FOOTBALL | Page 3
GOLF | Page 5
Captain
Milligan
secures draw
for Australia
McIlroy looks
to regain
momentum
at Travelers
Friday, June 23, 2017
Ramadan 28, 1438 AH
SPOTLIGHT
Kohli says he won’t
reveal dressing
room secrets
GULF TIMES
SPORT
Page 2
BASKETBALL
3x3 has Qatar to thank for Olympic inclusion
Qatar’s senior and junior basketball players sport T-shirts expressing solidarity with His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at a training session
at the Al Gharafa Sports Club yesterday.
By Anil John
Doha
Q
atar have already started
planning for a medal following the International
Olympic Committee (IOC)’s
decision to include 3x3 basketball in
the Olympics beginning with Tokyo in
2020.
With Qatar boasting one of the top
teams in the world – they were world
champions in 2014 and quarter-finalists at the ongoing 2017 World Championships in Nantes, France – the
Qatar Basketball Federation are keen
on devising a comprehensive strategy
to make a good first impression in the
Japanese capital.
The Olympic decision, made earlier
this month in Switzerland, comes after
years of campaigning with Qatar playing a key role by hosting several 3x3
high profile competitions and giving
the format a fillip.
“Qatar has been at the forefront of
promoting the 3x3 format in basketball
and our efforts have been rewarded,” a
Qatar Basketball Federation official told
the Gulf Times yesterday.
“It’s a historic occasion for basketball. The 3x3 format has captured the
imagination of the basketball loving
people worldwide and its inclusion in
the Olympics is definitely a boost for
the sport and especially for Qatar’s
medal chances,” he added.
The IOC said earlier this month that
64 athletes (32 men and 32 women) will
be part of the Olympic basketball programme at the Tokyo Olympics.
FIBA Secretary General and IOC
member Patrick Baumann said. “It is
the recognition of 10 years of hard work
to codify the rules of 3x3 and to innovate with a unique 3x3 digital platform
and player ranking system that bring
together athletes with private and institutional organisers in a worldwide
network of FIBA organised or sanctioned 3x3 events.”
Qatar’s huge involvement in basketball’s abridged format, in which only
three players represent one team on a
half-sized court with only one hoop,
did not escape the attention of FIBA,
the sport’s governing body.
“Qatar has been one of the biggest
promoters of 3x3 basketball. The facilities they provided and the standard of
the tournaments held in Doha over the
years have been mind-blowing,” FIBA
Vice-President Hamane Niang told
journalists in Doha last November.
Niang, who was in Qatar to witness
the FIBA 3x3 All Stars event, said it was
Qatar which first saw the tremendous
potential the 3x3 format had in terms of
worldwide popularity and appeal.
In that sense “you are true visionar-
CRICKET
SPOTLIGHT
Afghanistan, Ireland
given full Test status
Both countries were confirmed as full members after a unanimous vote at an International
Cricket Council (ICC) meeting during its annual conference in London yesterday
AFP
London
I
reland and Afghanistan were
awarded Test match status yesterday, taking the number of
countries playing at the pinnacle
of cricket from 10 to 12 in a decision
described as “fantastic” and “remarkable”.
Both countries were confirmed as
full members after a unanimous vote
at an International Cricket Council
(ICC) meeting during its annual conference in London.
Now Ireland and Afghanistan’s
men’s teams will be eligible to play
five-day Test cricket, widely regarded
as the sport’s supreme format.
Bangladesh were previously the last
country to be granted Test status in
2000.
But Afghanistan and Ireland have
now joined an exclusive club that also
includes founder members Australia
and England, who played the first Test
match at Melbourne in 1877, South
Africa, New Zealand, the West Indies,
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
“It’s fantastic news for all involved
with Irish cricket and I’d like to thank
the ICC and the members for the positive outcome,” said Cricket Ireland
chief executive Warren Deutrom in a
statement.
“Test cricket is the pinnacle of the
sport and it’s what we’ve all been aiming for.”
Ireland captain William Porterfield
added: “It’s wonderful news for all of
Irish cricket, with all the players already talking about playing in a Test
ies”, Niang had added.
FIBA 3x3 director Alex Niang had
said that it was Qatar which helped 3x3
basketball create more “media noise”
which raised the profile of the game.
“Qatar is a good example for any
other federation when it comes to the
promotion of a game,” Alex Niang had
said.
In 2007, FIBA decided to propose to
the IOC to add 3x3 to the 2010 Youth
Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore,
which ended up being the first official
3x3 event, with resounding success
there and at the 2014 edition in Nanjing,
China. 3x3 basketball thus becomes the
first-ever new YOG discipline to be included in the Olympic program.
FIBA President Horacio Muratore
said: “The intensity and skill level of the
3x3 game is such that there are no traditional 3x3 powerhouses and new countries have emerged since the first YOG
experience in 2010. This was our main
objective back in 2007. The decision
provides FIBA with a renewed, strong
incentive to continue in this direction
and grow the game of basketball by developing new young skilled basketball
talents in both genders across the globe
from small islands to large countries in
every continent.” The competition format, qualification system and the location of the 3x3 venue in Tokyo will be
announced at a later stage.
Members of the Afghanistan team celebrate their win over the West Indies in a T20 international earlier this month. They
will now get to play Test cricket, joining an elite group of 12 teams.
match for the first time.
“We’ve all played in World Cups
and achieved some memorable results
along the way, but to play in a Test
would be a bit special.”
Ireland international Gary Wilson
tweeted: “Let’s not forget the tireless
volunteers who worked so many years
to get us where we are.
“Men who played for free and managed for free...As well as for us, this is
for them.”
Meanwhile Afghanistan Cricket
Board chief executive Shafiq Stanikzai
said: “For a nation like Afghanistan it
is a huge and remarkable achievement,
the entire nation will be celebrating.
‘DARED TO DREAM’
“Afghanistan cricket has gone from
strength to strength and we dared to
dream that this would happen and today it has become a reality.”
Afghanistan international Mohamed Nabi took to his own Twitter feed
to say: “Finally our hard work pays off
and the dream of @ICC Full-Membership comes true. Can’t control my
sentiments.”
Cricket has been played in Ireland
for nearly 200 years but it wasn’t until 1969 that they made the rest of the
world game take true notice when they
bowled out the West Indies for just 25
at Sion Mills in a match recorded by
television.
Ireland have since established
themselves during the course of several World Cups, recording one-day
international wins over Pakistan, the
West Indies and England.
Afghanistan’s progress has been
even more rapid, with many Afghans’
first contact with cricket taking place
during the 1980s and 1990s, as refu-
gees fled to Pakistan to escape the Soviet invasion.
The ICC announced the establishment of cricket’s 11th and 12th Test
nations with a statement via its Twitter feed saying: “@ACBofficials and @
Irelandcricket confirmed as Full Members after a unanimous vote at ICC Full
Council meeting.
“Both will now be eligible to play
Test cricket following a recommendation that their applications met newly
approved member criteria.”
ICC chief executive David Richardson paid tribute to the efforts of the
two new Test countries.
“I’d like to congratulate Afghanistan
and Ireland on their Full Membership
status which is the result of their dedication to improving performance both
off and on the field resulting in the significant development and growth of
cricket in their respective countries,”
said Richardson.
“Both have clearly demonstrated
they meet the new criteria and as such
have made the progression to Full
Membership,” the former South Africa
wicket-keeper added.
Last year, Afghanistan’s national
team shifted its base from Sharjah in
the United Arab Emirates to Noida,
Delhi, while India’s former batsman
Lalchand Rajput replaced Pakistan’s
Inzamam-ul-Haq as their national
team coach.
Questions remain, however, about
how well Afghanistan and Ireland,
now coached by former New Zealand
off-spinner John Bracewell, will do in
the game’s longest format.
Bangladesh famously floundered for
their first decade while New Zealand
took 26 years to win their first Test.
India’s
share
hiked to
$405mn
AFP
London
I
ndia’s share of world cricket revenues was increased from $293 to
$405mn yesterday, under a new
deal agreed among other wideranging reforms at a meeting of the
game’s global governing body in London.
The deal came after India protested
a decision in April to divide revenues
more equitably among members of the
International Cricket Council (ICC) —
a move which would have cost the Indian board a large chunk of its funding
over the next eight years.
In the new model, England will receive $139mn, while Australia, Pakistan, the West Indies, New Zealand,
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would get
$128mn and Zimbabwe $94mn.
The Associate Members along with
Ireland and Afghanistan, the two newly-promoted full members who were
awarded Test status yesterday, will collectively receive funding of $240mn.
India had threatened to withdraw
from the Champions Trophy that began
in England on June 1 unless the revenue-sharing deal was restructured.
The deal drawn up in April was
aimed at curbing the dominance of
cricket’s wealthiest nations — India,
Australia and England — with more
money flowing to minor Test nations
and associate members.
“The ICC Board also unanimously
agreed a new financial model, thereby
reversing the 2014 resolutions and giving greater equality in the distribution
of ICC income,” said a release, terming
the revenue distribution cycle between
2016-2023.
ICC chairman Shashank Manohar,
former BCCI chief, called it the “first
step towards the ICC improving its
governance”.
“I would like to thank all ICC members for their commitment to changing the constitution for the good of the
global game,” he said.
Gulf Times
Friday, June 23, 2017
2
CRICKET
INDIA’S TOUR OF WEST INDIES
FOCUS
Kohli ‘respects’
Kumble but India
crisis stays in-house
‘What happens in the change room is something that’s very sacred and private
to all of us, and something that I would not express in a public scenario’
AFP
Port of Spain
I
ndia captain Virat Kohli refused to
discuss the bitter departure of head
coach Anil Kumble yesterday, admitting he “respects” the former
spinner but that he will not betray
dressing room secrecy.
Although his contract had come to
an end at the conclusion of the Champions Trophy tournament in London
last Sunday, Kumble was retained for
the forthcoming brief Caribbean campaign.
However, he announced his resignation the day after the title-holders and
favourites succumbed to a crushing
180-run defeat to arch-rivals Pakistan
in the final at The Oval.
In announcing his decision, the
former Indian leg-spinner said he had
been informed by officials of the Board
of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
that “the captain had reservations with
my style and about my continuing as
head coach.”
The issue of an apparent strained
relationship between Kohli and Kumble first arose three weeks earlier just
prior to the start of the Champions
Trophy with reports suggesting that
players were uncomfortable with was
described as Kumble’s “intimidating”
style of man management.
“What happens in the change room
is something that’s very sacred and private to all of us, and something that I
would not express in details in a public
scenario,” said Kohli, speaking to the
media on the eve of the series against
the West Indies.
“His point of view is out there and
we respect that decision. I have total
respect for him as a cricketer and what
he has achieved. There’s no taking away
that aspect of him at all and we respect
him totally.”
