14 Sports Tuesday, July 7, 2020 Photo of the Day Ganguly credits fitness for India’s fast bowling rise NEW DELHI: India’s cricket chief Sourav Ganguly says improved fitness standards and a change in culture have led to the country developing one of the world’s best pace attacks. Spearheads Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are part of a battery of five formidable quick bowlers that have helped change India’s traditional re- liance on spin bowling. “You know culture has changed in India that we can be good fast bowlers,” Ganguly said in a chat hosted on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Twitter feed. “Fitness regimes, fitness standards not only just among fast bowlers but also among the batters, that has changed enormously. “That has made everyone understand and believe that we are fit, we are strong and we can also bowl fast like the others did.” The West Indies dominated world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s led by a fearsome pace attack that included all-time greats such as Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Gar- ner. Recently Indian quicks have risen to the top in world cricket with Shami, Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in a deadly arsenal. “The West Indies in my generation were naturally strong,” the former India captain said. “We Indians were never such naturally strong... but we worked hard to get strong. But I think it is the change in culture as well that is very important.” Shami last month claimed that the current Indian pace attack may be the best in Test history. “You and everyone else in the world will agree to this — that no team has ever had five fast bowlers together as a package,” said Shami. “Not just now, in the history of cricket, this might be the best fast-bowling unit in the world.” Shami took 13 wickets during India’s 3-0 home Test AFQA WATERFALL: Kenny Belaey performs during filming Border to Border at Afqa waterfall, Lebanon. — Photo taken from www.redbullcontentpool.com sweep over South Africa last year, while Bumrah has claimed 68 scalps in 14 Tests since his debut. — AFP DeChambeau muscles his way to three-shot victory in Detroit Marks his fourth straight PGA Tour season with a triumph DETRIOT: A bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau, who Tour victory. The win marks DeChambeau’s fourth has been knocking on the door since the PGA Tour’s straight PGA Tour season with a triumph. return from a COVID-19 hiatus, finally blew it open “This is a little emotional for me because I did do as he cruised to victory at the Rocket Mortgage Clas- something a little different, I changed my body, sic in Detroit on Sunday. changed my mindset in the game and I was able to World number 10 DeChambeau, who arrived at accomplish a win while playing a completely different Detroit Golf Club riding an impressive streak of six style of golf,” said DeChambeau. consecutive top-10 finishes, shot a seven-under-par “And it’s pretty amazing to see that and I hope it’s 65 to reach 23 under on the week, three shots ahead an inspiration to a lot of people that if they set their of overnight leader Matthew Wolff (71). mind to it, you can accomplish it. It just takes a lot of DeChambeau, who re-emerged from the break in hard work.” Wolff, who was seeking his second PGA mid-June packing serious muscle and startling dis- Tour title, struggled early and was three over after 10 tance off the tee, began the day holes, five shots off the pace, three shots back of Wolff but and seemingly out of con- wasted little time taking over tention until the par-four 12th top spot on the leaderboard. Four birdies where he made the first of four The American had four birdies over a six-hole stretch. birdies through seven holes, through Wolff had a chance to and then added another at the move to within one shot of par-four 10th where he drained seven holes DeChambeau but his 14-foot a 22-foot putt to take complete eagle putt at the penultimate control. DeChambeau’s lone hole stopped just short of the miscue came at the par-five cup. Kevin Kisner (66) fin- 14th where he made bogey, which opened the door ished five shots back of DeChambeau in third place as Wolff shrugged off a rough front nine and made a while former Masters champion Danny Willett (66) DETROIT: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States celebrates with the trophy after winning the Rocket Mortgage late charge. But DeChambeau finished his round with was among a group of four golfers a further two Classic at the Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. — AFP three consecutive birdies to secure his sixth PGA shots back.— Reuters courtside. The French Tennis Federation speed through the air of Holding, the 18.20 despite missing a match through Djokovic’s event (FFT) expect some 20,000 spectators a W Indies unleash steepling bounce and crushing yorkers of injury. Barbados team-mate Garner took day during the early stages of the two- the 6ft 8in Garner and the awkwardness 29 wickets at 18.62. taught us to be week tournament and about 10,000 per latest ‘Fab Four’ in of Croft, from wide of the crease or 1988: Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, day on the final weekend. Forget said a around the wicket, meant they each Courtney Walsh, Winston Benjamin/ successful event needed to have some England posed different problems for batsmen. Patrick Patterson cautious: French kind of a crowd. Meanwhile this series also saw Mal- — West Indies won 4-0 in a series “We all see soccer on television, it’s colm Marshall, arguably the greatest West where England’s disarray was summed up Open director wonderful but something is missing LONDON: West Indies are set to field Indies fast bowler of them all, start to es- by the fact they got through four captains. without the crowds,” the former world their latest fast-bowling quartet during tablish himself in the side. Even so, the Marshall, capable of both sheer pace and No. 4 said. “We are working closely with this week’s first Test against England in West Indies only won the series 1-0, with late movement, led the way with 35 wick- MUMBAI: French Open organisers are the administration, the government, to Southampton, with the likes of Shannon Roberts taking eight wickets in a two- ets at a staggeringly low average of 12.65 taking every precaution to ensure the make sure we can provide some crowd Gabriel, Kemar Roach, captain Jason wicket win in the opener at Trent Bridge apiece, with Ambrose — soon to become Grand Slam does not meet the same fate while still following very strict security Holder and Alzarri Joseph all vying to before the other four matches were all the leader of the attack — and Walsh of- as Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour, which measures.” The US Open in New York, make an impact. drawn largely due to weather interrup- fering excellent support. was abandoned after several players which is scheduled to start on Aug. 31, will The Caribbean has a long and proud tions. 1995: Ambrose, Walsh, Kenny Ben- tested positive for COVID-19, tourna- have no spectators and operate under history of producing top-class fast 1984: Marshall, Garner, Holding, Eldine jamin, Ian Bishop ment director Guy Forget has told strict health protocols, including limiting bowlers. AFP Sport looks back at some Baptiste — With the likes of batting greats Reuters. Djokovic has come under fire the size of each player’s entourage. Forget previous West Indies pace attacks in — The ‘Blackwash’ team hammered Gordon Greenidge and Vivian Richards after the charity event was played in front said French Open organisers were not England: 1980: Andy Roberts, Michael England 5-0. The writing was on the wall having now both retired, the West Indies of packed crowds in Serbia and Croatia planning anything as strict and were even Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft for the hosts when Marshall struck debu- found themselves held to a 2-2 draw in and saw players hugging at the net and hoping to ease restrictions. — The original ‘fearsome foursome’ tant Andy Lloyd on the head with a a six-Test series. posing for pictures together. “Luckily things are a bit more flexible revolutionised world cricket under the bouncer in the series opener, with the But all four frontline bowlers still took Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna in Europe and in France, especially,” he captaincy of Clive Lloyd by ensuring batsman never playing another Test. more than 21 wickets each. Nevertheless Coric and Viktor Troicki have all tested said. “Hopefully, what we’re going to an- there was no respite for batsmen even Marshall’s mastery was evident when there were signs the West Indies were not positive for the new coronavirus. The nounce will probably be even more flex- when the shine had gone off the ball. he took seven for 53 in the third Test at the force they had been and in 2000 Eng- French Open will allow up to 60% of the ible than what we did.” The FFT drew Although all capable of being gen- Headingley despite a broken thumb an he land beat them in a series for the first time usual capacity inside the Roland Garros heavy criticism in mid-March when it uinely quick, the guile of Roberts, the grounds when the rescheduled claycourt unilaterally moved the French Open to finished the series with 24 wickets at in 31 years.