Phillips. Chief selector Gavin Larsen replacement for Guptill. Africa’s one-day AB de Villiers has decent record there,” de Villiers said, referring suffering a hamstring injury, officials said said the South African-born Aucklander had New Zealand and South Africa have only described that agonising result as “unfin- to series wins for the tourists in 2012 and yesterday. New Zealand (NZC) said shown outstanding domestic form and was played 14 T20 internationals, with the ished business”, saying the Proteas are keen 2014. The Black Caps’ battling qualities are Guptill strained his hamstring during train- an exciting prospect. “He bats with power, Proteas victorious in 10 of them. They arrive to exact revenge. But New Zealand are also expected to be less of a factor in the Test ing and was out of this Friday’s one-off has shown he can clear the rope, and gets a in New Zealand as the world’s top-ranked performing well in ODIs and are ranked third series beginning in Dunedin on March 8, with international against the Proteas deserved opportunity to showcase his skills one-day team after winning their last 11 in the 50-over format. They helped South South Africa enjoying a superior record in the in Auckland. He will also miss two of the five on the international stage,” Larsen said. one-dayers, including 5-0 clean sweeps Africa topple Australia from the number one format. New Zealand have never won a Test one-day internationals in South Africa’s busy Dean Brownlie will replace Guptill in the against Australia and . spot by defeating their trans-Tasman rivals in series against the Proteas and the last time touring schedule, which includes three Tests. first two ODIs. Brownlie was considered They also have added motivation against the recent Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series they defeated the South Africans in a five-day Rather than call up the vastly experienced unlucky to miss out on the ODI squad in the the New Zealanders after the Black Caps and whitewashed Bangladesh 3-0. match was in Wellington in 2004. — AFP Root vows to captain England ‘his way’

LEEDS: Joe Root insisted he would captain added: “I’ve obviously known Michael England “his way” as he gave his first insight Vaughan for a long time and maybe a few into how he would lead the Test side. Two people away from cricket to get a different days on from being named as the successor perspective on things.” to former England Test skipper Alastair As for his lack of leadership experience, Cook, Yorkshire batsman Root outlined his Root-who has an impressive aver- approach when speaking to reporters at his age of over 52 in his 53-Test career-said: “I Headingley home ground yesterday. didn’t have much county experience before “I don’t think you should be scared of I got onto the Test team and I managed to asking for help on occasions but for the find a way to be successful in that environ- most part I like to think I’ll be able to put ment. “I’ve got a lot of experience now with my stamp on things and do things my 50-odd games under my belt and I’d like to way,” Root told BBC Radio Five. The 26- think for the past few years I have started to year-old Root, previously vice-captain to think as a captain in my own mind, so if Cook, has little senior captaincy experi- Cooky ever needed help or advice or the ence, with just a handful of matches as bowlers came up to me and asked what I stand-in Yorkshire skipper behind him. But thought then I was switched on enough to he has plenty of time to ease himself into think ‘this is what I’d do’.” his new role as England’s next Test is not Cook resigned following a 4-0 series until their July series opener against South reverse in India that crowned a difficult Africa at Lord’s. For the time being, their 2016 for England that saw them lose eight focus is on limited overs cricket, particular- Tests in all. ly June’s 50-over Champions Trophy tour- But Root believed England, who after nament on home soil. home series against South Africa and the West Indies begin the defence of the Ashes ‘INSTINCTIVE’ in Australia in November, were on the cusp Root is a senior batsman in all formats of great things. “There’s a core group of for England but Eoin Morgan will remain players that have played 20-30 games, I the side’s captain in white-ball cricket “I think it’s the right time for them to take a bit think the beauty of the position right now is more responsibility and become slightly I have plenty of time to think about that,” more consistent.” said Root. Root said he had been offered the “I’d like to think I’d be quite instinctive, I England captaincy while looking after his want us to always look to win and I want us five-week-old son. “On Sunday afternoon I to be a tough side to play against. “I think it had just taken Alfie for nappy changing and would be silly of me not to speak to people I got a nice call from Andrew (Strauss) say- MINNEAPOLIS: Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James gets off a pass as Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, and Gorgui iengD of who have been in the position before... like ing ‘this is the one call you get in your life... Senegal defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, in Minneapolis. — AP Cooky, Straussy (England director of cricket we’d like you to take the role’,” he told Sky Andrew Strauss, Cook’s predecessor as cap- Sports. “I immediately accepted it. It was BASKETBALL tain).” Root, who in common with 2005 dad’s birthday weekend and I went down Ashes-winning skipper Michael Vaughan for Sunday dinner with the family. It was a played for the Sheffield Collegiate club, special time in our family life.” — AFP LeBron helps Cavaliers to win over Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS: LeBron James had 25 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds to turn back a charge NBA results/standings from Andrew Wiggins and help the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Sacramento 97, LA Lakers 96; Cleveland 116, Minnesota 108; Chicago 105, Toronto 94. Channing Frye had 21 points and 10 rebounds Eastern Conference Western Conference while starting for All-Star Kevin Love, who will Atlantic Division Northwest Division miss at least the next six weeks after having sur- W L PCT GB Utah 34 22 .607 - gery on his left knee. Kyre Irving scored 25 Boston 36 19 .655 - Oklahoma City 31 25 .554 3 points for the Cavs and James sealed the victory Toronto 32 24 .571 4.5 Denver 25 30 .455 8.5 with a stepback 3-pointer with two minutes to NY Knicks 23 33 .411 13.5 Portland 23 32 .418 10.5 play. Wiggins scored 41 points against the team Philadelphia 21 34 .382 15 Minnesota 21 35 .375 13 that drafted him and Karl-Anthony Towns scored Brooklyn 9 46 .164 27 Pacific Division 26 for the Wolves, who finished a six-game Central Division homestand at 2-4. The Wolves allowed Cleveland Golden State 46 9 .836 - Cleveland 38 16 .704 - LA Clippers 34 21 .618 12 to shoot 51 percent and hit 13 3s. Indiana 29 26 .527 9.5 LEEDS: England’s newly-announced cricket Test captain Joe Root poses for photogra- Sacramento 24 32 .429 22.5 phers ahead of a news conference at Headingly stadium in Leeds, north-east Chicago 27 29 .482 12 BULLS 105, RAPTORS 94 LA Lakers 19 38 .333 28 England, yesterday. Root said he felt “privileged, humbled and very excited” after Detroit 26 30 .464 13 Doug McDermott scored 20 points, All-Star Phoenix 17 39 .304 29.5 being given the “huge honour” of being named England’s new Test captain. — AFP Milwaukee 24 30 .444 14 Jimmy Butler had 19 points and 12 assists in his Southeast Division Southwest Division return to the lineup, and Chicago beat Toronto for Washington 33 21 .611 - San Antonio 42 13 .764 - the 11th straight time. Taj Gibson had 14 points Atlanta 32 23 .582 1.5 Houston 40 17 .702 3 Shaharyar says PCB and Rajon Rondo added 12 for the Bulls, who led Charlotte 24 31 .436 9.5 Memphis 34 23 .596 9 by as many as 23 points and never trailed in the Miami 24 32 .429 10 Dallas 22 33 .400 20 won’t spare match-fixers final three quarters to snap a three-game skid. Orlando 21 36 .368 13.5 New Orleans 22 34 .393 20.5 Toronto’s last win in the series was Dec. 31, 2013. ISLAMABAD: A top official of the 30s had been arrested on Feb. 13 and Kyle Lowry scored 22 points to lead the Raptors, Pakistan Cricket Board says two players released on bail until April in connection who lost their third straight and fell one-half rebounds, and Sacramento held on for its Sacramento. Williams’ potential game-winning accused of involvement in spot-fixing in with bribery offences as part of an ongo- game behind idle Atlanta for the No. 4 seed in the fourth straight win. 3 went wide right of the basket at the buzzer. the Pakistan Super League tournament ing investigation into international crick- Eastern Conference. DeMar DeRozan was limited Lou Williams scored 29 points off the bench He was 4 of 11 from long range. will face maximum punishments if they et match spot-fixing. to 18 points - 10 below his season average. He to lead the Lakers, who rallied from 13 down The Lakers got within two in the third only confess. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif A third Islamabad United player is also was whistled for his second technical found in the early in the fourth quarter and tied the game to have the Kings run off nine points in a row arrived in Lahore yesterday and were under investigation and a player from final minute and ejected from the game. 91-all on his 3-pointer with 1:31 to play. Los and extend their lead to 68-57. Williams made a scheduled to appear before the PCB’s each of the and Quetta Angeles pulled even twice more, including on 3 and another basket, and Larry Nance Jr. head of anti-corruption unit Col. Gladiators franchises was questioned by KINGS 97, LAKERS 96 another 3 by Williams, but couldn’t overcome scored to cut Sacramento’s lead to 70-64 head- Mohammad Azam. “If they confessed the PCB’s anti-corruption unit in the DeMarcus Cousins had 40 