Had this development and the shock
thrashing by Pakistan transpired ahead
of a more challenging assignment there
might be cause for worry.
However in the West Indies, the Indians are taking on opponents whose
form has dipped alarmingly in the past
12 months to the extent that they have
Pakistan’s Amir
delighted by Cook
reception at Essex
AFP
London
P
akistan bowler Mohamed
Amir has praised the way
former England captain
Alastair Cook welcomed him
to Essex ahead of his upcoming debut
with the English county.
Left-arm paceman Amir joined
Essex after helping Pakistan win
the Champions Trophy, with the
25-year-old taking three for 16 in
Sunday’s stunning 180-run demolition of India in the final.
He is expected to play in Monday’s County Championship fixture
against title-holders Middlesex,
having seemingly earned his redemption following a spot-fixing ban
in 2010 that brought a five-year ban
and nearly ended his career.
After his return, Amir was granted
a visa to tour England last year which
prompted England opener Cook
to declare match-fixers should be
banned for life to protect cricket’s
integrity.
But Amir, who signed a deal to join
Essex back in November, said there
was no hostility between himself and
Cook and insisted their relationship
is already “very good”.
“I met him the first day when I arrived and he was very nice,” said Amir.
“He said to me, the funny thing, ‘I want
to learn Urdu (Amir’s native tongue), so
you have to teach me’.
“No (there are no issues between
us), nothing.
“He’s always nice and always very
supportive. Everybody knows he’s a
good batsman and a very nice human
being, so I think it will be a very good
journey with him.
“The way the people treat me, they
are very nice to me; the way they gave
me a reception was very, very inspiring for me.”
Amir admitted his starring display
at The Oval against India had given
him a real jolt and hopes that success
will translate into a successful summer in English domestic cricket.
“That was a career booster. The
way I performed in the final for my
country feels very, very good, I don’t
have words for that,” said Amir.
“After the way we won the final,
your confidence will go up, and I will
use that, definitely.
“It will be a very good summer
for me; my first time playing county
cricket. I’ve met good people here
and hope it will be a good journey.”
India captain Virat Kohli takes part in a practice session at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, yesterday. (AFP)
won just three of 16 ODIs during that
period and only managed a 1-1 draw in
a rain-affected three-match series with
Afghanistan in their last campaign.
That series was played concurrently
with the Champions Trophy, serving
to highlight the steep decline of the
former winners who failed for the first
time in 42 years to qualify for a major
International Cricket Council event.
Unless they can upset the form book
in five matches against India and a further five ODIs in England in September,
the ninth-ranked West Indies also appear doomed to go through the qualifying tournament next year for the 2019
World Cup in England.
“That’s no concern for me. We have
to focus on our game and leave India
to deal with their own problems,” said
West Indies captain Jason Holder when
questioned about the circumstances of
Kumble’s departure.
POTENT WEAPON MISSING
“We have a chance of beating India but
only if we deliver on the day in all departments of the game.”
While they have rested experienced
opener Rohit Sharma and exciting fastmedium bowler Jasprit Bumrah from
the Champions Trophy squad, India
still present an impressive front with
strength and experience in all departments compared to a home side short
on confidence and top-level exposure.
From their last ODI meeting more
than two years ago at the World Cup
in Perth — a four-wicket win for India
with almost 11 overs to spare — there
are only two West Indian survivors in
Holder and batsman Jonathan Carter.
In contrast the Indians have as
many as eight players from their touring party who featured in that fixture
headed by proven match-winners Kohli
and former captain and wicketkeeper-
batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Their vaunted batting line-up was
obliterated by Pakistan’s seam attack in
the Champions Trophy final but it remains to be seen if the West Indies bowling armoury, shorn of their most potent
weapon in injured fast bowler Shannon
Gabriel, can present similar challenges
on the Queen’s Park Oval pitch for the
first two matches, starting today.
This is the first bilateral series between the two teams since the West
Indies abandoned the scheduled full
tour of India after the fourth ODI in
Dharamsala in October, 2014 due to a
dispute with their own players’ association in which the West Indies Cricket
Board declined to intervene.
Following Sunday’s second match,
Antigua will host the next two ODIs before the tour wraps up in Jamaica where
the final one-dayer will be played followed by a T20 International on July 9.
Pakistan’s Mohamed Amir celebrates the wicket of India’s Rohit Sharma during
the ICC Champions Trophy final at The Oval in London on Sunday. (AFP)
SPOTLIGHT
Sri Lanka’s Malinga
Bairstow leads England to rout of SA in hot water over
‘monkey’ comment
SOUTH AFRICA’S TOUR OF ENGLAND
Reuters
London
J
onny Bairstow struck a sublime unbeaten 60 to lead England to a dominant nine-wicket
victory over South Africa in the
first Twenty20 international in Southampton on Wednesday.
South Africa chose to bat and laboured to 142 for three before Bairstow
and Alex Hales shared a superb unbroken second-wicket partnership of 98 to
guide the hosts to their target with 5.3
overs to spare.
“I’m trying to progress all the time
and I played a few shots I didn’t have a
few months ago,” said man of the match
Bairstow.
“I’m feeling good, I was really
pleased. The lads bowled outstandingly
well, to take wickets up front is what
we wanted and then our spinners tied
them down.”
David Willey bowled JJ Smuts with
the first ball of the match and South
Africa quickly subsided to 32 for three.
Captain AB de Villiers (65 not out)
and Farhaan Behardien (64 not out)
shared an unbroken stand of 110 but
they never broke free from the shackles
imposed by a disciplined England attack and the total always looked belowpar.
England openers Jason Roy and Hales
plundered 45 off the first four overs before Roy, playing a risky reverse sweep,
was trapped lbw by Andile Phehlukwayo for 28.
But Hales (47 not out) and Bairstow
looked completely untroubled by a
toothless South Africa attack, hitting
four sixes and nine fours between them
to cruise to their target.
Both teams were playing their first
matches since the Champions Trophy
in which hosts England lost to Pakistan in the semi-finals and top-ranked
South Africa failed to advance from the
group stage.
“It is difficult to sum up the performance. The result doesn’t look good for
us. We lost our way at the start, had to
rebuild and we were 20-30 runs short
in the end, which probably cost us,” De
Villiers said.
The second game of the three-match
series is in Taunton on Friday. (Reporting by Ed Osmond; Editing by Toby
Davis)
AFP
Colombo
S
BRIEF SCORES: SOUTH AFRICA 142
for 3 (de Villiers 65 not out, Behardien
64 not out) lost to ENGLAND 143 for 1
(Bairstow 60 not out) by nine wickets
De Villiers vows fightback after T20 rout
AFP
Southampton, United Kingdom
C
aptain AB de Villiers promised South Africa would “fight
our way back” after England
thrashed them by nine wickets in the
first Twenty20 international at Southampton on Wednesday.
After the chastening defeat, which
came after their first-round exit at the
Champions Trophy, de Villiers said:
“It’s not done and dusted.
“We go to Taunton and like all South
Africans we always fight our way
back so I’m expecting a really good
performance in the next one.”
South Africa found runs hard to come
by against an England side where
spinners Liam Dawson and Twenty20
debutant Mason Crane both bowled
tightly on their Hampshire home
ground.
Young leg-spinner Crane had a particularly encouraging debut with four
overs for 24 runs and bowled one bad
ball, his final delivery, a full toss hit for
four by de Villiers.
“We know he has the potential and
skill level, he has proved that at
county level,” said England captain
Eoin Morgan of the 20-year-old Crane.
“It is about reigniting that form at
international level.
“His skills are good, we know that, it is
delivering them against (players like)
de Villiers, who is one of the best of
our generation — delivering against
him is a task especially when he is
coming after you.
“The challenge for him now is if people counter him, how he comes back
from it? But they are really good signs
for a player coming in.”
The Proteas were reduced to seven for
two after seven balls electing to bat
first and that became 32 for three in
the fifth over.
De Villiers (65 not out) and Farhaan
Behardien (64 not out) repaired the
damage with an unbroken stand of
110 but a total of 142 for three never
looked like being enough.
England, led by Jonny Bairstow’s
unbeaten 60, raced to their victory
target with 33 balls to spare for the
loss of one wicket.
England, who beat South Africa 2-1 in
a one-day international series before
this month’s Champions Trophy, will
now look to clinch the three-match
series at Taunton today.
ri Lanka fast bowler Lasith
Malinga faced an investigation yesterday after he compared a government minister
to a monkey following criticism that
the country’s cricketers were too fat.
Sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said he ordered an inquiry after
Malinga lambasted him for questioning the endurance of Sri Lankan players following their failure to reach the
Champions Trophy semi-finals.
“He is now under investigation for
making statements to the media in
breach of his contract with Sri Lanka
Cricket (board),” Jayasekera told AFP.
“In my criticism of the appalling
fitness levels of our players, I did not
name Malinga, but he has chosen to
put the hat on and attack me publicly.”
Malinga told a television network
the minister knew nothing about
cricket.
“I don’t care about criticism from
those who are simply warming chairs,”
he said. “What does a monkey know
about a parrot’s nesting hollow? This
is like a monkey getting into a parrot’s
nest and talking about it.”
Jayasekera said some Sri Lankan
players had pot bellies that stopped
them moving and that often they
could not hold catches.
Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed
was twice dropped in his side’s
Champions Trophy win over Sri Lanka. Both catches were off the bowling
of Malinga, who ended up with just
one wicket for 52 runs.
Jayasekera said he ordered a fitness
test on the team after their return
from England last week and found
that most of them carry too much fat.
“The typical body fat amounts for
a cricketer should be about 16 %, but
most of our players have over 25 %,”
Jayasekera said.
“I want the results analysed and
in future no one will be included in
a national squad if they are above 16
%.”
Malinga, 33, was a surprise choice
for the Sri Lanka squad as he has
played little international cricket in
the previous 18 months because of
injury.
Just prior to the Champions Trophy, however, Malinga won the cashrich Indian Premier League (IPL) title
with the Mumbai Indians.
Malinga was the only player excused from Sri Lanka’s high altitude
training camp before the Champions
Trophy, because of the IPL campaign.
“They improve their fitness level
just to bowl four overs at the IPL,”
Jayasekera said, referring to Malinga. “These guys are not interested
in playing for the country, they play
for the IPL because of the money they
get.”
Jayasekera said he was also making
fitness a key requirement for other
sports before an athlete can participate in overseas tournaments.
Gulf Times
Friday, June 23, 2017
3
FOOTBALL
SPOTLIGHT
Ankle injury set to end
Guerreiro’s campaign
Captain Milligan’s
penalty rescues
draw for Australia
‘I am quite disappointed because we had the means to win the match. But nothing is
over, we still have a match to go. There’ll be pressure but that is why we do this job’
Portugal left-back Raphael
Guerreiro looks set to miss the
rest of the Confederations Cup
with an ankle injury.
