12-08-2018

SPORTS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2018
9
"We have got Shakib as the captain in T20s and Test matches, and tactically he is a fantastic captain"
- Rhodes. Photo: AP
Shakib's cricketing brain is
amazing : Rhodes
Sports Desk: "I like to play straight,"
Bangladesh new head coach Steve
Rhodes put forward the no-nonsense
approach that he wants to bring to the
national side, reports Cricbuzz.
Rhodes in his short term with the
Bangladesh national side has already
shown glimpses of going beyond the
usual, an approach that his predecessors
hadn't really followed. In his off time with
the national team - a period in which
other coaches had preferred to take rest -
he is set to go and follow the 'A' team
In order to gain first-hand knowledge
of the cricketers in the 'A' team, Rhodes is
headed to Ireland. In order to sketch a
roadmap for the future, he has had
several meetings in the last two days with
the BCB.
Rhodes in a recent interview said that,
it has been good. We had some ups and
down but overall it was a fine
performance by the boys (in the
Caribbean), especially the way they
responded in the ODIs and the T20Is
after the failure in Test matches. To be
honest, we need to have great character
to make such a turnaround.
When asked about Mashrafe he said,
when you look at Bangladesh, Mashrafe
is a fine captain. He leads by example. He
Nadal stays
on track in
Toronto with
win over Cilic
Sports Desk: Rafael Nadal
recovered from a slow start,
overcoming Marin Cilic 2-6,
6-4, 6-4 as the Spaniard's
chase for a long-sought ATP
Masters title on hardcourt
heated up on Friday, reports
BSS.
The world number one
reached the semi-finals in
Toronto and will next face
Russian Karen Khachanov,
who beat Robin Haase 6-3,
6-1.
Nadal last won a title at
this level on cement in 2013.
Stefanos Tsitsipas saved
two match points to beat
defending champion
Alexander Zverev in their
quarter-final contest 3-6, 7-6
(13/11), 6-4.
The Greek teenager, who
turns 20 on Sunday's final
day, defeated his third
straight top 10 opponent at
the tournament after
knocking out Dominic
Thiem in the second round
and 13-time major winner
Novak Djokovic in the third.
Tsitsipas is the youngest
player to post three top 10
wins at a single tournament
since the 19-year-old Nadal
at Monte Carlo in 2006.
Tsitsipas will next face
Wimbledon runner-up
Kevin Anderson, who beat
Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2.
"I'm confused now, is this
real?" 27th-ranked Tsitsipas
said after completing his
prestige hat-trick of upsets.
Nadal got caught on the
back foot in the first set
against Cilic, who took the
opener on his fourth chance.
Nadal struck back in the
second with a concluding
break to square the match
before taking victory with a
break in the final game on
his third match point after
more than two hours.
is a warrior-like captain and all the guys
follow him.
Regarding Shakib as a captain he said,
we have got Shakib as the captain in T20s
and Test matches, and tactically he is a
fantastic captain. All the guys respect
him, the way he plays his cricket. But his
cricketing brain, and particularly in T20s,
is amazing. That is because he has played
so much T20 cricket around the world,
with so many franchises. He knows all
the players and he knows the game
(T20s). We are very lucky to have two
very good captains. Cricket is a lot about
momentum. Even for the best captain in
the world when the momentum is down,
it is very difficult to turn it around. When
we lost that toss (in the first Test) and we
were all out for 44, it meant that
momentum was totally against us. Like I
said, the best captain in the world
wouldn't be able to turn that. I think it
was not down to Shakib's captaincy. He is
a very good captain. If we had a good
start, if we had won the toss in that Test,
we might have had some momentum.
He is a quality captain and a quality
cricketer, so is Mashrafe. So Bangladesh
must be very grateful that we have got
two very good captains, he added.
About his Irelands motive he said, it
was nice that I had the opportunity to see
the members of the Test team, ODI team
and the T20 team. So I have now
managed to look at around 20 to 22
players. When I go to Ireland, although I
will see some of our players that I have
looked at previously, for me it is
important to know the next crop of
players. Already I have seen a couple of
them and hopefully, will get the
chance to observe a few more in
Ireland. I hope to spend some time
with the 'A' team coach Simon Helmut,
because if we want to have plenty of
depth in Bangladesh cricket, the 'A'
team needs to do well and they have
done very well so far. I am very pleased
and looking forward to catching up
with them and see them play.
