THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 SPORTS CRICKET West Indies eager to embarrass England again LONDON: Brian Lara revealed this week England captain Joe Root, the West characters that are inside that dressing tional cricket but England’s obsession were wrong to drop him at Leeds, so that Sachin Tendulkar had sent him a Indies won by five wickets. room-he doesn’t even know me and I with the Ashes has now reached a point both sides could yet be unchanged. text message saying the West Indies’ vic- Shai Hope became the first batsman played with him at Essex,” the former where almost all other Test fixtures are England still have doubts about their tory over England in the second Test at in history to score hundreds in both Australia batsman added. “Not a lot of regarded as ‘warm-ups’ for clashes with problem top-order batting positions Headingley was “a success the entire innings of a match at Headingley, put- these players play T20 cricket anyway. I the old enemy rather than important in with number three Tom Westley under world needed.” So what the India hero ting his side in a strong position with think it was great we sent a big humble themselves. most scrutiny after a run of single-figure will say if fellow batting great Lara’s 147 before following up his maiden Test pie to go and chomp on in the com- This has been all the more true of the scores. “That extra pressure will find out Caribbean successors follow up their century with a match-clinching 118 not mentary box.” current series, with the Lord’s match a bit more about people’s character and win in Leeds by clinching a three-match out in the second innings. Even after the England, for all that they kept saying England’s last Test before they begin the things like that so it should be an excit- series in a decider at Lord’s starting fourth day of a match of fluctuating for- in public how much they respected a defense of the Ashes in Brisbane in ing week,” said England spearhead Thursday is anyone’s guess. tunes, ex-England captain Nasser struggling West Indies side, did some- November. There was talk that had James Anderson. Having gone wicket- Having dusted down the ‘obituaries’ Hussain-a former Essex team-mate of thing bordering on the disrespectful at England gone 2-0 up in the series, they less on the last day in Leeds, Anderson after the series opener at Edgbaston- West Indies coach Stuart Law-said the Headingley by dropping in-form seamer would have given a Test debut to leg- arrives at Lord’s still three away from understandable after England won the tourists were flagging because the phys- Toby Roland-Jones, whose three Tests spinner Mason Crane at Lord’s, again a becoming the first England bowler to inaugural day/night Test in Britain inside ical demands of a Test match were this season have yielded 14 wickets-and move made with the Ashes in mind. But take 500 Test wickets. “To be honest, I three days by the margin of an innings greater than that of Twenty20 cricket. bringing in Chris Woakes for his first Test that looks less likely now, with the West do try to put it to the back of my mind,” and 209 runs-few pundits gave Jason of the home campaign after injury, Indies bidding for a first Test series vic- Anderson said. “We desperately need to Holder’s novice West Indies side any ‘Humble pie’ seemingly to get some overs under his tory in England in nearly 20 years. win this Test match to win the series so chance of a revival in Leeds. Yet despite “People make assumptions all the belt ahead of the upcoming Ashes tour Recalling Roland-Jones on his I’m going to be focused completely on being set over 300 to win in the fourth time,” said Law at Lord’s on Tuesday. of Australia. Anglo-Australian matches Middlesex home ground would almost doing my job for the team when we get innings following a declaration by “But he (Hussain) doesn’t know the may be the foundation stone of interna- be an admission by the selectors they out there.”— AFP Fantasy Plays: Lessons learned from the NFL preseason games NEW YORK: There’s an old saying in the Fantasy-wise, the only player likely to be NFL: Preseason games may not count but drafted as a starter from the Jets is Bilal they do matter. That holds true for fantasy Powell. The Bills aren’t that far behind the football, as well. Watching the exhibition Jets but do have LeSean McCoy and games, especially the second halves, can be Jordan Matthews as draft-worthy, but painful, but there’s always something to Buffalo seems willing to deal anyone who learn. Here are the top things from this pre- is not nailed down as the team is trying to season that stood out. collect future draft picks. The Dolphins have multiple injuries to their linebacker DON’T DRAFT EARLY corps and lost their starting quarterback The later you can set your draft, the bet- for the season. New England will easily ter. We all want as much information as we win this division and could upset fantasy can possibly get, so you really would like to owners should it have home-field advan- wait until after rosters are initially set. Yes, tage clinched by Week 14 or 15 - the setting a draft date is one of the hardest Patriots might start resting players. things to do each season - getting 12 people to agree on anything is quite a chore. But if ROOKIE RUSHERS you can wait, then you don’t have to worry This could be the year of the rookie run- about finding replacements right away for ning back. The position is weak in fantasy players like Ryan Tannehill, Cam Meredith, football. After Johnson and Bell, there are Julian Edelman and Spencer Ware, as their questions about most others and simply types of season-ending injuries during the not enough players to go around. What will preseason happen every year. certainly help this season is the additions of rookies Leonard Fournette, Christian ELLIOTT, BUST OR BOOM McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Kareem Hunt and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott Dalvin Cook. They are being drafted as low- could be the biggest boom-or-bust player end RB1s to midrange RB2s, starters no this season. At the moment, we probably matter what type of league you’re playing should say bust or boom. Elliott’s six-game in. Think about that. Five of the first 15-20 suspension over a domestic violence case RBs off the board are unproven. They could was upheld Tuesday, but he’ll play in the either make or break your team. season opener because of the timing of the arbitrator’s decision. US District Judge QB IS DEEP Amos Mazzant said he would rule on Quarterback is extremely deep. Whether Elliott’s request for a temporary restraining you play in a 10- or 12-team league, it’s just NEW YORK: Venus Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Petra Kvitova, of Czech Republic, during the quarterfinals ofthe US Open ten- order by Friday. Back when we thought too easy to say wait until Round 9 or later nis tournament on Tuesday, Sept 5, 2017. —AP Elliott would only get a maximum of two before drafting a QB. Sure, you won’t get games, he was still universally thought of Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees or Tom Brady, as the third overall pick behind fellow but you will still do quite well with Kirk Venus overpowers Kvitova backs David Johnson and Le’Veon Bell, but Cousins, Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota now he is being drafted all over the place - and this strategy will allow you to load up in any one of the first four rounds. on your WRs and RBs. In most years, we will He’s a gamble, but will he pay off? I don’t see the top QBs and bottom ones only sep- The oldest semi-finalist in US Open history think so. Why spend a high pick on a player arated by a few points, so you can spend who is unlikely to return full value? You that early draft capital at other positions. NEW YORK: Seven-time Grand Slam champion Sunday’s final. “To play in one of the most Sevastova, who matched her best major run may be thinking even if Elliott does serve Venus Williams became the oldest semi-finalist famous courts in the world at night and to get from last year at New York by ousting Maria the full six-game suspension, you will get INDY RISKY in US Open history at age 37 on Tuesday by through, it feels fantastic,” said Anderson. Sharapova to reach the last eight, led 3-1 in the him for your fantasy playoffs, where he can Make no mistake about it, without defeating two-time Wimbledon champion third set before Stephens rallied. “I just told lead you to a championship. Not so fast. Andrew Luck the Colts are in a world of Petra Kvitova 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2). US ninth seed ‘I’M NOT A ROBOT. SORRY.’ myself to keep fighting and stay consistent,” During weeks 14-16 (the fantasy playoffs in trouble. With Luck, this team could possi- Williams, seeking her third US Open crown, Carreno Busta, the first player in any Grand Stephens said.