The Borussia Dortmund
defender had to be helped off
in the second-half of Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Russia in
Moscow after Cristiano Ronaldo had headed the winning
goal from Guerreiro’s cross.
On his official Instagram
account yesterday, Guerreiro stated he had suffered a
fracture, before the post was
later deleted.
“Thank you for your messages, I have a fracture, but it
happened three months ago,”
Guerreiro posted before the
message was withdrawn.
“Fortunately, the fracture
is not causing me any pain,
but I can’t put my foot on the
ground or move. I’ll be behind
my team-mates for the rest of
the competition.”
Mexico’s Salcedo ruled
out of for remainder of
tournament
Mexican defender Carlos
Salcedo has been ruled out of
the remainder of the Confederations Cup in Russia, after
suffering a shoulder injury in
Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over
New Zealand.
The 23-year-old came off
second-best in an aerial tussle
with Kiwi striker Chris Wood
in the first half and landed
awkwardly.
The Mexican Football Federation confirmed the news in a
statement, with Salcedo, who
recently joined German club
Eintracht Frankfurt on loan
from Guadalajara, to return
home.
Mexico’s come-from-behind
victory means that they need
only a draw from their final
Group A game against Russia
tomorrow to secure a semifinal place. Now to see what
happens next.
NOSTRADAMEOWS
Hermitage museum
cat predicts future
Achilles the cat during a prediction event.
AFP
Saint Petersburg
A
Australia’s Jackson Irvine (R) in action with Cameroon’s Adolphe during their Confederations Cup, Group B match in Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg, Russia yesterday.
AFP
Saint Petersburg
Result
At Saint Petersburg
Cameroon 1 (Zambo Anguissa 45+1)
Australia 1 (Milligan 60-pen)
A
ustralia captain Mark Milligan
converted a second-half penalty in yesterday’s 1-1 draw with
Cameroon in Saint Petersburg
that left both teams heading for an early
Confederations Cup exit.
Cameroon midfielder Andre-Frank
Zambo Anguissa scored with a superb
flick on the stroke of half-time, but Milligan slotted home a spot-kick on 60
minutes as both sides picked up their first
point in Group B.
The draw left both sides trailing Germany and Chile, who meet later in Kazan, and needing to win their final match
to have any hope of reaching the semifinals.
Cameroon play world champions Germany in Sochi on Sunday, while the Socceroos play Copa America holders Chile
in Moscow.
Australia’s midfielder Mark Milligan
celebrates after scoring a penalty.
“I am quite disappointed because we
had the means to win the match,” said
Zambo Anguissa, who was named man of
the match.
“But nothing is over, we still have a
match to go against Germany. There’ll be
pressure but that is why we do this job.”
Before Zambo Anguissa’s magical flick,
there were few clear chances for both
sides in an intense opening 45 minutes.
Hugo Broos’ Cameroon relied on long
balls down the flanks, a tactic that led
to the opening goal, while Australia’s
brightest moments resulted in Robbie
Kruse firing straight at Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa.
Matt Ryan then held a shot from Cameroon skipper Benjamin Moukandjo following a deft back-heel from Vincent
Aboubakar, but the opening goal was
worth the wait.
A beautifully weighted pass down the
right from centre-back Michael NgadeuNgadjui was brilliantly scooped by Zambo Anguissa over the advancing Ryan and
into the net.
It was the fourth match in a row the
Socceroos had conceded a goal either in
the first or final minute of a half.
It should have been 2-0 to Cameroon
on 57 minutes when Aboubakar fired a
great chance wide, leaving Broos with his
head in his hands on the sidelines, just
before Australia equalised.
With an hour gone, Milligan tucked
away a penalty after Alex Gersbach was
brought down in the area by Cameroon
right-back Ernest Mabouka.
The video assistant referee was consulted and confirmed the decision, with
Milligan making no mistake with the
spot-kick.
Australia coach Ange Postecoglou
threw on Tim Cahill, the country’s alltime leading scorer with 48 goals, but the
37-year-old could not break the deadlock
on his 99th international appearance.
CONFEDERATIONS CUP
Peralta strike gives Mexico win
AFP
Sochi
S
triker Oribe Peralta hit
Mexico’s winner in their
2-1 comeback victory
over New Zealand on
Wednesday to leave them on the
verge of the Confederations Cup
semi-finals.
After Leeds United striker
Chris Wood gave the All Whites a
shock first-half lead, second-half
goals by Benfica’s Raul Jimenez
and Peralta sealed the win.
The result in Sochi saw Mexico
leapfrog Portugal, who earlier
beat Russia 1-0 in Moscow, into
top spot in Group A by the slenderest of margins on goals scored.
Juan Carlos Osorio’s side now
just need a draw against Russia
in Kazan tomorrow to be sure
of reaching the semi-finals, but
New Zealand are bottom of the
group and out of the tournament.
New Zealand’s superb firsthalf display rattled Mexico and
a tense match boiled over with
Mexico’s forward Oribe Peralta celebrates after scoring a goal
during the Group A match against New Zealand.
a mass brawl in the dying stages.
Osario said the match turned
when Porto midfielder Hector
Herrera came on for the second
half and Mexico’s attacks started
to flow.
“We improved greatly when
Hector came in and we have to
see what happens now against
Russia,” said Osorio.
“I am proud of what my team
did, it’s normal to have to suffer at
this level, but we deserved to win.
“We know how to adapt to
different opponents.”
New Zealand coach Anthony
Hudson had vowed they would
bounce back after Saturday’s
opening 2-0 defeat by Russia
and his team were true to his
word.
“Everyone is incredibly dis-
appointed in the changing room
and we feel we should have got
more,” said Hudson.
“It was an incredible first-half
performance from us.
“The first 10 minutes after the
break, we gave them too much
space and time on the ball.”
Wood’s superb strike was
New Zealand’s first goal in four
matches and only the third time
they have scored at a Confederations Cup in four campaigns.
With star striker Javier Hernandez on the bench, Mexico’s
three-man attack of Peralta,
Jimenez and Juergen Damm
struggled to make an impact
early on.
There was also no place for
promising winger Hirving Lozano, 21, who signed a six-year
contract for PSV Eindhoven on
Monday.
Mexico lost Carlos Salcedo on
33 minutes when the defender
was stretchered off with a shoulder injury after coming secondbest in a tussle with Wood.
The New Zealand forward
had the best of the early chances
when he twice forced Mexico
goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera into
saves.
The Oceania champions took
a shock lead when Clayton Lewis
threaded his pass between two
defenders to Wood, who coolly
fired home on 42 minutes.
With the Kiwis’ tails up, Wood
could have grabbed a second
when he again got in behind the
defence, but failed to control the
ball as they took a one-goal lead
into the break.
After Herrera’s introduction,
Javier Aquino forced New Zealand keeper Stefan Marinovic
into a left-handed save, before
Giovani dos Santos fired over.
At the other end, Wood
squandered a one-on-one with
Talavera and moments later
Mexico were level.
Aquino broke down the left
flank and passed to Marco Fabian, who squared for forward
Jimenez to fire home.
Peralta hit the winner in
the 72nd minute when Aquino pulled the ball back for the
33-year-old to find the net.
white cat named Achilles who normally keeps
down mice at Saint Petersburg’s famed Hermitage museum has begun work
as the official forecaster for the
Confederations Cup hosted by
Russia.
The cat — hired in a blaze of
publicity — fastidiously chose
between bowls of food decked
with national flags yesterday,
picking between Australia and
Cameroon which were to play
later in the day.
Australia came first by a whisker after Achilles jumped onto the
bowl. He previously correctly predicted that Russia would beat New
Zealand last week.
Known as Akhill, the Russian
name for Greek mythological
hero Achilles, he is one of some
50 feline guardians at the revered
classical art museum and former
tsarist Winter Palace.
The cats keep down vermin
in exchange for lodgings in the
cellar and have become a tour-
ist attraction in their own right,
featured on calendars.
Staff periodically give away
kittens with the sought-after
Hermitage pedigree.
“We chose Akhill for this role
due to his very sociable and
stress-resistant nature,” said
Maria Khaltunen, who is responsible for the museum’s cats.
The white-furred blue-eyed
cat aged around one will not be
susceptible to a quiet word from
either side, since he is deaf, Khaltunen said.
“That means it’s impossible to
attract his attention with some
sound at the moment of choice,”
she said.
The Confederations Cup is
seen as testing Russa’s mettle as
organiser for next year’s World
Cup and includes some of the
same popular razzmatazz.
The cat follows a long line of
animal forecasters for popular
sports events including a sheep,
a guinea pig, a raccoon.
Most famously, Paul the psychic German octopus predicted
all the results of the 2010 World
Cup involving the German team
as well as that of the final.
SORRY
Mexico coach
apologises for rant
Reuters
Sochi
M
exico coach Juan
Carlos Osorio has
apologised
after
television cameras
caught him using an expletive
during Wednesday’s ill-tempered Confederations Cup match
against New Zealand.
Osorio said he was incensed
during the first half of the game
when Mexico defender Carlos
Salcedo was left injured after a
clash with rival forward Chris
Wood in the New Zealand area
and their opponents failed to
kick the ball out of play.
New Zealand played on, went
down the other end and nearly
scored, with the Mexicans urging
their opponents to stop the game.
“I want to apologise to all
the television viewers, I obviously went over the top when I
got involved with their assistant
coach,” he told Mexican media
after his side’s 2-1 win.
“We always understood and
respected their way of playing, a
very direct type of football, with
a lot of contact.”
“The situation in which Carlos
Salcedo was left on the ground
gave them a goalscoring chance,”
added the Colombian. “Our
players and myself were shouting at them and the New Zealand
coach to stop the match.”
FIFA, however, has tried to
Mexico’s Colombian coach Juan
Carlos Osorio (C).
stop the practice of teams kicking the ball out of play to allow
treatment to injured opponents
after it became routinely abused
by players feigning injury to
waste time or break up an attack.
Teams who voluntarily kicked
the ball out also got a raw deal because the ball would be returned to
them deep in their own half rather
than where play stopped.
Instead, teams are now encouraged to play on until the
referee stops the game, no matter how many players are down
injured or how serious the injury
appears to be.
However, the guidelines have
proved difficult to enforce in
some countries, particularly
Spain and Italy where teams
continue to demand that opponents kick the ball out if one of
their players is injured – whether
it be genuine or not.
4
Gulf Times
Friday, June 23, 2017
FOOTBALL
SPOTLIGHT
TERMINATED
Queiroz, from Man
United enforcer
to Mr. World Cup
‘To do it with these different countries, cultures and mentalities is at least, unique.
Each country has its own challenges, its own strengths and weaknesses’
English FA ends
sponsor deals with
betting companies
Reuters
Manchester
T
he English Football Association has ended its
sponsorship deals with
betting company Ladbrokes and confirmed it was
ceasing all commercial agreements with gambling firms.