Mominul Haque scored a blazing
knock in the 50-over format (182) for
Bangladesh 'A' against Ireland 'A'. Is
he in the scheme of things for limited
overs cricket?
Mominul scored a fantastic 182 and
I think that's good news for him
personally and for Bangladesh
because he is a quality cricketer and he
has shown that he can play one-day
games and that is a good sign for the
future.
Russell assault powers
Tallawahs to stunning win
Sports Desk: Tom Wolfe, the renowned
author, in his book, 'The Right Stuff', had
noted about "pushing the outside of the
envelope". It is a phrase that can be used to
describe Andre Russell's power-packed
performance (121* off just 49 balls, a hattrick
and a stunning catch) in Jamaica
Tallawahs' game against defending
champions, Trinbago Knight Riders, in
Trinidad, on Saturday (August 10), reports
Cricbuzz.
When Russell arrived at the crease,
Tallawahs were struggling at 41 for 5, chasing
a massive target of 224. At that juncture,
even the last whiff of hope seemed to be fast
evaporating from Tallawahs' camp. But the
all-rounder lifted the air of gloom
surrounding the visiting side with a stunning
assault and powered Tallawahs to a believeit-or-not
come-from-behind four-wicket
win. On the other side, the vanquished
Knight Riders' players looked shattered and
dazed by the sheer onslaught of the
Jamaican all-rounder.
It was a superbly paced innings too where
Russell initially looked to build a stand with
Kennar Lewis (52) before smashing the
opposition attack to shreds. By the end of the
10th over, Tallawahs were 86 for 5 and
needed a further 138 runs in the final 10
overs. It was the stage of the game when
Russell decided to hit top gear.
With a strong base alongside mobility in
hips and stable ankles, he was able to make
use of his brute power. He showed glimpses
of his power-hitting by thwacking Fawad
Ahmed, the leg-spinner, for a couple of sixes
in the 11th over. The mayhem continued as
he tonked Sunil Narine for a couple more
hits into the stands in the next over and
completed the fastest fifty of this season's
tournament.
In the next over bowled by Dwayne Bravo,
he collected two fours and two sixes,
including a bullet-like powerful shot down
the ground. The umpire, who was in the
firing line, did well to duck underneath it.
The carnage didn't stop there as he again
took heavy toll off Bravo's bowling by
smacking him for two sixes and a boundary
in the 17th over. He also reached the threefigure
mark in that over. Incidentally, he also
notched up the fastest-ever hundred in the
history of CPL. For a moment, it felt as if the
word 'impossible' doesn't exist in Russell's
dictionary.
Andre Russell bludgeoned 13 sixes and 6 fours in his 49-ball innings.
Photo: AP
Pakistani
cricketer
gets ban
extended to
four years
Sports Desk: A Pakistani
independent judge
extended on Friday a ban on
cricketer Shahzaib Hasan to
four years over his
involvement in the
infamous spot-fixing
scandal that rocked the
second edition of the
Pakistan
Super
League(PSL) 2017, reports
BSS.
The hard-hitting toporder
batsman was banned
for a year and fined 1 million
Pakistani rupees by the
Pakistan Cricket Board's(
PCB) Anti-Corruption
Tribunal earlier this year
after he failed to report an
access by a cricket bookie
during the second edition of
the PSL.
Shahzaib Hasan, who had
represented Karachi Kings
during the PSL 2017,
appealed the PCB's
punishment. However, the
judge decided to increase
the ban on Shahzaib Hasan
to four years but refrained
from changing the amount
of the fine.
The 27-year-old cricketer
has already served one of
the four years ban. His
counsel told the local media
persons that his client
would challenge the
decision.
Shahzaib Hasan and four
other Pakistani cricketers
were suspended in the
infamous spot-fixing
scandal. The other four
cricketers were Khalid Latif,
Sharjeel Khan, and
Mohammad Irfan from
Islamabad United and
Mohammad Nawaz from
Quetta Gladiators.
