SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016 SPORTS Australia board under fire over pregnancy clause MELBOURNE: Australia’s Fair Work becoming aware that she is pregnant, being out of concern for women’s health But CA changed its position on blamed the players’ association for rais- Ombudsman is investigating the nation- she will notify the details of the preg- and safety. Saturday, announcing it would review its ing the issue. al cricket board’s controversial pregnan- nancy (in writing, where practicable) to “Our only interest in whether one of policies and contracts that applied to “We are extremely disappointed that cy clause in contracts offered to elite the CA medical officer (or such other our women players is pregnant is to “pregnancy, maternity leave and carer this issue has been raised by the ACA women players. appropriate representative of CA or oth- ensure the health of her and her baby, support” after it was contacted by the (Australian Cricketers Association),” he Cricket Australia has been under fire er person designated by CA) as soon as and we have strict rules around medical labour watchdog on Friday. said. “Their senior executives were fully over the clause which required women reasonably practicable.” confidentiality,” CA high performance “We will co-operate fully with the involved in negotiating, amending and to declare whether they were pregnant The clause has been slammed by chief Pat Howard said in a statement this Ombudsman, and welcome their then agreeing the contract for women before signing contracts. women’s groups as discriminatory after week. “We are very mindful that cricket inquiries because it is always our inten- players in the first half of 2015. The clause said: “The Player warrants being brought to light during pay nego- involves physical risk, and we need to tion to provide the best support for all “As the ACA has shown no objection that, to the best of her knowledge, she is tiations between the board and the ensure that our medical staff and players our players,” CA chief executive James to this contract, they should take not pregnant as at the date of signing players’ association. are aware of every aspect that can affect Sutherland said in a statement. responsibility for their role in developing this Contract and undertakes that upon CA initially defended the clause as a player’s health.” Despite the probe, Sutherland the current policy.”— Reuters Dawson, Rashid propel England in fifth Test CHENNAI: Debutant Liam Dawson yester- them,” said Dawson on getting a bouncer day said it could be “hard work” for England from Ishant Sharma that saw him lose his bowlers on flat deck after his gritty half- balance after being hit on the helmet. century helped the visitors post a formida- Dawson has represented England in a ble 477 on day two of the fifth Test against one-day international and Twenty20 earlier India in Chennai. this year, but the Hampshire allrounder was Dawson scored an unbeaten 66 and thrilled to play a part in the team’s Test per- shared a 108-run stand with Adil Rashid formance. (60), England’s best for the eight wicket, to “I was extremely excited and from a lift their first innings total after the Indian team point of view as well, we want to fin- bowlers hurt the visitors with early strikes. ish on a high. We are in a fairly good posi- England, who resumed the day on 284-4, tion,” said Dawson. Rashid, who recorded slipped to 321-7 after overnight centurion his second Test fifty in his 10th game, also Moeen Ali departed for 146, but Dawson looked solid during his gutsy effort as he and Rashid made sure the the tourists keep fell one short of his Test best of 61. going. England’s innings ended 45 minutes into the evening session as India were firm ALI BOUNCED OUT in their reply with 60 for no loss at stumps. Earlier Ali seemed relentless in his drive Lokesh Rahul (30) and Parthiv Patel (28) to consolidate England’s position after were at the crease as the hosts trail by 417 adding 26 runs to his overnight score but runs. “There isn’t huge amount of spin, has- his efforts were cut short just after the first n’t been much pace in it for the seamers, so drinks interval of the day. Indian skipper tomorrow is going to be hard work for us,” Virat Kohli’s ploy of getting his pacemen to Dawson, who bowls left-arm spin, said. bowl short at Ali paid off as the left-hander “But if we keep