The move comes after the
FA was criticised for punishing
players for betting violations
while having deals in place with
gambling companies.
“At May’s board meeting, it
was agreed that The FA would
end all sponsorships with betting
companies starting from the end
of the 2016-17 season,” the FA
said in a statement yesterday.
“The decision was made following a three-month review of
The FA’s approach to it as a governing body taking betting sponsorship, whilst being responsible
for the regulation of sports betting within the sport’s rules.
“As a consequence, The FA has
mutually agreed with Ladbrokes
that its current partnership will
be terminated from June 2017,”
concluded the statement.
FA rules ban players from betting on any football matches.
In April, former Manchester
City and Burnley midfielder Joey
Barton was banned for 18 months
after he was found to have made
more than 1,200 bets on football
matches.
Barton, who said he had a
gambling addiction, had pointed
out the heavy involvement of
the gambling industry in British
football where bookmakers act as
sponsors at several levels.
“That all means this is not an
easy environment in which to try
to stop gambling, or even to encourage people within the sport
that betting is wrong,” Barton
had said in a statement.
England’s second tier, run by
the Football League, is known
as the Sky Bet Championship,
while numerous clubs have betting companies as shirt sponsors.
The FA said they would continue to work with betting companies, including Ladbrokes, in
information sharing schemes on
suspect betting patterns.
Martin Glenn, chief executive
of The FA, said: “We would like to
thank Ladbrokes for both being a
valued partner over the last year
and for their professionalism and
understanding about our change
of policy around gambling.”
Jim Mullen, CEO of Ladbrokes Coral, said: “We understand
The FA’s decision regarding their
commercial partnerships on
gambling.”
Chinese investors buy stake in Parma
File picture of Iran’s head coach Carlos Queiroz (C) gesturing after they won their World Cup 2018 Asian qualifying football match against Qatar in Tehran.
AFP
Seoul
C
arlos Queiroz was once Alex Ferguson’s formidable number two
at Manchester United, but he
has now carved out a new reputation: the man who can take your team
to the World Cup.
After Queiroz’s Iran became only the
second team to qualify for Russia 2018,
he is savouring the unique feat of reaching four World Cups with three different
teams.
It’s a record that hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Asian champions Australia
reportedly interested in Queiroz’s services once Ange Postecoglou departs next
year.
“I feel very proud and honoured
with that (World Cup) achievement,”
the grizzled Portuguese told AFP by
telephone.”Other coaches have qualified
four times but not with different teams.”
The former Real Madrid boss has now
qualified with South Africa in 2002, Portugal in 2010 — leading them to the last
16 — and now twice with Iran, after he
also took them to Brazil 2014.
This month’s 2-0 win over Uzbekistan
made Iran the first Asian team to qualify
for Russia, clinching top spot in Group A
with two games to spare — and without
a single goal conceded in 720 minutes of
football.
On top of that, Iran, who will now contest back-to-back World Cups for the
first time, have been Asia’s number one
team in the FIFA rankings for four years,
helped by a growing number of players
succeeding in Europe.
Walter Winterbottom took England to
four successive World Cups starting from
1950, a record that was equalled by West
Germany’s Helmut Schon from 1966 to
1978.
Oscar Tabarez could also make it four
with Uruguay if the South Americans
reach Russia.
But nobody has done it with three
different countries, apart from Mozambique-born Queiroz.
“To do it with these different countries, cultures and mentalities is at least,
unique,” Queiroz said. “Each country has
its own challenges, its own strengths and
weaknesses.”
‘FOOTBALL ANIMAL’
The 64-year-old became Iran coach in 2011
and has weathered cultural and logistical
difficulties to find success with Team Melli,
helped by the talent the country produces
and the passion of the fans.
“The fans love the team and the excitement they provide is special,” said Queiroz. “When we play at home the atmosphere is great and there can be 100,000
fans. When we qualified, there were celebrations in Tehran all night.”
Among Queiroz’s players is Reza
Ghoochannejhad, who was the second
highest goalscorer in the Dutch league in
the 2016-2017 season with 20 goals for
Heerenveen.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh has also impressed in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar, and Karim Ansarifard is with Greek
giant Olympiakos.
Then there are two highly-rated young
stars in Russia: striker Sardar Azmoun
and midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi, with both
expected to head to one of the bigger European leagues this summer.
It all adds up to a formidable squad and
coaching staff.
“Carlos Queiroz and his colleagues
have done so much for Team Melli,” Ali
Daei, a legend of Iranian football and
former national team coach, told FIFA’s
official homepage.
“One of the most important things he’s
done is bringing in so many young players and changed the major players of the
team.”
Although Queiroz is attracting interest
from other federations, he says he hasn’t
yet decided whether he will go for a fifth
World Cup with a fourth national team.
“I have been coaching for a long time,”
said Queiroz, who led Portugal’s U20 team
to successive World Cup titles in 1989 and
1991. “I don’t really want to think what
happens after the next World Cup.
“If this football animal is still biting
me in the stomach then I can continue.
I want to feel happy. If I can still make a
contribution then maybe.”
First comes the challenge of taking Iran
to Russia, and improving on their winless
showing in Brazil.
“That is the ambition and starting
from now, that is the objective we are
working towards,” he said. “With the
right preparation then we have the talent
to make an impact.”
Chinese businessman Jiang
Lizhang’s Desports group
has agreed to purchase a 60
percent stake in Italian side
Parma, club vice-president
Marco Ferrari said yesterday.
Former UEFA Cup winners
Parma have earned a Serie
B berth next season, two
years after bankruptcy led to
demotion to the Italian fourth
division.
Ferrari told a press conference
in the north of Italy that the
club had been looking for “a
foreign partner” for several
months.
“We identified this partner in
the person of Jiang Lizhang,
president of the Desports
group,” he said.
Jiang already owns Spanish
La Liga club Grenada and is
co-owner of the Minnesota
Timberwolves NBA franchise.
He is the founder of DoubleEdged Sports (DeSports), a
company specialising in marketing and sports rights.
Desports recently acquired
retransmission rights for
Champions League and Europa League matches in China
for the period 2018-2021.
“The first phase of the operation has ended in recent
weeks with the arrival of this
new partner and a capital
increase which has led to a
minority stake of 30 per cent,”
explained Ferrari.
“The transaction is expected
to be concluded in the first
week of July with an increase
in its stake to 60 percent.”
Both Inter Milan and AC Milan
are already under Chinese
ownership.
Suning, a leading Chinese
appliance retailer, controlled
by billionaire Zhang Jindong,
spent 270 million euros
($301m) to buy a 68 percent
stake in Inter Milan.
And in April AC Milan began
life under Chinese ownership
in a 740 million-euro deal,
which ended former Italian
prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s 31-year reign as the club’s
owner and president and saw
businessman Li Yonghong
take a 99.93 percent stake in
the club.
Parma — winners of the
second-tier European competition in 1995 and 1999 — won
a play-off against Alessandria
2-0 in Florence last Saturday
to win promotion to Serie B.
It was the second consecutive promotion for the club
who finished sixth in Serie A
in 2014 but could not play in
Europe the following season
because of financial fair-play
rules.
The cash-strapped side finished bottom of the Italian top
flight in 2015 and was declared
bankrupt in March that year
with club president Giampetro
Manenti jailed.
In July 2015 Parma Calcio 1913
was created and admitted into
the Italian fourth division.
Balotelli ‘ready to
make financial effort’
to stay in Nice
Cup finals in Russia.
Balotelli has scored 13 times
in 33 appearances, but hasn’t
played for Italy since featuring
in a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay during the 2014 World Cup.
CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE
Oscar gets eight-game ban
AFP
Shanghai
B
razilian
international
Oscar was banned for
eight games yesterday
for triggering a spectacular mass brawl in the Chinese Super League between
his Shanghai SIPG side and
Guangzhou R&F.
After the former Chelsea midfielder appeared twice to fire the
ball deliberately at Guangzhou
players on Sunday, he was
rushed by several opponents.
Oscar fell to the ground and a
melee broke out around him.
The Chinese Football Association issued lengthy bans to four
players, including the 25-yearold Oscar, and fined him 40,000
yuan ($6,000).
Oscar, who was not booked
at the time of the scrap, is one
of the most high-profile players in the Chinese Super League
(CSL) after he joined SIPG for an
This file photo shows Shanghai SIPG’s Oscar (C) kicking the ball at a
Guangzhou R&F player (23) in an incident that led to a brawl during
their Chinese Super League match in Guangzhou.
Asian-record 60 million euros
this season.
But that has not saved him
from the mammoth ban as the
CFA said he was responsible for
sparking the ugly incident just
before half-time in the away
league match.
Oscar will not return to CSL
action until late August.
Among the games he will miss
will be against Guangzhou Evergrande on July 22, as Andre Villas-Boas’s second-placed SIPG
attempt to keep up the pressure
on the league leaders.
“It very badly impacted the
Chinese Super League match,”
the CFA said in a statement, referring to Oscar’s key role in the
dispute in which players, coaching staff and substitutes poured
off the benches and waded in.
Two players, one from each
side, were sent off for their
part in the brawl. One of them,
Shanghai’s Fu Huan, was banned
for six CSL games, and redcarded Guangzhou R&F player
Li Tixiang got five games.
Guangzhou’s Chen Zhizhao,
who seemed to push Oscar to
the floor, was banned for seven
league games and both clubs
were fined and warned about
their behaviour.
Oscar was unhurt and the
fiery encounter finished 1-1 to
leave SIPG four points behind
reigning champions Guangzhou
Evergrande.
Villas-Boas defended Oscar
afterwards, saying he was “just
being passionate”, and Oscar denied he purposely aimed the ball
at R&F players.
“Disrespect the opponent? It
is not true. I am a very dedicated
player and respect sportsmanship,” Sina Sports website quoted the player as saying.
The CFA is not afraid to hand
out stiff punishments to protect
the reputation of Chinese football. In March it hit Qin Sheng
of Shanghai Shenhua with a sixmonth ban for stomping on Belgian international Axel Witsel.
China youth team
could play in German
fourth tier
Italian international striker
Mario Balotelli is determined
to stay at Ligue 1 outfit Nice
next season, club president
Jean-Pierre Rivere revealed
yesterday.
“I can tell you three things one, he’s a player who wants
to continue with us; two, he’s
ready to make a financial
effort; three, discussions are
continuing,” said Rivere.
“It’s a complicated dossier,”
said a source close to the
discussions, adding that the
player could extend by two
years with a monthly salary of
450,000 euros ($502,000).
Balotelli — who played in Italy
for AC Milan and Inter Milan
and England with Liverpool
and Manchester City — joined
Nice in 2016, with his 15 goals
helping lift the team to third
in Ligue 1 and a Champions
League spot next season.