points and 12 Cousins, who scored the final 10 points for ing into the fourth. — AP there’s no need to form a tribunal, but we United Arab Emirates, where the Super will hand them maximum punishment so League is being staged. All three players that nobody could do this thing in were allowed to continue playing in the CRICKET future,” PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan tournament. told reporters. “We know what we are doing,” PSL Shaharyar said the players will be chairman Najam Sethi said late Tuesday. Ashwin ‘Bradman of handed the charges and the PCB will give “We have all the evidence and we knew them around 14 days to respond. “We this for a while. We had information, but will give evidence to them which we we cannot talk about stuff right now, a bowling’: Steve Waugh have against them ... it’s necessary to give charge sheet will be given to players them a chance,” Shaharyar said. soon.” Sethi said the PCB’s anti-corruption Shaharyar said the PCB was aware of unit had information about spot-fixing NEW DELHI: Former skipper Steve Waugh on a record-breaking 19-Test unbeaten run the fact that bookmakers were targeting before the PSL began on Feb. 9. “We had has warned that Australia’s only hope of and have also won six series on the trot players in the PSL and that was the rea- identified a few players and then at final beating India in their upcoming series is by under the captaincy of their star batsman son players were briefed before the inau- stages we knew the ICC had some infor- taming Ravichandran Ashwin, branding the Virat Kohli. Ashwin is the team’s undoubted gural match between Islamabad United mation as well,” he said. record-breaking spinner “the Bradman of star bowler, ranked number one in Test and Peshawar Zalmi on Feb. 9 in Dubai. “When we compared it, the informa- bowling”. bowling rankings and top of the all- Both accused players were part of the tion was the same and then we decided After the off spinner became the fastest rounders’ list after picking up 61 in defending champions Islamabad United. to act on this.” “We have these players’ bowler to claim 250 Test wickets last week- the last three series-all of them at home. Sharjeel played in the first match, which phones in which there is more informa- end, Waugh paid Ashwin the ultimate His latest match-winning performance was under the scrutiny of the PCB’s anti- tion - who they were in touch with, what Australian compliment by comparing him came during the one-off Test against corruption unit while Latif was rested. they talked about.” Sethi said the cricket to the game’s greatest batsman, the late Bangladesh in Hyderabad, which ended on PCB provisionally suspended both board’s anti-corruption unit had infiltrat- Donald Bradman. “He is the Bradman of Monday when Ashwin recorded figures of Sharjeel and Latif while another former ed gambling operations in Pakistan bowling. Ashwin is doing what Don 4-73 in the second innings. test opener Nasir Jamshed was also pro- ahead of the tournament. It’s not the first Bradman did with batting. Pretty incredible India have been in red-hot form in recent visionally suspended on Monday - the time Pakistan cricketers have been stuff and he is a handy batsman too,” Waugh months, with the victory over Bangladesh day he was arrested and then released on embroiled in corruption controversies. In was quoted as saying in the Times of India following a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand bail in England. “Jamshed and another 1999 Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman yesterday. “Ashwin is the player that in September and a 4-0 drubbing of man, Yusuf, were arrested by the National were banned for life following a match- Australia have to overcome and probably England at the end of last year. Crime Agency,” a PCB official told The fixing investigation. then we have a chance. His record in India is “India are very hard to beat in India and Associated Press yesterday. In 2010 three players - Mohammad just phenomenal,” said Waugh, who was that has been proved in the last couple of The PCB official spoke on condition of Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif - attending an awards ceremony in Monaco. years. They are a very settled side and anonymity because he was not author- were suspended for five years for their Australia have not won a Test in India everyone is very confident in their role,” said ized to comment on the issue. Britain’s involvement in the bowling of deliberate since their 2-1 series victory in 2004 and few Waugh. The four-match series between National Crime Authority released an ear- no-balls at pre-determined times during observers give them much hope of success India and Australia begins in Pune on lier statement saying two men in their a test match in England. — AP this time round against what is currently the February 23. The other Tests are in world’s number one ranked team. India are Bangalore, Ranchi and Dharamsala. — AFP Ravichandran Ashwin