THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015 SPORTS Burns plots Aussies comeback in India MELBOURNE: Queensland batsman Joe the chance to play.” Burns is determined to avoid membership Australia’s recent history is littered with of the burgeoning club of Australian bats- batsmen who have been thrown into the men who have made brief cameos in the spotlight after years of toiling in the test team before permanently falling into fringes, then promptly banished after a obscurity. The 25-year-old was the only handful of games. member of the team that defeated India 2- Tasmania batsman Alex Doolan had a 0 in the 2014-15 series not to be picked for brief flirtation with Australia’s number three the 17-man tour squad for the Caribbean spot in the batting order last year but was and England in June and July. dumped after his fourth test produced con- The highly-rated right-hander’s spot was secutive failures. usurped by 35-year-old Western Australian Erstwhile one-day captain George Bailey Adam Voges, who amassed more than failed to perform in the 2013-14 Ashes and 1,300 runs in Australia’s domestic Sheffield has not had a look-in since. Three-test all- Shield to lead the run-scorers in a stand- rounder Moises Henriques enjoyed a prom- out season. ising debut in India with two half-centuries Though Voges dazzled selectors, Burns but was discarded before the end of the ill- also had a decent Shield and might feel fated 2013 tour that saw Australia white- unlucky after scoring consecutive half-cen- washed 4-0. turies in his second and last test against On his 2012 debut against South Africa India in January. in Brisbane, Victoria left-hander Rob Quiney “Sometimes tough calls are made and scored nine, which was memorably 50-50 calls can go against you but you can’t described as “the best nine” then-coach get too down about it,” two-test Burns told Mickey Arthur had seen. the Brisbane Times. He was dropped one test later after two “You have to focus on what’s important consecutive ducks and Arthur was sacked and the things that you need to continually the following year. Burns will head to India keep doing to keep performing. “I think I’m with Australia A and other test discards, not going to get too caught up in getting including Bailey, Usman Khawaja and spin- down in the dumps about it. ner Ashton Agar. “I think it’s natural to be disappointed “I want to play for the next decade for when you get left out of the Australian Australia and I think being able to perform cricket team. It’s a great team to be a part on the sub-continent is going to play a big of and I guess that’s why it hurts not to get part in that,” he said. —Reuters WASHINGTON: Eric Fehr No. 16 of the Washington Capitals skates past Ryan Murphy No. 7, Eric Staal No.12 and goalie Cam Ward No. 30 of the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period. —AFP Sri Lanka urges Sangakkara to reconsider retirement Capitals stop Hurricanes COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s sports minister yes- the World Cup. WASHINGTON: Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL- Rangers rallied to beat Winnipeg. Lundqvist, in the Pacific Division with their second win in terday urged the world’s number one bats- Sangakarra scored an unprecedented leading 50th goal, reaching that mark for the playing for the second time since missing 25 two nights. They did it by killing off a five-minute man Kumar Sangakkara to reconsider plans four successive ODI hundreds during the sixth time and tying a team record with the games with a neck injury, stopped 32 shots and major penalty that carried into overtime. to retire from Test cricket and urged him to tournament in Australia and New Zealand, 472nd of his career, and added an assist to help earned his first win in his return. The playoff- Eddie Lack stopped all four Nashville shots in play on for another year. racking up a total of 541 in seven innings at the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina bound Rangers (48-21-7) also got goals from overtime, then turned away attempts by Mike Navin Dissanayake told reporters that he an average of over 108. Hurricanes 4-2 Tuesday night. Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard, snapped a Santorelli and Filip Forsberg in the shootout. hoped a government-ordered overhaul of As well as being the number one bats- With his team pushing to make the playoffs, two-game skid, and moved one point ahead of Alexandre Burrows had a goal and an assist Sri Lanka Cricket might persuade the 37- man in the world rankings for Test cricket, the three-time NHL MVP got No. 50 at 11:12 of Montreal atop the Eastern Conference. Jim Slater for Vancouver. Chris Higgins, Linden Vey and year-old to stick around a bit longer after the former captain is also the number two the first period, giving Washington a 2-0 lead and Lee Stempniak scored for Winnipeg (39-26- Jannik Hansen scored a goal each, and Bonino he again underlined his class at the World in the ODI rankings. when he took a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov and 12). Pavelec made 21 saves in the loss. had two assists. Cup. Although Sangakkara had announced sent a shot from just inside the left circle past Mike Fisher, Cody Franson, Taylor Beck and “As sports minister, I humbly appeal to before the World Cup that it would be his goalie Cam Ward. SENATORS 2, RED WINGS 1 Viktor Stalberg scored for Nashville, which lost Kumar to reconsider (retirement) and play swansong in one-day international cricket, On Tuesday, after Carolina made it 2-2 with Mark Stone scored the final goal in the its second straight at home. for the country for at least one more year,” he caused a stir during the tournament by goals from Eric Staal and Nathan Gerbe, shootout, and Ottawa beat Detroit. Mika the minister said in Colombo. speaking of his intention to quit Tests with- Washington went back in front on goals 82 sec- Zibanejad and Kyle Turris also had shootout BLUE JACKETS 3, DEVILS 2 Dissanayake said he hoped that the in months. onds apart late in the second period by Brooks goals for the Senators. Clarke MacArthur scored Jack Johnson’s backhander 56 seconds into appointment of an interim management “There are Test matches in June and Laich and Joel Ward. Braden Holtby made 23 in the third period, and Andrew Hammond, who overtime helped Columbus top New Jersey and team, headed by former Test player Sidath July, and I will be done by the end of saves for Washington. missed the previous two games because of a extend its winning streak to seven. It was the Wettimuny, would demonstrate the new August,” he told the ESPNcricinfo website. lower-body injury, returned and made 16 saves. Devils’ sixth straight loss (0-5-1). New Jersey has government’s determination to “clean up” “A series or two in June and in August, and MAPLE LEAFS 3, LIGHTNING 1 Petr Mrazek stopped 33 shots for Detroit, scored seven goals during the skid. Brandon the governing body which has been beset hat’s it.” Sri Lanka are due to play both Nazem Kadri had a goal and assist, and the which got a regulation and shootout goal from Dubinsky scored on a penalty shot, Nick Foligno by accusations of corruption and misman- Pakistan and India over the summer, Toronto played the role of spoiler in a win over Gustav Nyquist. Tomas Tatar also scored in the had a power-play goal, and Sergei Bobrovsky agement. “I spoke with him (Sangakkara) in although the exact dates are yet to be playoff-bound Tampa Bay. shootout. made 24 saves. Ryan Johansen had two assists, New Zealand during the World Cup,” the finalised. Sangakkara has already signed up One day after the Lightning secured a playoff giving him at least one in seven straight games - minister said in Colombo. to play for English county side Surrey in spot, they fell behind 2-0 after a sluggish spell CANUCKS 5, PREDATORS 4 one off the franchise mark. “He was very disappointed and unhap- 2015 and 2016, complicating the prospects midway through the first period. Nick Bonino and Radim Vrbata scored in the Mike Cammalleri scored a power-play goal in py (with the cricket administration) and of a u-turn. He has scored 12,203 runs in Kadri’s goal at 8:53 marked the first time the shootout, and Vancouver avoided being swept the first period and added a short-handed tally now that there is a change, I think there is a Test cricket, more than any other active Maple Leafs (29-42-6) had the lead in a game in by Nashville. The Canucks padded their lead to with 2:29 left in regulation for New Jersey. Eric possibility that he will change his mind.” player, putting him at number five on the 541:08 of action. David Booth and Morgan Rielly four points over Calgary to stay in second place Gelinas added two assists. —AP The minister said he had “asked Sidath all-time list. There was no immediate com- also scored for Toronto, which got a fine 40-save to talk to Kumar” about staying on after the ment from Sangakkara to the minister’s performance from James Reimer in winning its left-hander’s outstanding performances at appeal.—AFP second straight.