The 26-year-old could opt to
stay in France and try to resurrect his international career
with Italy for the 2018 World
China’s under-20 national side
could join the German fourth
division for next season to
prepare their players for the
2020 Tokyo Olympics, German press reported.
An agreement with the German Football Association
(DFB), which is ready but not
yet signed, will be presented
to Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visits Berlin on
July 5, according to Bild.
Only 19 teams have qualified
for the southwest regional
league, and the Chinese
youngsters would play two
fixtures against each of them,
although not competing for an
official ranking.
The German clubs involved
will receive 15,000 euros each
from the Chinese Football
Association for playing the
two games.”All 19 clubs in the
league have signalled their
approval that the Chinese are
playing, so I see the project
going very well,” the league’s
managing director Felix Wiedemann told Bild.
Gulf Times
Friday, June 23, 2017
5
SPORT
BASEBALL
GOLF
Big guns seek to
get back on track
at Travelers
Berrios throws
another gem as
Minnesota win
‘Right now I feel great. That’s my second quality start in a row’
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.
AFP
Hartford
R
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) follows through on a three-run home run in the fourth inning as New York Mets catcher Rene Rivera and home plate umpire
Lance Barksdale react during a MLB baseball game at Dodger Stadium. PICTURE: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
By Chad Graff
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
W
hen Jose Berrios finally left the
mound 24 outs and 97 pitches
into another gem of his breakout season, he smacked his
glove and waved to crowd, his work done
and the Twins on their way to a 4-2 win
over the White Sox.
The fans who crowded Target Field on
Wednesday night have endured some long,
losing seasons of late while awaiting the
emergence of prized prospects, but now
Berrios is among those paying off for that
patience.
Five weeks after the righty turned 23, he
tossed eight strong innings, the latest dominant outing just six days removed from the
last.
“Right now I feel great,” Berrios said.
“That’s my second quality start in a row.
But right now you don’t think about that.
Just try to stay humble and stay on the earth
and enjoy the moment.”
With another start likely remaining later
this month in Boston, Berrios is 4-0 in June
with 26 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. He’s 7-1
on a season that started in the minors and
presents itself in stark contrast to last season’s disappointing debut.
A year ago, 14 starts yielded only a massive 8.02 earned-run average. Eight starts
into this season, Berrios’ ERA is 2.67, lower
than even staff ace Ervin Santana.
“He probably felt some of the pressure
trying to be one of those guys,” manager
Paul Molitor said of Berrios last year. “And
the harder he tried, the more difficult those
results were to come by. He’s stepped up
here since we’ve brought him up, and he’s
been a huge addition to the rotation.”
The Twins managed only four runs on
their 10 hits, but the less-than-efficient
night was permissible with Berrios on the
mound.
And yet, the starting pitcher’s night
didn’t seem promising early. The first batter
he faced eventually scored, and he allowed
four of the first 10 batters he faced to reach
base. But after inducing a double play in the
third inning, Berrios didn’t allow a hit to
any of the next 15 batters he faced.
Run insurance was provided early for
Berrios after the Twins plated one run in the
Results
SEATTLE
LA DODGERS
Houston
Arizona
MINNESOTA
MILWAUKEE
Toronto
ATLANTA
Cleveland
NY YANKEES
St. Louis
San Diego
KANSAS CITY
TAMPA BAY
MIAMI
7
8
5
16
4
4
7
5
5
8
7
3
6
8
2
Detroit
5
NY Mets
2
OAKLAND
1
COLORADO
5
Chicago White Sox
2
Pittsburgh
3
TEXAS
5
San Francisco
3
BALTIMORE
1
LA Angels
4
PHILADELPHIA
6 (10 inns)
CHICAGO CUBS
2
Boston
4
Cincinnati
3
Washington
1
second and three in the third, even as they
stranded three in those innings, squandering chances for more.
“I think the offensive side, it makes you
a little apprehensive when you miss opportunities,” Molitor said. “We had chances
almost every inning.”
Miguel Sano blasted a 3-0 fastball to the
upper deck in the opposite field to start
the third inning, a drive that carried an
estimated 414 feet. The next two batters
reached base, and Max Kepler drove one in
with a single.
One inning earlier, a Brian Dozier double
to the gap drove in Byron Buxton to even
the game. What seemed a slugfest, though,
turned when Berrios settled, only needing
49 pitches the last five innings.
“I hope that is one of the things that he’s
learning is he can have some of those quicker innings by not trying to strike everybody out and by pitching to weak contact,”
Molitor said.
Berrios’ strong outing was especially
welcome for the Twins, who needed four
relievers to end a four-game losing streak
on Tuesday and who will now go for a sweep
of the White Sox on Thursday afternoon
with unproven Nik Turley on the mound to
culminate an 11-game homestand.
“He’s gone deep now a couple times
when we’ve needed it, which has really
picked us up collectively,” Molitor said of
Berrios’ innings. “I think he’s starting to
understand how to maintain. He hasn’t had
a ton of adversity, but he still navigates himself pretty well.”
ory McIlroy will be
making just his third
start since the Masters
as the Northern Irishman tries to kick start his game
this week at the PGA Tour’s
Travelers Championship.
Less than a week after the finish of the 2017 US Open a starstudded field will tee it up at the
TPC River Highlands course, 16
kilometres (10 miles) south of
Hartford, Connecticut.
The world number three has
dropped to 69th in the FedEx
Cup standings, with poor form
and a nagging rib injury which
has limited him to just seven
starts. He also got married to
PGA of America employee Erica
Stoll.
“I always felt 2017 was going
to be a bit of a transitional year,”
said McIlroy, who missed the cut
at the US Open. “With, obviously, Nike going out of the golf
equipment business and getting
married, moving and changing residences, and all that sort
of stuff. I didn’t factor an injury
into that as well.”
This is McIlroy’s first appearance at the $6.8mn Travelers.
He said the course suits him and
he is confident he can contend,
beginning Thursday when he
tees off with Jim Furyk and Brian
Harman.
“The golf course is great — I
can see why Jim Furyk hit 58 last
year and why guys can go low,”
McIlroy said. “If you’re on with
your scoring clubs, it gives you a
lot of opportunities.”
As well as McIlroy the event
boasts Jordan Spieth and Jason
Day, who played here in 2008
and 2014, when he posted his
best finish, a tie for 18th.
All three are trying to get their
best form back ahead of the British Open, PGA Championship
and the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Spieth has recently been
struggling with his putter but
unlike Day and McIlroy he made
the cut at the US Open before
finishing in a tie for 35th.
“I’ve been working on the
putting, trying to develop a feel
that I can use consistently and
kind of not have to think about
the stroke and setup and instead
focus on the line and speed,”
said Spieth who won the Pebble
Beach Pro-Am and has six top 10
finishes this year.
Former world No. 1 Day is
coming off a back injury at the
end of last season and needs
some solid performances to get
the second half of his 2017 season going. Day, of Australia, has
also had to deal with his mother
being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Boston to rename street after retired slugger Ortiz
Boston: Former Boston Red
Sox slugger David Ortiz will
have a street named in his
honour in Beantown.
The Boston mayor’s office declared that a street near Fenway
Park will be renamed David Ortiz Drive. It is currently known
as Yawkey Way Extension.
Ortiz will attend the ceremony
on Thursday, one day before
the Red Sox are scheduled to
retire his No. 34 prior to their
game against the Los Angeles
Angels.
Ortiz’s number will be the 11th
on the right field facade of Fenway Park, joining Bobby Doerr
(No. 1), Joe Croin (No. 4), Johnny
Pesky (No. 6); Carl Yastrzemski
(No. 8); Ted Williams (No. 9); Jim
Rice (No. 14); Wade Boggs (No.
26); Carlton Fisk (No. 27); Pedro
Martinez (No. 45); and Jackie
Robinson (No. 42), which is retired throughout Major League
Baseball.
A 10-time All-Star, Ortiz retired
last season after spending 14
seasons of his 20-year major
league career in Boston. He
powered the Red Sox to three
World Series championships,
including their first in 86 years
in 2004.
Ortiz retired as Boston’s all-time
postseason leader in homers
(17), doubles (19), extra-base
hits (38), hits (80), runs (51),
RBIs (57) and walks (59).
BOTTOMLINE
Contenders look beyond sailing in Cup quest
AFP
Hamilton, Bermuda
S
ailing skill isn’t enough to win the newage America’s Cup, and the crews duelling on Bermuda’s Great Sound are calling on exceptional talents from a range
of sports.
Strength, stamina and agility are vital for the
six-man crews racing the spectacular America’s
Cup catamarans.
The constant effort of the grinders — or in the
case of Emirates Team New Zealand the “cyclors” — is all that powers the hydraulics necessary to control the craft.
The hydraulic pressure allows the constant
adjustments to massive fixed-wing sail and
to the foils that keep the twin hulls “flying” at
maximum speed above the water.
With their innovative use of cycle-style pedals — rather than traditional arm-power — New
Zealand turned to Olympic cycling medallist Si-
Spanish Impulse By Iberostar of Spain in action during day 2 of the Red Bull Youth Americas Cup
Finals on June 21 in Hamilton, Bermuda.
mon van Velthooven.
He has adapted from life in the velodrome,
but says the experience is vastly different.
“There’s cranks, that’s about it really,” he says
of the similarities between a bicycle and the onboard cycling stations.
“We’re still turning our legs and such, but
that’s about it,” added van Velthooven, a keirin
bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics.
“You’re definitely on a boat, not on a bike.”
Myriad technical aspects — and the constant
adjustments made to the catamarans in the nev-
er-ending quest for more speed — only heighten
the challenge.
“Both sports are hard in their own regard, but
I’ll say this sport’s a little bit harder because we
have to have a lot more hands-on approach on
the boat, helping build the boat — helping designers with feedback on how it’s working,” van
Velthooven said.
Joe Sullivan, a double sculls gold medallist in
London, had spent plenty of time on the water
in his rowing career, but found himself polishing his cycling skills when he came on board for
Team New Zealand.
“Rowing’s a different kind of sport, you kind
of have to push yourself the whole six minutes.
You’re in pain the whole time,” Sullivan said,
adding that there was a bit more ebb and flow to
the effort in an America’s Cup race.
But there’s also an extra test of agility, as the
crew must be able to move quickly from hull to
hull during maneuvers.
“You’ve just got to commit to running across,”
van Velthooven said. “If you have a second
thought that might be the difference to staying
on or falling off. You’ve just got to keep your eye
on the job.”
Sullivan admits the speeds reached when foiling initially gave him pause.
“But since I’ve been on the boat I’ve enjoyed
it,” he said. “The builders and designers have
put together an amazing package.”
The exotic imports on Team New Zealand
have meshed with proven sailing talents to put
the challengers in command in the first-to-seven points series against defenders Oracle Team
USA.
