TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015 Warne still spinning World Cup headlines SYDNEY: From blokeish TV commentary to contro- porter of mine and is a good friend,” said Clarke, Day Test in Melbourne, when Steve Smith was the row, attributing the controversies to Warne’s versial jibes at the present day Australian team to whose planned return to the team was delayed standing in for Clarke. outspoken nature. flogging boxer shorts on his Instagram account, it’s when Saturday’s game against Bangladesh in “He’s got to be a little bit careful-he’s got to stop When he’s not acting as an ad-hoc team selector hard to ignore Shane Warne at the World Cup. Brisbane was washed out. “I think Shane might have walking out on the MCG and declaring,” Warne said at the six-week tournament, Warne is making a The master leg-spinner, who retired from inter- been taken out of context. I think what he was try- on radio station 2GB. “He’s got to remember that name for himself up in the TV commentary booth national cricket in 2007 with over 1,000 wickets in ing to say was the medical staff have pushed me to that’s the captain’s job and not the coach’s job.” with off-the-cuff, blokeish asides. Tests and one-day internationals, is rarely far from the limit, which is a great thing.” But Smith denied that Lehmann had too much “He looks like he’s swallowed a couple of wheelie the headlines. The 45-year-old has been at the cen- Despite Clarke attempting to play a forward influence and insisted he had decided when to bins,” was Warne’s description of a former adversary tre of almost daily criticism of the Australian team, defensive stroke for the sake of team unity, Warne declare, not the coach. “I think ‘Boof’ (Lehmann) was who is not as slender as he once was in his playing accusing officials of trying to “break” close friend, was soon back on the attack. sitting on the sideline where he tends to sit to days. Meanwhile, on everyday things to dislike: and national captain, Michael Clarke by rushing him Over the weekend, as the four-time champions watch the match,” Smith said. “Third new ball...queuing...holding hands..” The back from his long-standing injury. kicked their heels before their next match against “I was up the top trying to call the guys in but World Cup has also provided Warne with the chance Coach Darren Lehmann, a team-mate of Warne’s New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday, Warne they couldn’t see me. I think he said ‘look up there, to market his new range of black, boxer shorts with when Australia won the 1999 World Cup, described accused Lehmann of trying to usurp the authority of he’s calling you in’. I think they showed him on the the word SPINNERS emblazoned on the waistband. the comments as “absolute rubbish”. Clarke, howev- the captain. TV doing it but I was up the top calling them in-it “Bad boy,” is his confident description of his branded er, raced to the defence of his friend. He suggested it was Lehmann who had decided was me.” Cricket Australia, the game’s governing underwear. Lehmann, Smith and Cricket Australia “I have always supported Warney, he’s a big sup- when Australia declared against India in the Boxing body in the country, has refused to get dragged into may be thinking the same about Warne. — AFP Federer sorry for India ‘bleed blue’ DUBAI: Roger Federer has apologised for getting caught up in the bitter rivalry between Indian and Pakistani cricket fans after he was pictured admiring the blue shirt of World Cup champions India in a marketing photo-shoot. The 17-time Grand Slam title winner shares the same sponsor as the Indian team and on the eve of the two sides’ World Cup clash in Adelaide last weekend, Federer posted a picture on his Facebook page of him admiring a blue playing jersey with the caption “Dressing up for a Gentleman’s game today. #BleedBlue.” “It was more of a Nike thing to be quite honest,” said the Swiss star on the eve of the Dubai Open. “It was a Nike campaign they had because I met some of the Indian players and I had just spent some time in India so they presented the shirt to me. “I support South Africa, and everybody knows that. The idea wasn’t to spark any fire and I’m sorry if it did that.” The photograph certainly irritated Federer’s legion of fans in Pakistan. One, a student at Cambridge University in England and writing in the Express Tribune, an English language newspaper in Pakistan, claimed he had deleted all his Federer photos and taken a brief opinion poll in which ten out of 12 Pakistanis apparently felt hurt or betrayed. Federer has certainly gone public in his support for the Springboks rugby team in the past, and has strong Rodger Federer posing with the Indian cricket team jersey. South African connections. His mother Lynette is from Whether or not he followed cricket, “really depends known to be close with the ‘Little Master’ a regular visi- South Africa and the Roger Federer Foundation has where you are,” he added. tor to Wimbledon each year to see the Swiss play. raised large sums to help disadvantaged children in the “When I’m in America definitely not. When I’m in Virat Kohli, who made a century for India in the country. Nevertheless, Federer sought to clarify his atti- Europe definitely not. But then when I’m in Australia and World Cup win over Pakistan, also met Federer in tude to cricket which is currently being showcased at here (in the UAE) a little bit sometimes. So it really Sydney in January, describing the tennis player as an the ongoing World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. depends where I am in the world which sport I follow.” “absolute legend” in a captioned picture he posted on The Indian team, he said, he supported “a little bit.” Federer and India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar are his Twitter site. — AFP Finch backs rusty Australia to shine in New Zealand AUCKLAND: In-form opener Aaron Finch shrugged World Cup. Southee recorded the best-ever one-day bowling India’s Shikhar Dhawan avoids a raising delivery in this file photo. —AP off concerns that a rusty Australia will be caught cold “We’ve been training well during the week and figures by a New Zealander when he took 7-33 in the by high-flying trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on had a pretty solid session on Saturday when we were comprehensive eight-wicket win over England in Saturday in what will be their first World Cup match in meant to play. We’re feeling good and ready to go.” Wellington on Friday. Dhawan making two weeks. Surprisingly the 28-year-old Finch has never played a “Myself and David Warner are going to have to The Black Caps have won three games while one-day international against New Zealand despite play as well as we can to negate that,” added Finch Australia, who started their campaign with a thump- making his debut in January 2013 and having who said the team will not be doing too much home- ing 111-run victory over England on February 14, saw notched up 42 games. work on their rivals. up for lost time their scheduled second match against Bangladesh That is due to the fact that Australia’s last one-day- “You do see a lot of cricket and you have access to abandoned due to heavy rain without a ball being er against New Zealand was in the 2011 World Cup, probably too much footage sometimes-it can wear bowled in Brisbane last weekend. Finch, who scored while a game in the Champions Trophy in England you down a little bit. “There’s probably not going to be MELBOURNE: India’s World Cup batting two, one, eight and 38 in the tri-series one- 135 in the Melbourne romp against England, said the two years later was called off as a no-result due to any surprises from either team... there’s no real mys- hero Shikhar Dhawan is an unconventional day series that also featured England. two-week break will not be an issue when the two rain. Finch, who was not in the side then, praised New tery spinner from to worry about. “The Kiwis swing the cricketer who met his wife, an amateur box- Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the Pool A rivals meet at Auckland’s Eden Park. Zealand’s new-ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent ball right at the start, left and right arm, so we just er, via Facebook and splits his time hard work Dhawan had put in the nets was “We came off a good game against England and Boult. “Their bowling at the top of the innings has have to play it on merit.” The game will probably between New Delhi and Melbourne. Long paying off. we’ve had no problems really,” said Finch of the game been outstanding with Tim Southee and Trent Boult decide who tops the pool and meet a relatively weak- before he played two match-winning “He has worked as hard as anybody and on February 14 — the opening day of the six-week and guys chipping in,” said Finch. er team from Pool B in the quarter-finals.