going all day and keep mistimed a pull on one of Umesh Yadav’s trying to take wickets then we can take rising deliveries. wickets,” the 26-yer-old allrounder told Yadav and Sharma took two wickets reporters at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram each while Ravindra Jadeja, with three Stadium. Allrounder Dawson, who was a wickets on the opening day, stood out on late inclusion in the England squad before the bowling list for India. “They (England) the fourth Test in place of Zafar Ansari, got some quick runs, but I think the ball is showed his batting prowess during his 148- not turning that much. That is the problem, BRISBANE: Pakistan’s spin bowler Yasir Shah (R) dives to filed a ball played by Australia’s batsman Steven Smith (C) during thethird day-night ball stay, hitting 5 fours and a six. we can’t get wickets and that momentum,” cricket Test match between Australia and Pakistan in Brisbane yesterday. — AFP His effort was the highest by an England said Yadav, who bowled at a lively pace. No. 8 on debut in Tests, surpassing the late “Let’s see how the wicket behaves, if it David Bairstow’s 59 against India in 1979. turns after the third day (or not). I think “It is obviously nice to do well on debut. It there is still some interest left in the game,” Pakistan knuckle down in was interesting first few balls in Test cricket said Yadav. The hosts have already pocket- for me but I was pleased to get through ed the series 3-0. — AFP fight to save pink-ball Test SCOREBOARD BRISBANE: Pakistan were in a backs-to-the-wall CHENNAI, India: Scoreboard at stumps on day two of the fifth and final cricket Test between India and struggle to save the day-night first Test as SCOREBOARD England in Chennai on yesteday. Australia took a strangle-hold on the third day England 1st innings (overnight 284-4; M. Ali 120 (Root), 4-253 (Bairstow), 5-287 (Stokes), 6-300 at the Gabba yesterday. At the close, the BRISBANE, Australia: Scoreboard at stumps yesterday after the third day of the first cricket test between Australia not out, B. Stokes 5 not out) (Buttler), 7-321 (Ali), 8-429 (Rashid), 9-455 (Broad), tourists were hanging in at 70 for two with and Pakistan, a day-night match at the Gabba. A. Cook c Kohli b Jadeja 10 10-477 (Ball) Azhar Ali not out 41 and 112-Test veteran Younis K. Jennings c Patel b Sharma 1 Bowling: Yadav 21-3-73-2, Sharma 21-6-42-2, Khan not off the mark after facing 19 balls. Australia, 1st Innings: 429 Pakistan, 1st Innings Peter Handscomb not out 35 J. Root c Patel b Jadeja 88 Jadeja 45-9-106-3, Ashwin 44-3-151-1, Mishra Pakistan trailed by 419 runs. (Overnight 97-8) Nic Maddinson c Azam b Wahab 4 M. Ali c Jadeja b Yadav 146 25.2-5-87-1, Nair 1-0-4-0. Pakistan made a much better fist of playing Sami Aslam c Wade b Bird 22 Matthew Wade not out 1 J. Bairstow c Rahul b Jadeja 49 in the tricky twilight session with the pink ball Azhar Ali c Khawaja b Starc 5 Extras: (2b,4lb,1nb) 7 B. Stokes c Patel b Ashwin 6 India 1st innings Babar Azam c Smith b Hazlewood 19 TOTAL: (for five wickets, dec.) 202. J. Buttler lbw b Sharma 5 L. Rahul not out 30 losing just two wickets after their catastrophic Younis Khan c Wade b Hazlewood 0 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-24, 3-135, 4-188, 5-199. L. Dawson not out 66 P. Patel not out 28 seven for 24 in the first innings on the previous Misbah-ul-Haq c Renshaw b Bird 4 A. Rashid c Patel b Yadav 60 Extras (lb 2) 2 evening. The openers lasted into the 12th over Overs: 39. Batting time: 177 minutes. S. Broad run out (Rahul/Patel) 19 Total (0 wicket; 20 overs) 60 before Starc got Sami Aslam to edge to Matt Asad Shafiq c Khawaja b Starc 2 Did not bat: Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan J. Ball b Mishra 12 Bowling: Broad 5-2-6-0, Ball 3-0-9-0, Ali 7-1-18-0, Renshaw at first slip for 15. Babar Azam fell to Sarfraz Ahmed not out 59 Lyon, Jackson Bird. Extras (b4, lb5, w1, pen 5) 15 Stokes 2-0-12-0, Rashid 2-0-13-0, Dawson 1-1-0-0. spinner Nathan Lyon in the final half-hour when Wahab Riaz c and b Hazlewood 1 Bowling: Mohammad Amir 8-0-37-1, Rahat Ali 10-1-40- Total (all out; 157.2 overs) 477 To bat: M. Vijay, C. Pujara, V. Kohli, K. Nair, R. he edged to Steve Smith at slip for 14. Yasir Shah c Khawaja b Starc 1 2, Yasir Shah 10-1-45-1, Wahab Riaz 7-1-47-1 (1nb), Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Jennings), 2-21 (Cook), 3-167 Ashwin, R.