26-01-2022

WeDNeSDAY, JANuArY 26, 2022
9
khaled Mahmud trying to convince tamim Iqbal (right) to reconsider his decision about playing
t20Is.
photo: Internet
The curious case of Tamim Iqbal
SportS DeSk
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal is
unwilling to change his mind about
his T20I plans. Cricbuzz understands
that the veteran batter has decided
against playing in the shortest format
for Bangladesh at least until the 50-
over World Cup in 2023 and will only
concentrate on ODIs and Tests during
this time frame, reports Cricbuzz.
However, Tamim is not ready to
quit from the shortest format all
together even if chances of a
comeback in 2023, when he'll be 33,
appear slim. He hasn't played in the
format since featuring in a game
against Zimbabwe in March 2020.
Speculations have been rife in
Bangladesh's cricket circles since
Nazmul Hasan announced that
Tamim was not ready to feature in
T20Is. A section has claimed that
board should make one last attempt
'Unplayable' Stella
Campbell added to
Australia's squad
amid hunt for 20
wickets
SportS DeSk
Tall quick bowler Stella
Campbell has been called into
Australia's Test squad in
Canberra for the injured Tayla
Vlaeminck as the home side
deliberate on the best balance
for their attack as they hunt
the 20 wickets that could seal
the Ashes, reports AP.
Australia hold a 4-2 lead in
the multi-format series
following an opening victory
and then two washouts in the
T20Is in Adelaide. Victory in
the Test would come with four
points that would mean the
Ashes were regained before
the ODI series.
Vlaeminck was ruled out of
this series and the upcoming
ODI World Cup with a stress
fracture in her right foot - the
same injury which kept her
out of the 2020 T20 World
Cup - and the selectors have
gone for the closest like-forlike
replacement in Campbell
who made her Test debut
against India earlier in the
season.
Notably, Campbell took 7
for 25 in a WNCL match at
Manuka Oval earlier this
month on a surface that was
well grassed and there is
much interest in what the
pitch will be like come
Thursday. After the rain in
Adelaide there is the chance of
further disruption during the
four-day Test which would
make it a challenge to force a
result amid continued calls
from players to add a fifth day.
"It's going to be pretty
interesting what wicket we
have for the first day… think
there might be a little bit in it
for the bowlers if that 50-over
game is anything to go by,"
allrounder Ashleigh Gardner
said. "When we played ACT
down here for New South
Wales, Stella was almost
unplayable and to have her
back into the Test squad is
really exciting.
to see whether its most experienced
batter can be persuaded into
returning given the team's quest to
improve their short-format fortunes
at this year's T20 World Cup in
Australia after a dismal performance
in the UAE and Oman.
Bangladesh team director Khaled
Mahmud did speak to Tamim on
Monday (January 24) after the game
between Fortune Barisal and Minister
Dhaka at the Sher-e-Bangla National
Stadium. However, his efforts were in
vain.
"I've spoken with him (Tamim)
today but what I understand is that
he's not willing to continue T20Is,"
Mahmud told Cricbuzz after the
meeting.
"To be honest I was a little bit
surprised. I talked with Tamim before
New Zealand series that 'why you
(Tamim) are not interested to play
T20 cricket'. We did not talk a lot but
I said to him let me comeback then I
will talk with him.
"But Papon (Nazmul) Bhai already
revealed Tamim is not interested to
play T20 cricket. Actually this is his
personal decision and if he does not
want to play then we can't force him
and we have to move forward.
However, Mahmud is not ready
accepting that Tamim had become a
liability in the shortest format due to
his playing style. Tamim's strike-rate
in T20Is (career SR of 117) has been a
point of debate for long with many in
the circles even previously suggesting
that he be picked only for Tests and
ODIs.