New Zealand swept the first four races, erasing a one-point deficit to take a 3-0 lead heading
into the second weekend of racing on Saturday
and Sunday.
Steely-eyed young helmsman Peter Burling,
an America’s Cup newcomer at 26, is a seventime world champion and Olympic sailing 49er
gold medallist at Rio last year with Blair Tuke —
serving as a cyclor and foil trimmer in this campaign.
6
Gulf Times
Friday, June 23, 2017
SPORT
SPOTLIGHT
Drivers surprised by Sauber split with Kaltenborn
AFP
Baku
S
auber drivers Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein said
yesterday they were surprised by the team owners’
shock decision to dump Formula
One’s first female team boss, Monisha Kaltenborn, on Wednesday.
The two men spoke after arriving
in the paddock at Baku ahead of this
weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix
and had differing views on the background to the departure of the Indian-born Austrian, 46, who had been
team boss since being appointed by
team founder Peter Sauber in 2012.
“It’s all been quite sudden, the
last 48 hours... all happening,” said
Ericsson. “We have to trust the
owners that they know what they
are doing and that they have a good
plan for the future.”
It had been widely reported on
Wednesday that Kaltenborn was
against the owners’ plans to favour
Swede Ericsson over German Pascal
Wehrlein.
Ericsson said this was not true
and emphatically denied the theory
before seeming to back-track when
told that Wehrlein had declined to
comment on that aspect of the story.
Wehrlein, a Mercedes team junior, also said that he was caught out
by the unexpected news, but had
received a phone call from Kalternborn — on Tuesday evening — who
had explained.
Ericsson said he had not spoken
to Kaltenborn. Asked about claims
that he was to be treated as the
team’s number one driver, he said:
“It is completely false and untrue.
“It’s very disrespectful towards
every single member of Sauber F1
team. We have guys here who work
day and night, both here and at the
factory, to try and get this team successful again, with both cars and
both drivers.
“For me and Pascal, it’s been very
clear that it’s not the case. We’ve
both been given equal equipment
and priorities. It’s how it’s always
been in this team and will always be.”
On the same topic, Wehrlein said:
“I’m sorry but I will not comment
on this question.”
Told of this, Ericsson said: “Ah,
okay... I was sure he feels the same
way.”
The team issued a statement
late Wednesday night confirming
Kaltenborn’s departure “due to diverging views of the future of the
company”.
“We thank her for many years of
strong leadership, great passion for
the Sauber F1 Team and wish her the
very best for the future,” the statement added. The team had earlier
issued another statement in which
it contradicted reports about driver
favouritism.
“The owners take strong exception to speculative and widespread
media reports that our race drivers
have not been, and are not being,
treated equally,” it said.
“This is not only patently untrue,
it would be contrary to the team’s
absolute and longstanding commitment to fair competition.”
Wehrlein said: “I was quite surprised when I heard this on Tuesday
— I didn’t expect it... I spoke with
Monisha on Tuesday evening.
“She called me and she told me
about it and, of course, I was really
surprised. “She supported me so
much and our relationship is, or has
been, really good and will be good in
the future as well.
“Monisha was very close to me, at
one of my toughest times in my career so far when I had my injury.
“So she helped me a lot there and I
am very thankful for that and this is
something that I will never forget.”
Sauber, who are due to switch
from Ferrari to Honda engines next
year, are ninth in the championship
with four points from the opening
seven races.
Williams have a de facto female
team chief in Claire Williams, who is
deputy team principal as her father
Frank is not able to take an active
daily role.
FORMULA ONE
CYCLING
Bottas predicts a
‘mess’ in challenging
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
‘We got kind of lucky. There was not much action. It’s a track where, normally, things
will happen, so my guess is that we’re going to see a bit more of a mess than before’
Reuters
Baku
M
ercedes driver Valtteri Bottas is expecting Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix
to produce more drama than last
year, when Nico Rosberg cruised
to victory from pole position,
and says drivers will not be put
off by the track’s reputation.
Last year, despite driver
complaints about the safety of
the Baku circuit, 18 of 22 cars
finished the challenging anticlockwise track, which runs
along the shores of the Caspian
Sea and around the walls of the
medieval old town.
“We got kind of lucky,” Bottas
told a news conference yesterday.
“There was not much action.
“It’s a track where, normally,
things will happen, so my guess
is that we’re going to see a bit
more of a mess than before.”
In 2016, Bottas’s Mercedes
teammate, title contender Lewis
Hamilton, started the race in
10th after clipping the barriers
during qualifying, leaving his
main rival Nico Rosberg on pole,
and able to cruise to victory in a
subdued race.
Haas driver Romain Grosjean agreed that this year’s race
should be more open. “Rosberg last year was far ahead
and Lewis was at the back with
various issues, so there weren’t
many fights around the field.”
During last year’s Baku qualifying, Bottas, then with Williams, registered the highest
speed ever recorded in a Formula One session, reaching 373
km/h (234 mph) on what is the
longest stretch of any race on
the calendar.
The Finn drove superbly to
claim victory on the street-style
circuit in Sochi, Russia, in April,
but, perhaps demonstrating
Mercedes’ inconsistencies, last
month his teammate Hamilton
all but disappeared on a similar
track, in Monaco.
“It’s definitely a challenge
here, it’s one of those places
like Monaco or Singapore that
there’s places where you can’t
afford any kind of mistakes,”
Bottas said.
“You’re going so close to the
walls and it’s sometimes even
like touching them. That’s always a challenge... You need to
take some risks, and can’t lose
focus at all.”
Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel each have three wins
from seven races so far this season.
Frustrated Giro
duo Froome’s key
aides on Tour
AFP
London
C
hris Froome’s tilt at a fourth Tour de France title will be
aided by two riders who saw their Giro d’Italia ambitions
ended by a freak accident, Team Sky announced yesterday.
Spaniard Mikel Landa and Welshman Geraint Thomas
were caught up in a mass fall after Dutchman Wilco Kelderman
clipped a police motorbike on the ninth stage of the Giro.
Landa went on to finish the race but Thomas was injured. He
has recovered and is able to take his place alongside Landa to aid
Kenya-born Froome’s bid for glory.
“The Tour de France is a special race and it would just be incredible to win it for a fourth time,” said 32-year-old Froome.
“Aiming for that fourth victory has given me a lot of motivation.
“To me, each Tour tells a different story. Every Tour is a different battle in terms of getting that yellow jersey and then trying to
hold on to it.
“We’re ready as a team and I can’t wait for the Tour to start now.
Honestly, I just love it. It’s a feeling that you don’t get from any
other race,” added Froome, who will be seeking to add this year’s
crown to those won in 2013, 2015 and last year.
Missing from the line-up though will be a key lieutenant from
last year’s victory in Dutch rider Wout Poels.
Poels has only just returned to competition after recovering
from a serious knee injury he suffered in February.
However, Team Sky’s chief Dave Brailsford, who will be hoping
for some positive stories after months of negative ones, is happy
with the make-up of the team and Froome’s form. Froome finished fourth overall in the key lead-up race the Criterium du Dauphine earlier this month.
“We’re really looking forward to the Tour,” said Brailsford.
“Chris is in good shape and he’s ready for it. To win the Tour once
is a huge achievement, but to win it a fourth time would be remarkable. We’ve selected a strong and experienced line-up who
will support him, and we’ll be looking to use the strength of the
team to our advantage.”
BMC have also built their Tour team around Richie Porte, with
the aim of putting the Australian on the final podium, their director Fabio Baldato said yesterday. “He is our top priority,” Baldato
said of the man who came sixth last year, won the Tour of Romandie last month and came close to winning the Criterium du Dauphine two weeks ago. Porte will be aided in the mountains in his
bid to win, or at least finish in the top three, by Irishman Nicolas
Roche and Italian climber Damiano Caruso.
Lessons to be learned from bullying
report – Brailsford
Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas speaks during the drivers press conference ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit
in Baku yesterday. (AFP)
Bottas keen for long-term Mercedes deal
Valtteri Bottas made clear yesterday that
he is keen to secure a long-term future with
Mercedes and is not speaking to any other
F1 teams about 2018 and beyond.
The Finn, who joined Mercedes last December as replacement for retired 2016 world
champion Nico Rosberg, said he felt no
pressure in not having a contract beyond
2017.
“I feel normal, because every single year
I’ve been in Formula One I was in the same
situation at this time of the year, as I had
no idea, at this point, what I was going to
do the following year,” said Bottas, who has
had a pole position and a race victory this
year in his opening seven Grands Prix with
the team.
“So, for me, it’s a normal situation.”
Media and paddock speculation about Bottas’s future began earlier this week when
Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff said the
driver was in a “uncomfortable situation”
and added that the was in hurry to offer him
a contract extension.
Bottas knows Wolff well, and vice-versa, as
the Austrian was his manager before he
joined Mercedes. “I don’t know when I will
know,” sad Bottas. “The time line is quite
flexible, but, like I said, there’s no rush.
“The discussions will be open soon, because
as a driver, at some point, it’s always nice to
know what you’re going to do next year.
“But it’s still early days and for sure I’m keen
to have a long-term relationship with Mercedes. Every day I work hard to make the
most out of every single situation I’m in.”
Bottas is third in the drivers’ championship
ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this
weekend.
Team Sky chief Dave Brailsford accepted lessons could
be learned from the report
into British Cycling published last week which said
a culture of fear had existed
inside the elite training track
programme.
However, the 53-year-old
Englishman – who was performance director from 2003
to 2014 when British track
cyclists became the dominant
force – did not say what those
lessons were.
The much delayed independent review –a five person
panel headed by British Rowing chair Annamarie Phelps
– also said British Cycling
lacked “good governance”.
It also heavily criticised the
British Cycling Board and
former Australian technical
director Shane Sutton – who
was accused by rider Jess
Varnish of bullying and making sexist remarks.
“As in all walks of life you’ve
always got to look at yourself
first, if you’re the leader of an
organisation you’ve got to
look at yourself in the mirror
and take your own responsibility,” Brailsford told Sky
Sports after unveiling the
Team Sky line-up for the Tour
de France.
“That’s why my frame of reference would always be to start
with myself; is there anything
I could have done differently?
“Is there anything I could have
learned from that and what
can I do going forward to
make sure I get better?
“So there are some lessons to
be learned but I’m very proud
of our time at British Cycling
and to see how the sport has
grown.”
Brailsford, who has also faced
questions over a package
delivered to Team Sky at the
2011 Criterium du Dauphine
for then star rider Bradley
Wiggins, said training an
elite team is no picnic for the
athlete but conceded a tough
regime should not come at a
cost to their welfare.
“High performance sport is a
tough environment, there’s no
doubt about it,” he said.
“It’s an environment where
you’re trying to get the best
to be the best, and to be the
best in the world, and not
everybody can do that.
