DT e-Paper, Friday, Decdember 2, 2016

QUICK BYTES
Zamal 30th after
opening round
Bangladesh golfer Zamal Hossain
Mollah began his Panasonic Open
India campaign at 30th position,
tied alongside 19 others, following
the conclusion of the opening
round at Delhi Golf Club yesterday.
Zamal struck three birdies and as
many bogeys in the $400,000
tournament, and after his par score
of 72, he trails early leaders Jyoti
Randhawa and Mukesh Kumar,
both hailing from India, by five
shots. Zamal is the sole Bangladesh
representative in the sixth edition of
the competition.
–TRIBUNE REPORT
Higuain denies
death threats
Gonzalo Higuain has angrily denied
being given an armed escort or
receiving death threats following
his mega-money move to Serie A
champions Juventus from rivals
Napoli. The Argentine scored a Serie
A record 36 goals for Napoli last
season as they finished runners-up to
Juventus to secure their return to the
Champions League. But the former
Real Madrid star caused shock and
dismay in Naples when he moved to
Turin for an Italian transfer record 90
million euros this summer.
–AFP
DAY’S WATCH
CRICKET
CHANNEL 9, SONY SIX
Bangladesh Premier League 2016:
1:30PM
Comilla Victorians v Khulna Titans
6:15PM
Dhaka Dynamites v Chittagong
Vikings
SONY ESPN
CSA T20 Challenge 2016
10:00PM
VKB Knights v Bizhub Highveld Lions
FOOTBALL
SONY ESPN
2:00AM
Italian Serie A TIM
Napoli v Inter Milan
STAR SPORTS 1
7:30PM
Indian Super League
Kolkata v Pune
TEN 1
1:35AM
Sky Bet EFL 2016/17
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle Utd
TEN 2
1:35AM
French Ligue 1 2016/17
Caen v Cote-d’or
TEN 3
2:20PM
A-League 2016/17
Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory
Sri Lankan cricketer Kasun Rajitha speaks with former Pakistan player Wasim
Akram in Colombo yesterday
AFP
Sport 27
DT
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016
Akram says Sri Lanka
has pace, needs swing
• AFP, Colombo
Legendary Pakistani paceman
Wasim Akram said that Sri Lanka
had a promising crop of fast
bowlers despite their traditional
reliance on spin after holding a
coaching session with the islanders
yesterday.
After spending several hours
with the national team’s main established
strike bowlers and promising
youngsters, Akram said there
was no lack of raw pace but they
needed to develop their ability to
swing the ball.
“Most of the bowlers had a pace
of 130 to 140 kmph (kilometres
per hour),” said Akram who himself
bowled at a similar pace in his
prime in the 1990s when he was
one of the world’s leading players
in all formats.
Akram, who is now 50, said slower
wickets were a fact of life in South
Asia, particularly in Sri Lanka whose
most successful bowlers have been
spinners, including the record-breaking
Muttiah Muralitharan.
But he said there was no reason
why fast bowlers could not thrive
on slower tracks as long as they had
the right tricks up the sleeve.
“The idea is to teach them how
to believe in themselves and how
to fox out the batsmen,” he said
after a coaching session at the Sinhalese
Sports Club grounds in Colombo.
Akram was joined at the SCC by
Sri Lankan legends Aravinda de
Silva and Chaminda Vaas, both of
whom had played against the Pakistan
swing king.
Vaas, a former seamer, was recently
tasked with identifying fast
bowling talent across the cricket-mad
island.
Regarded as one of the best leftarm
pacemen ever to grace the
game, Akram took 414 Test wickets
and 502 in 356 one-day internationals
- both still a Pakistan record.
Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Thilanga
Sumathipala said they invited
Akram to mentor local players in
the next two years and visit the island
at least twice a year.
“We have invited him to be with
us in the next two years as our consultant
in pace bowling,” said Sumathipala.
Sri Lanka, who have just completed
a clean sweep of Zimbabwe,
are to embark on a tour of South
Africa later this month where they
will play three Tests, three T20
matches and five ODIs.•
Day-night Ashes Test under discussion
• Reuters, Sydney
Discussions over whether Australia
will host England in a first daynight
Ashes cricket Test next year
are taking place but nothing has
been decided yet, Cricket Australia
said yesterday.
England head Down Under next
November for the 2017-18 series
and local media reported yesterday
that the England and Wales Cricket
Board had agreed in principle
to play one of the matches under
lights.
A CA spokesman, however, said
there had not been an agreement
yet and the tour itinerary was still
being finalised, though a day-night
Test was part of the discussions.
“Ongoing scheduling of daynight
Tests in the Australian summer
is a natural progression,” the
spokesman said.
“The Ashes is a great contest
and attracts huge audiences both at
the ground and on television, but
nothing has yet been confirmed for
next summer.”
CA have hosted two day-night
Tests under lights over the last two
seasons, both of which have been
a commercial success with large
numbers attending the matches
against New Zealand and South
Africa.
While both games were at the
Adelaide Oval, making it favourite
to host a day-night Ashes Test,
Brisbane’s The Gabba will host its
first pink ball Test later this month
when Australia play Pakistan.
England are to host their first
day-night Test next August at Edgbaston
against West Indies.
‘Test woes irrelevant to Australia ODI side’
• Reuters, Sydney
The troubles plaguing the Australian
Test team will have little bearing
on their one-day side’s performance
in the three-match series
against New Zealand starting on
Sunday, according to Black Caps
coach Mike Hesson.
Steve Smith’s Test side have
been pilloried by fans and their
own media after they lost their
latest series 2-1 at home to South
Africa.
That defeat came on the back of
a 5-0 one-day series loss in South
Africa and a 3-0 Test series defeat
in Sri Lanka, leading to plenty of
questions being asked about administrators,
management and the
players.
Hesson, however, said Australia’s
one-day unit was far more
settled than the Test team and his
side could not presume such turmoil
would be evident at the Sydney
Cricket Ground on Sunday.
“It has been remarkably consistent
barring the South African
series,” Hesson told reporters in
Sydney yesterday.
“They have been very good for a
number of years and are currently
number one in the world.
“I don’t think the unsettled nature
of the Test side will carry over
to the one-day side.”
The timing of the one-dayers,
which includes matches in
Canberra on Dec. 6 and ends in
Melbourne on Dec. 9, has been
questioned by some Australian
pundits, with it falling between
Test series against the Proteas and
Pakistan. •
Alastair Cook, the England captain,
said earlier this year he was
against playing an Ashes Test under
lights in comments echoed
by Australian counterpart Steve
Smith.
Both felt the traditional rivalry,
the oldest in world cricket, generated
enough interest.
However, CA chief executive
James Sutherland, a major proponent
of pink-ball cricket, said the
success of the two Adelaide Oval
games indicated the desire for at
least one day-night Test. •