Shahzaib played three One
Day Internationals and 10
Twenty20 Internationals for
Pakistan. He was suspended
on March 17, 2017, after he
was charged with three
violations of the Pakistan
Cricket Board's Anti-
Corruption Code.
These codes included luring
cricketers into the scam, not
reporting approaches by the
bookies, and hiding
information regarding his
contacts with the bookies.
Pogba scores as Man United wins
Premier League opener
Sports Desk: Jose Mourinho received an
instant reward for handing Paul Pogba the
captaincy when the World Cup-winning
midfielder paved the way for Manchester
United's 2-1 victory over Leicester as the
English Premier League season opened on
Friday, reports UNB.
Having returned from France's triumph in
Russia last month to intense media
speculation about his future under United
manager Mourinho, the 25-year-old Pogba
was named skipper of a team that included
debutant Fred.
After an unusual stuttering run-up that
briefly gave way to jogging on the spot,
Pogba rifled home the first goal from a thirdminute
penalty after Daniel Amartey had
handled a shot from Alexis Sanchez.
The France playmaker then continued to
impress as the first half wore on at Old
Trafford, leading his team-mates by
example.
United had several chances to extend its
lead against a Leicester side that called
goalkeeper David De Gea into action more
often than Mourinho would have liked.
The manager, however, celebrated on the
touchline after defender Luke Shaw directed
home his first senior goal to put the result out
of reach after an excellent through ball from
Juan Mata.
Substitute Jamie Vardy pulled one back
with a stoppage-time header after Ricardo
Pereira's cross came back off the post, but it
was too little, too late for Leicester.
"Pogba was a monster, we thought
maximum 60 minutes, he managed (more
than) 80," Mourinho said after taking his
captain off late in the game. "Pre-season was
very hard and we needed this fantastic spirit
by the players to manage this performance
and this result.
"Paul was fantastic, his contribution was
amazing but the fuel was disappearing. I am
(also) very pleased for Luke. He made one
mistake in 90 minutes, he was very good
defensively."
Leicester looked startled by United's early
intensity but slowly began to feel its way into
the match, with debutant James Maddison
shining.
Demarai Gray clipped in a smart ball that
Kelechi Iheanacho followed with a strike
across the face of goal, before a fierce
Maddison shot was stopped by De Gea.
At the other end, Andreas Pereira, making
his first United appearance since February
2016, looked sharp in midfield alongside
Pogba.
Matteo Darmian tested Leicester
goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at the near
post early into a second half that United
started with bundles of possession, but few
clear-cut chances.
A good opportunity came when Pogba fed
Sanchez and he set up Mata, who had a shot
that was deflected just wide.
But it was far from one-way traffic. Eric
Bailly did superbly to deny Iheanacho, and
Vardy bundled Shaw off the ball to send in a
cross that Gray almost flicked home.
It was Shaw, who just like Pogba has
endured some tough times under Mourinho,
who was the unlikely late hero for United.
With seven minutes remaining, he flicked
the ball past a defender before sending a low
left-footed strike into the net.
It was the first senior goal for former
England and Southampton defender Shaw,
on the 23-year-old left-back's 141st
appearance.
"It's important to win and play well,"
Mourinho said. "We must get used to teams
who have players of the same quality that we
have. Every team is a good team, forget the
name, forget the history, forget the shirt."
Paul Pogba's third-minute spot-kick was the first goal of the 2018/19
Premier League campaign.
Photo: AP
Tour de France winner Ullrich
admitted to psychiatric hospital
Sports Desk: Germany's Tour de France
champion Jan Ullrich was admitted to a
psychiatric hospital on Friday after his brief
detention for allegedly assaulting a
prostitute, reports BSS.
The 44-year-old former cycling star was
earlier Friday released on bail pending an
investigation for possible attempted
manslaughter.
But once free, Ullrich suffered a panic
attack, reported the DPA news agency.
"Jan Ullrich was admitted to a psychiatric
hospital on Friday night where his state of
health is being assessed by specialists," a
Frankfurt police spokesperson told AFP on
Saturday.