“You do have to create that
winning culture and winning
mentality, and that’s what we
tried to do and at times you
have to push people and be
pushed yourself.
“But that doesn’t mean you
have to neglect the welfare of
the athletes in any way. You
have to be supportive with
that. Of course not everybody
can make it and that’s a challenge as well.”
Gulf Times
Friday, June 23, 2017
7
SPORT
RUGBY
SPOTLIGHT
O’Mahony to lead
‘courageous’ Lions
against All Blacks
‘We’ve picked a team we think are capable of playing some exciting rugby. We’ve strangled a couple of
sides and we’re not going to deny that’s been successful but we’ve also got to have the ability to play’
AFP
Aucklanl
B
ritish and Irish Lions
coach Warren Gatland
has backed his newly
anointed Test captain
Peter O’Mahony to inspire a
“courageous” first Test performance and attack the All Blacks in
their own backyard.
O’Mahony was handed leadership duties for Saturday’s
clash at the All Blacks’ fortress of
Eden Park despite only skippering Ireland three times, relegating tour captain Sam Warburton
to the bench.
The injury-hit Warburton has
struggled for form in warmup matches, while O’Mahony’s
commitment was impressive as
he captained the Lions to a 3210 win over the Maori All Blacks
last week.
Gatland believes that passion,
coupled with an attacking intent
that the Lions have only showed
in glimpses so far, will be needed to topple the back-to-back
world champions.
The tourists have won plaudits
for their defence in the warm-up
matches but New Zealand-born
Gatland said that would not be
enough at Eden Park, where the
All Blacks have not lost for 23
years.
“We’ve picked a team we
think are capable of playing
some exciting rugby, you’ve got
to be prepared to match the All
Blacks,” he said.
“We’ve strangled a couple
of sides and we’re not going to
deny that’s been successful but
we’ve also got to have the ability
to play.”
Gatland, himself a former
All Black, said the players
O’Mahony will lead onto the
field had to be brave enough to
chance their arm in pursuit of
victory.
“To beat the All Blacks you
have to be courageous and play
some rugby - you have to score
tries and I think we have picked
a team capable of doing that,” he
said.
Grim for North
Gatland made only four
changes to the starting XV that
defeated the Maori, choosing
England star Owen Farrell at
fly-half over Ireland’s Johnny
Sexton.
In line with his commitment
to attack, Gatland reshuffled his
backline to include Liam Williams at fullback and Elliot Daly
on the wing after their eye-
First cap for Dreyer
as South Africa
change four
AFP
Johannesburg
P
rop Ruan Dreyer will
win his first cap for
South Africa tomorrow in a starting lineup showing four changes for
the third and final Test against
France in Johannesburg.
The Golden Lions tighthead
replaces Frans Malherbe, who
drops out of the matchday 23
after helping the Springboks
build a series-clinching 2-0
lead by winning 37-15 in Durban last Saturday. Dreyer is
among seven starters from the
Lions, the best-performing
South African franchise in Super Rugby for two seasons.
Jesse Kriel, who suffered
concussion during the first
Test in Pretoria and missed the
second, returns at outside centre in place of Lionel Mapoe.
The other two changes are
injury enforced with Francois
Hougaard coming in at scrumhalf for Ross Cronje and flanker
Jean-Luc du Preez taking over
from Oupa Mohoje.
Cronje and Mohoje suffered
concussion in the Durban Test,
an injury which triggers an automatic one-week exclusion
from playing.
Scrum-half Rudy Paige and
loose forward Jaco Kriel are
included on the bench for the
first time in the series, replacing Hougaard and Du Preez.
The promotion of Dreyer will
be warmly welcomed by the
public and media with many
considering him unlucky not to
get the nod over Malherbe from
the start of the series.
He will partner a fellow
Lion, hooker Malcolm Marx,
and veteran Zimbabwe-born
loosehead Tendai “The Beast”
Mtawarira in the front row.
“The inclusion of Ruan in
the starting team gives us an
important opportunity to build
capacity in the tighthead position,” coach Allister Coetzee
told a media briefing.
“This is a very important
position and it is good that
Ruan will start next to his Lions
team-mate Malcolm Marx.
“Jesse had an outstanding
game in the first match in Pretoria and he really combined
well with Jan Serfontein in
midfield before being forced to
leave the field.
“The retention of combinations is important because that
will add to our continuity.”
Beating France twice has
eased the pressure on Coetzee
after a horror debut 2016 season in which the Springboks
lost eight of 12 Tests, an unwanted calendar-year record
for the national side.
Team (15-1)
Andries Coetzee; Raymond
Rhule, Jesse Kriel, Jan Serfontein, Courtnall Skosan; Elton
Jantjies, Francois Hougaard;
Warren Whiteley (capt),
Jean-Luc du Preez, Siya Kolisi;
Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth; Ruan Dreyer, Malcolm
Marx, Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Coenie
Oosthuizen, Pieter-Steph du
Toit, Jaco Kriel, Rudy Paige,
Francois Steyn, Dillyn Leyds
Coach: Allister Coetzee (RSA)
Note: South Africa lead series
2-0 after winning 37-14 in Pretoria and 37-15 in Durban.
Good day for Indian shuttlers
at Australia Open
British and Irish Lions rugby coach Warren Gatland (right) and captain Peter O’Mahony (left) speak to the media at a press conference in Auckland
yesterday. (AFP)
catching performances in this
week’s 34-6 win over Waikato
Chiefs. They edge out Leigh
Halfpenny and George North
respectively, with North not
even included in the match-day
squad after failing to impress in
the warm-up fixtures.
Perhaps surprisingly, Alun
Wyn Jones comes in at lock, with
Maro Itoje starting on the bench.
Gatland said his replacements, which include the likes
of Warburton, Itoje and Sexton,
would be vital as he seeks an
80-minute performance against
strong-finishing New Zealand.
“We’re excited about the 15
to take the field but we’ve also
got a strong, experienced bench
of players who can give us some
real impact,” he said. Warburton’s relegation had been widely
anticipated and Gatland said he
was determined to select players based on their tour performances, not reputations.
“We have picked a side based
on form with a lot of players
putting their hands up, especially from the Crusaders and
Maori All Blacks games, and it
was a lively selection meeting,”
he said.
“The win against the Chiefs
was also extremely important
for the squad and some players
played themselves into the side.”
Lions (15-1):
Liam Williams (Scarlets/WAL);
Anthony Watson (Bath/ENG),
Jonathan Davies (Scarlets/WAL),
Ben Te’o (Worcester/ENG), Elliot
Daly (Wasps/ENG); Owen Farrell
(Saracens/ENG), Conor Murray
(Munster/IRL); Taulupe Faletau
(Bath/ENG), Sean O’Brien
(Leinster/IRL), Peter O’Mahony
(capt - Munster/IRL); George
Kruis (Saracens/ENG), Alun Wyn
Jones (Ospreys/WAL); Tadhg
Furlong (Leinster/IRL), Jamie
George (Saracens/ENG), Mako
Vunipola (Saracens/ ENG)
Replacements: Ken Owens
(Scarlets/WAL), Jack McGrath (Leinster/IRL), Kyle
Sinckler(Harlequins/ENG), Maro
Itoje (Saracens/ ENG), Sam
Warburton (Cardiff/WAL), Rhys
Webb (Ospreys/WAL), Johnny
Sexton (Leinster/IRL), Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon/WAL)
All Blacks say they can crack Lions’ defence
The All Blacks believe they’ve
cracked the code to beating
the British and Irish Lions
rushed defence, with coach
Steve Hansen saying yesterday
they have plans to outsmart
their lightning line speed.
Hansen also dismissed claims
by his Lions counterpart
Warren Gatland that he was
“worried” ahead of the longawaited first Test between
the world champions and the
Lions in Auckland tomorrow.
Although the tourists have
lost two midweek games, their
shadow Test line-up managed
to put away Super Rugby
leaders Canterbury Crusaders
and a strong Maori All Blacks
side with a defensive intensity
that crushed the life out of the
opposition.
“You would assume that
because they have had a lot of
success with their line speed
and their ability to dominate
up front that that’s what they’ll
try and do with us,” Hansen
said, after naming his Test
team. “Have we got a plan for
it? Well obviously we hope we
do,” he added, without revealing how the All Blacks will
combat the threat.
“We’ll see how good the plan
is when we get out there on
Saturday night but it would be
very foolish to believe they’re
not going to bring some line
speed.”
Hansen has named Sonny Bill
Williams, with his ability to offload in the tightest situations,
and Ryan Crotty, a master reader of the game, as his starting
centres. The surprise selection
was Rieko Ioane ahead of the
vastly more experienced Julian
Savea on the wing.
Ioane is the fastest member of
the All Blacks squad and also
offers a safe option with Ben
Smith and Israel Dagg with the
All Blacks back three expected
to face an aerial bombardment
from Lions halves Conor Murray and Owen Farrell.
It was a good day for Indian shuttlers as defending
champion Saina Nehwal, Rio
Olympics silver medallist PV
Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and
Sai Praneeth advanced at
the $750,000 Australia Open
Superseries yesterday.
In women’s singles category,
Nehwal edged past Soniia
Cheah of Malaysia 21-15, 2022, 21-14 in a gruelling match
which lasted around an
hour.
Fifth-seeded Sindhu played
to her reputation and outplayed her Chinese opponent
Chen Xiaoxin 21-13, 21-18 in 46
minutes’ match.
In men’s singles, Srikanth,
who recently clinched Indonesia Open, and Praneeth
continued their prime form,
brushing aside South Korean
top seed Son Wan Ho and
Chinese Huang Yuxiang
respectively to advance to
the quarter-finals, where they
take on each other.
Srikanth defeated Son Wan
Ho 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 while
Praneeth, who played a
defensive game, defeated
Yuxiang 21-15, 18-21, 21-13 in an
hour long match.
In women’s doubles, after
winning the first game, the
Indian pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy
were outplayed in every
department of the game by
Japanese duo Shiho Tanaka
and Koharu Yonemoto 21-18,
18-21, 13-21, and bowed out of
the meet.
Srikanth, who won the
Indonesia Open title last
week, jumped 11 places to be
at the 11th spot in the latest
Badminton World Federation
(BWF) ranking.
The former World No.3
Guntur player, who is in his
prime form, now has 51,603
points in his kitty. Among
other shuttlers, giant killer
H.S. Prannoy, who stunned
Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei
and China’s Chen Long in the
Indonesia Open, improved
four places to be at the
21st spot with 43,075 points.
But Ajay Jayaram and B. Sai
Praneeth slipped two places
to occupy the 15th and 16th
spot respectively.
In women’s singles, Saina
Nehwal and Rio Olympic
silver medallist P.V. Sindhu
dropped one spot each and
are now at the fourth and
16th positions respectively.