"I don't buy this opinion (that he is a
liability) in T20Is. To be honest, he's
still the best option around and there
is no one ready in the top-order like
him (Tamim)," said Mahmud.
the Frenchman is set to join the Liga side for the remainder of the season.
photo: Ap
Martial loan transfer agreed
between Man Utd & Sevilla
SportS DeSk
Anthony Martial is set to join Sevilla on loan
after Manchester United came to an agreement
with the Spanish outfit, reports AP.
United rejected an initial loan request from
the Liga side earlier in the month but GOAL
understands the issues have been ironed out
and Martial is set for a medical in Spain.
Juventus were one of a number of other sides
who were interested in the France
international but sources say Sevilla were his
preferred choice.
Martial was given the club's blessing to talk to
other clubs about a transfer this month after a
chat in December with Ralf Rangnick, where
he stated his intentions to leave due to a lack of
playing time.
The 26-year-old has only started two Premier
League games this season and an incident
which was later described as a
'misunderstanding' between Rangnick and
Martial saw the German manager declare the
player had refused to be part of the matchday
squad against Aston Villa a couple of weeks
ago.United rejected Sevilla's initial loan request
for Martial as they wanted a £5 million loan fee,
as well as the club to cover his wages. At the
time the Spanish side were only offering to
cover half of his wages. Since then Martial's
representatives have held talks with Juventus,
but it is understood the player preferred a move
to Spain and discussions between United and
Sevilla progressed over the weekend. Martial
was prepared to take a wage cut in order to
push the deal through.
Sevilla are expected to pay United a loan fee
and the deal will run until the end of the
current season.
The Frenchman had talks with Rangnick
shortly after he arrived to outline his plans to
leave this month over a lack of playing time.
The 26-year-old came on as a second half
substitute in the 1-0 win against West Ham on
Saturday and those eight minutes were the first
he had played under the German.
Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival saw him fall
further down the pecking order and after he
had submitted his transfer request, he was
omitted from the matchday squads. Rangnick
told the media he wanted to include the
Frenchman in the squad for the away-day trip
to Villa in the Premier League but that the
player refused to be involved.
Martial refuted those claims on his social
media channels, saying he would never refuse
to play for the club.
This season he has made just four starts in all
competitions for United and ,is hoping to get
more minutes in Spain to put himself in a
better place to secure a position in France's
World Cup squad later this year.
While incomings remain unlikely, it's
possible there could be a couple of departures.
Newcastle are pushing to try and secure Jesse
Lingard on loan. The England international is
open to a temporary move to the North East
but a deal has yet to be agreed between the two
clubs. Teenage winger Amad would also be
allowed to leave the club on loan this window.
It is understood there has been interest from
Derby and Birmingham this month but there
has yet to be a concrete offer from any club.
McDermott,
Hazlewood
picked for
Sri Lanka
T20Is
SportS DeSk
Josh Hazlewood, who
missed most of the Ashes
series due to a side injury,
has been named in the
Australia squad for the fivematch
T20I rubber versus
Sri Lanka, starting on
February 11, reports AP.
The pace bowler was
troubled by the injury in the
opening Test of the series
against England at the
Gabba and bowled just 14
overs in the second innings.
The fast bowler didn't take
part in any of the subsequent
four Tests. The squad also
includes Ben McDermott,
recently adjudged Player of
the Year at the Big Bash
League 2021-22. He has
been the top run-getter in
the tournament, having
compiled 577 runs at a strike
rate of 153.86.
McDermott has also
played two ODIs and 17
T20Is for the country and
was part of the squads that
toured Bangladesh and
West Indies last year. Moises
Henriques, who too was a
part of the twin tours of
Bangladesh and the West
Indies, also returns to the
set-up. The veteran allrounder
has also led Sydney
Sixers to the later stages of
the BBL 2021-22. He has
already represented
Australia in four Tests, 16
ODIs and 24 T20Is. Travis
Head, the Man of the Series
in the just-concluded Ashes,
and pace bowler Jhye
Richardson have also earned
recalls to the squad.