"Due to his mental and physical state there
was no other choice" but to transport him to
a psychiatric unit by ambulance, the
spokesperson said.
Friday's incidents arose after the 1997 Tour
de France champion had called on the
services of a prostitute at the five-star Villa
Kennedy Hotel in Frankfurt, Bild daily
reported. But he then "attacked the 31-yearold
escort lady in one of the hotel rooms after
a dispute," prosecutors and police said in a
joint statement. He put up a struggle as
officers arrived to detain him, they said,
noting that "the accused was likely under the
influence of alcohol and drugs".
"The accused is under investigation for
attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily
harm. Investigations are not over," they said,
adding that the woman has given "extensive
details on the attacks" while Ullrich has
exerted his right to remain silent.
Ullrich's run-in with the law came just a
week after his 24-hour detention in Spain,
where he had sought to force his way into the
Mallorca home of his neighbour, German
actor Til Schweiger, and threatened him.
Ullrich's latest woes came just hours after
he arrived back in Germany to seek therapy
for his drink and drug habit following last
week's scandal in Mallorca.
The former cyclist's dramatic fall from
grace came two decades after he became the
only German to have won the Tour de
France, in 1997. Born in former communist
East Germany, Ullrich racked up his
triumphs after reunification, turning him
into a national hero. He later also won
Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000, but failed
to replicate his victory at the gruelling French
race, finishing for several years behind US
cyclist Lance Armstrong.
Like Armstrong, who was subsequently
stripped of all his seven Tour de France wins
over doping, Ullrich was embroiled in
allegations that he used performance
boosting substances.
The German was excluded from the 2006
Tour de France over his links to the
Operation Puerto scandal that centred on
disgraced doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who
gave performance-enhancing blood
transfusions to top cyclists.
After retiring from cycling in 2007, Ullrich
finally came clean in 2013 about his doping
past.
Since then, he has been struggling with
drinking problems.
In 2014, he injured two people in a car
crash in Switzerland, and was charged with
drink driving. He was convicted three years
later over the case by a Swiss court.
Sentenced to 21 months in prison, Ullrich
was able to convert that into a suspended
sentence of four years plus a fine of 10,000
euros ($11,460).
His addiction led to his separation from his
wife Sara at the end of 2017, media reported,
noting that she has since moved with their
three sons to the Allgaeu region of southern
Germany.
Ullrich has a 15-year-old daughter from a
previous relationship, with Gaby Weiss.
Going into rehab had been a condition for
him to be able to see his children again,
Ullrich had said.
Amid his latest woes, his former rival
turned friend Armstrong offered his support
earlier this week, according to Bild.
Ullrich's lawyer Wolfgang Hoppe told the
newspaper that Armstrong said he was
"ready to immediately get into a plane with
his doctor and come to Europe" to help the
German.Armstrong "said that the cycling
community must hold together. But that
what's most important is that Jan first allows
himself to be helped," said Hoppe,
recounting a telephone conversation with
the disgraced US cyclist.
Girls upbeat
to win against
Nepal
Sports Desk: Bangladesh
U-15 national women's
football midfielder
Nilufer Yesmeen
expressed her high hope
on winning their second
group match against
Nepal, the comparatively
stronger side than
Pakistan, according to a
message received here
from Bangladesh Football
Federation yesterday,
reports BSS.
"We will play our best
against Nepal in next
match …. Nepal is better
team than Pakistan but if
we play our game like the
first match, we will
definitely win the match
against Nepal, said
Nilufer.
The women's team had
their over two hours
training
at
Changlimithan Stadium
Thimpu, Bhutan under
the head coach Golam
Rabbani Choton and
technical
and
strategically director Paul
Thomas Smalley ahead of
the second match.
In the practice session
everybody is serious
about the second coach
Choton tried again to
motivate the team to win
the match against Nepal
scheduled to be held on
August 13 at
Changlimithan Stadium
Bhutan. All the booters
are physically fine and fit
and very serious to win
their next match.
A meeting will be held
this evening at the
meeting room of Ariya
Hotel, where Bangladesh
team is staying.