Meanwhile, Mitchell
March and David Warner,
integral members of
Australia's T20 World Cup
winning squad last year, will
miss the series as the duo
look to prepare for the
Pakistan tour which follows
the Sri Lanka T20Is. Head
coach Justin Langer and a
number of other support
staff have also taken leave
ahead of the Pakistan tour.
In Langer's absence, Andrew
McDonald will act as head
coach for the Sri Lankan
T20Is.
"This squad will begin
preparation for the ICC T20
World Cup defence at home
later this year and includes
several players who have an
early chance to impress in
these five matches against a
quality opposition," George
Bailey, the chairman of the
selection committee, said.
Australia plays Sri Lanka
in five T20Is in Sydney,
Canberra and Melbourne.
India fined for
slow over-rate
in third ODI
against S Africa
SportS DeSk
India have been fined 40 per
cent of their match fee for
maintaining a slow over-rate
against South Africa in the
third ODI here, the ICC said
on Monday, reports BSS.
Match referee Andy Pycroft
imposed the sanction after KL
Rahul's side was ruled to be
two overs short of the target
after time allowances were
taken into consideration.
"In accordance with Article
2.22 of the ICC Code of
Conduct for Players and
Player Support Personnel,
which relates to minimum
over-rate offences, players are
fined 20 per cent of their
match fee for every over their
side fails to bowl in the
allotted time," the ICC said in
a statement.
Rahul pleaded guilty to the
offence and accepted the
proposed sanction, so there
was no need for a formal
hearing.
On-field umpires Marais
Erasmus and Bongani Jele,
third umpire Allauhudien
Palekar and fourth umpire
Adrien Holdstock levelled the
charge.
Tennis Australia reverses
course on ban of Peng Shuai
protest at Australian Open
SportS DeSk
Tennis Australia has
reversed the decision to ban
Australian Open spectators
from protesting against the
whereabouts of Chinese
tennis player Peng Shuai, as
long as it doesn't disrupt the
event, reports AP.
In November, Peng took to
social media platform Weibo
and accused Chinese
Communist Party member
Zhang Gaoli of pressuring
her into sex. The former
world No. 14 has since
disappeared from social
media, with her
whereabouts and well-being
unclear.
Tennis Australia's
announcement comes 48
hours after a fan at
Melbourne Park was asked
to remove a T-shirt and take
down a banner displaying
the message "Where is Peng
Shuai?" A video of the
interaction was shared on
the social media platform
Reddit and has been viewed
Romario Shepherd has
IPL in his sights after
death-hitting heroics
SportS DeSk
Just like anyone else, IPL owners, head coaches
and general managers are afflicted by recency
bias. Whenever the time comes to sit down at
the auction table, performances that are fresh
in the memory are given greater weighting than
those that happened several months
previously, reports AP.
It is no surprise, given their usual windows in
the calendar, that players who have performed
well in the most recent Big Bash season tend to
be popular at IPL auctions, regardless of the
difference in standard and conditions. It is a
widespread, long-standing cognitive bias - and
one that cricketers themselves are fully aware
of.
In that light, England and West Indies'
players know that they are not only competing
for a series win and for long-term retention in
their respective XIs in Barbados this week, but
also for a bigger bid at the auction. And with a
dearth of seam-bowling allrounders available
in the auction longlist - Sam Curran, Ben
Stokes and Chris Woakes all opted out, while
Chris Morris recently announced his
retirement - Romario Shepherd's fireworks on
Sunday night have done his chances of a deal
no harm at all.
Shepherd hit 44 not out from 28 balls from
No. 7 to take West Indies within one run of
England's total, adding 72 off 29 in an
unbroken ninth-wicket stand with Akeal
Hosein to add a sense of jeopardy to what had
looked like a cruise to victory. Thirty of his runs
came in sixes, including two over the longer
leg-side boundary off Chris Jordan and one off
Liam Dawson that cleared the Garfield Sobers
Pavilion.
"I try to focus on what is at hand right now
and try and put my all in here," Shepherd, who
has entered February's auction with an Rs. 75
lakh ($100,000 USD approx.) base price, said.
"Eventually, if an IPL contract comes, that
would be great for me. I'm not saying that I
don't think about it - I do think about it, but I
try not to think about it during a game, I just
focus on wherever the game is and trying to get
ourselves out of a situation.
"It's a great platform. For any youngster, it's
their dream to go to the IPL and I'm no
different. I'm trying my best to get myself in
over 100,000 times on
TikTok.
Tennis Australia initially
defended the decision,
confirming to ESPN the fans
in question did not meet the
Australian Open's ticketing
conditions. But ahead of the
quarterfinals, tournament
director Craig Tiley told AFP
its stance had changed.
"Yes, as long as they are
not coming as a mob to be
disruptive but are peaceful,"
Tiley said when asked if fans
can continue their protests.
"It's all been a bit lost in
translation from some
people who are not here and
don't really know the full
view.
"The situation in the last
couple of days is that some
people came with a banner
on two large poles, and we
can't allow that. If you are
coming to watch the tennis
that's fine, but we can't allow
anyone to cause a disruption
at the end of the day."
In the past 72 hours, a
GoFundMe page titled
"Australian Open-Hand Out
Peng Shuai Shirts" was
created with the aim to print
and distribute shirts ahead
of the women's final. The
initiative has attracted over
300 donations, totaling
AU$15,000 (about
$10,709), including one
single anonymous donation
of AU$2,500 (about
$1,784).
"My idea is quite simple.
How about we present
major difficulties for Tennis
Australia by printing off one
thousand of these shirts and
giving them out for free to
spectators entering the
Women's Grand Final," the
initiative's creator, Drew
Pavlou, posted on the page.
"Every cent raised here
will go towards the printing
of these shirts. We will
account for every single
dollar spent with receipts."
The women's Australian
Open final will take place at
Rod Laver Arena on Jan. 29.
In November, peng took to social media platform Weibo and accused Chinese
Communist party member Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her into sex. photo: Ap
there, but at the same time trying to win a
series here. It's something that I've dreamed
about for a very long time. My name was in the
[auction] for the last three years, so this year,
I'm looking forward to it."
Shepherd had struggled early on in his
innings, scoring only one single from his first
seven balls and failing to pick Adil Rashid out
of the hand, but immediately targeted Dawson
when he came on to bowl the 13th over. He was
one of only a handful of batters to clear the
longer boundary - around 90 metres towards
midwicket - and his clean hitting left England
hanging on by their fingertips.
"When I went out, the coach told me to take
a few balls," he explained. "Then when I got out
there the ball was spinning and Rashid got me.
I was like one off six balls, one off seven balls,
so I was kind of on the back foot.
"When I saw Liam come on for his first over,
I said to myself I would try and take him down.
I hit him for two sixes in that over so that gave
me a push-start there. Eventually I started
flowing better at the crease.
"It plays with your mind to see that one side
is very short and one side is very long.
Eventually when Jordan came in that over, I
had no choice but to try and take on the long
boundary. I know as long as I hit them well, the
boundary don't matter."
Hosein hit three fours and two sixes off Saqib
Mahmood's final over to keep the game tense
until the final ball, but was aggrieved that
Mahmood's first legitimate ball was not given
as a wide, having appeared to reach him past
the tramline. But Shepherd said that Joel
Wilson, the umpire, was "only human" and
that West Indies were more concerned about a
sloppy night in the field than his decisionmaking.
"I told Akeal: 'don't worry about it, you
can hit the next couple for six and he can bowl
a no-ball or another wide,'" Shepherd said.
"The umpire missed that one, but he's just
human - hopefully he can correct his mistake in
the upcoming games. I think that was a wide
but he didn't think so.
"Yesterday was a total off-day: we didn't field
well, we didn't catch well. Those are some of the
little things that [cost] us last night: we could
have got them down to less than 170 but we
fielded poorly."