FOCUS
Moore the merrier as Cheika rejigs Wallabies
AFP
Brisbane, Australia
S
tephen Moore returned
to captain the Wallabies
as coach Michael Cheika
axed six players yesterday for this weekend’s Test with
Italy in Brisbane.
Moore will start as the firstchoice hooker in place of Tatafu
Polota-Nau in a shake-up following last week’s much-criticised 24-19 loss to Scotland in
Sydney.
Cheika made three other
changes in the forward pack,
with ACT Brumbies pair,
prop Scott Sio and lock Rory Arnold, joined by Lopeti Timani
at No.8 in place of rookie prop
Tom Robertson, lock Sam Carter
and No.8 Scott Higginbotham.
“Moore’s obviously the captain of the team and he’s got a lot
of experience,” Cheika said.
“Polota-Nau’s still putting
out a big challenge to him and I
want to give Moore the chance to
respond.
“It’s Moore’s chance to get
back in the starting boots and
Polota-Nau’s opportunity to
finish from the bench, if he gets
selected as a finisher.”
Moore will become the 10th
most-capped
international
player, surpassing Italian Martin Castrogiovanni and England’s Jason Leonard in his
120th Test.
The hooker is 19 games away
from Australia’s Test record held
by George Gregan with 139.
“It’s a big week, no doubt,
particularly after last week
against Scotland,” Moore said.
“The game can’t come quick
enough for everyone.”
Melbourne Rebels flyer Sefa
Naivalu will add to his six Tests,
while Rob Horne returns for
Tevita Kuridrani to partner Karmichael Hunt in the centres.
‘Earn that jersey’
Horne’s last Australia ap-
pearance was 12 months ago in
the final Test against England in
Sydney.
Horne will move to English
side Northampton next year,
putting him out of contention
for the 2019 World Cup, and was
not in Cheika’s original squad
until a late injury to Samu Kerevi
(ankle).
“We’re missing Samu at the
moment and there’s some other
players who I think have been
going well in Super Rugby,”
Cheika said.
“But I think you’ve got to earn
that jersey and Rob Horne, since
I’ve seen him in camp, I think he
has.”
The Wallabies are taking no
risks with winger Henry Speight’s hamstring strain that kept
him out of the Scotland game.
“We made a decision on Henry early in the week, he still had
a bit of pain, there was some risk
for him,” Cheika said.
“I think considering our position with the competition in the
wing spot, that wasn’t worth
risking for Henry this week and
we want to make sure that he’s
right for the rest of the season as
well.”
The Wallabies are yet to lose to
Italy in their 16 encounters, winning 23-20 in their last clash in
Brisbane in 1994.
The Italy Test is the Wallabies’ last before August’s Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand,
with players heading back to
their Super Rugby clubs next
week for the final two home
and away rounds of the competition.
Cheika will name his replacements today.
Australia (15-1): Israel Folau;
Dane Haylett-Petty, Rob Horne,
Karmichael Hunt, Sefa Naivalu;
Bernard Foley, Will Genia; Lopeti
Timani, Michael Hooper, Ned
Hanigan; Adam Coleman, Rory
Arnold; Allan Alaalatoa, Stephen
Moore (capt), Scott Sio.
Replacements to be announced.
Moore back in captain’s chair for Italy.
Friday, June 23, 2017
SPORT
GULF TIMES
TOP OF THE LINE
Aspire Academy, ISL club Delhi Dynamos sign partnership
By Sports Reporter
Doha
A
spire Academy and leading
Indian Super League (ISL)
football club, Delhi Dynamos FC, yesterday signed a
groundbreaking technical partnership that will see the world-renowned
Doha-based academy share its football
knowhow and management expertise
with the Delhi-based club in their pursuit of success on the pitch.
As part of the agreement, Aspire
Academy will send coaches, talent
scouts and analysts to Delhi, India, to
help develop existing talent and promote best practice in training, development and scouting for the club’s teams
and different youth development programmes, including the already well-
established Delhi Dynamos FC Soccer Schools, Development Centre and
Residential Academy. The long-term
partnership will start immediately with
Aspire coaches expected to arrive in
Delhi shortly.
Eligible youth will be allowed to
take part in the Aspire Residential
Programme, which gives young players the chance to train and learn at the
world-renowned Aspire Academy. The
initiative will give young footballers
the exposure to international leading
coaches and the opportunity to train at
the same facilities as top international
football clubs, including Real Madrid,
Barcelona and Bayern Munich, accelerating their development and that of
Indian football.
Commenting on the signing of the
partnership, Aspire Academy director general Ivan Bravo said, “The In-
dian Super League is one of the most
dynamic and exciting new leagues in
the world and we’re thrilled to be entering into this agreement with one of
the country’s most successful clubs.
Today’s announcement marks an im-
portant milestone for Delhi Dynamos
FC and Aspire Academy. Our organisations share many of the same values
and ambitions, and together we will lay
the first foundations of what we hope
will become a long-standing partner-
ship in football development between
Qatar and India.”
Bravo added: “We’re confident Aspire Academy can help Indian football
develop the vast talent available in the
country and aid the growth of a competitive league that makes an impact on
a global stage.”
Delhi Dynamos owner Dr Anil Sharma added: “India and Qatar are two
countries with close ties and it is only
natural that there is a partnership between two organisations based in their
respective capital cities. I am happy
and excited to see Delhi Dynamos FC
partner with a prestigious organisation in order to help grow football not
only in Delhi, but in Northern India
as well. The Indian Super League has
great potential and Aspire Academy’s
involvement will help to cement Delhi
Dynamos FC’s reputation as one of the
HORSE RACING
TENNIS
RALLYING
Querry ends
Thompson’s
run at Queen’s
Qatar Racing’s
Bless Him wins
Britannia Stakes
AFP
London
J
‘When I moved on him, he was very explosive’
Q
atar Racing’s Bless Him won
the Britannia Handicap and
Frankel’s son Atty Persse won
the final two races at Royal Ascot yesterday.
Michael Bell and owner Bill Gredley
were denied a notable double in the wake
of Big Orange’s Gold Cup victory as Ronald R could not catch 25-1 winner Bless
Him in the Britannia Handicap.
Trained by David Simcock and ridden
by Jamie Spencer, Bless Him was one a
small group to race on the far side of the
track, sitting on the heels of the early
pacemakers in the rider’s usual style.
Making his break for the front with a
furlong or so to run, Bless Him picked up
well but had to stick to his guns as Ronald
R was making ground all the way inside
the final half a furlong, but was still half a
length down at the line.
Tricorn, who also raced on the far side
was third, with fourth-placed Indian
Dandy the first home from the main group
on the stands rail.
Spencer said: “He’s a horse that’s always trained lovely at home and it was our
big hope that once he got into a race with
a lot of pace on, he was going to be hard
to beat.
“When I moved on him, he was very explosive. He went through a tight gap and I
was in front plenty early.
“He was idling in front, but it’s great
for the Simcocks and Sheikh Fahad (Qatar
Racing).”
Simcock said: “It’s very special having a
winner here. It’s what all the hard work at
home is for. He’s quickened up really well
and Jamie will say he’s got there too soon,
but he’s actually taken Ronald R’s gap.
most exciting clubs in Indian football.
Both organisations have lofty expectations and we will work hard to provide
global opportunities for young Indian
players and make football the number
one sport in Northern India. “
Since its inaugural season in 2013,
the ISL and Delhi Dynamos in particular have attracted some of the biggest names in world football, including
Alessandro Del Piero, who was the global league ambassador, Florent Malouda, Roberto Carlos and John Arne Riise,
to name a few.
Aspire Academy’s agreement with
DDFC is the first of its kind in the Indian subcontinent for the academy and
follows a global network the academy
has developed with other leading clubs
including KAS Eupen (Belgium), Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa (Spain) and
Independiente del Valle (Ecuador).
Qatar Racing’s Jamie Spencer wins the 5.00 Britannia Stakes on Bless Him at Ascot yesterday.
“He’s a talented horse and that’s
enough. He isn’t straightforward on the
racecourse, but he’s very talented and at
home, he’s great.”
Meanwhile, Big Orange held off a late
charge by defending champion Order
of St George to win a thrilling edition of
the Gold Cup, the feature race of Royal
Ascot, yesterday. The winner’s jockey
James Doyle took the plaudits for a superb
ride, but his heart went out to Italian star
Frankie Dettori, who should have been
riding him but for an injured arm that
ruled him out of the meeting.
Al Shaqab introduces riding classes for
equestrian enthusiasts
By Sports Reporter
Doha
F
ollowing the success of its Ramadan
Camp, Al Shaqab will now organise the
Al Shaqab Summer Camp, a new programme aimed at providing intensive
training to anyone interested in learning horse
riding during the summer break.
While the Ramadan Camp was only open for
children from 3 – 18 years of age, a key feature of
the new programme is that it is also open for adult
riders so as to promote equestrian sports to the
whole family and community.
“We have been receiving many requests from
adults to be allowed to participate in our horse
riding classes. The Al Shaqab summer camp will
provide this unique opportunity for all equestrian
enthusiasts to learn equestrian skills. It would
also allow parent-child bonding as they participate together in a common activity which they
both enjoy,” said Al Shaqab’s Equine Education
manager Mohamed Sultan al-Suwaidi.
The camp will include four weekly sessions
from July 1-27, 2017. Participants will be divided into three age groups — 3-7 years old (Group
1), 8-17 years old (Group 2), 18 years and above
(Group 3).
Fees for Group 1 are QR600 per week, for Group
2 it is QR750 per week and for Group 3 it is QR900
per week.
Training sessions will be held Saturday to
Thursday in the afternoon — 3:30pm to 4:15pm,
“Unfortunately Frankie couldn’t have
got the injury at a worse time,” said Doyle.
“Frankie’s a real star. He called me a couple of nights ago and I was probably on
the phone for about 20 minutes getting
instructions and him telling me all about
the horse. He was spot on.”
ordan Thompson was unable to build on his stunning Queen’s Club victory
over Andy Murray as the
Australian was beaten by Sam
Querrey in the second round
yesterday.
Thompson, ranked a lowly
90th, was the talk of the tennis world after his astonishing
straight-sets victory over world
number one and Wimbledon
champion Murray.
But the 23-year-old’s bid to
reach only his second Tourlevel quarter-final was brought
to an end by Querrey’s 7-6 (3),
3-6, 6-3 win at the Wimbledon
warm-up event.
While Thompson will rue his
missed opportunity, he should
leave west London with renewed
belief in his ability after his brief
but memorable moment in the
spotlight.
Beaten by France’s Jeremy
Chardy in the second round of
Queen’s qualifying on Sunday,
Thompson received an unexpected call-up when Aljaz Bedene, Murray’s scheduled opponent, withdrew with a wrist
injury just hours before Tuesday’s match.
After spending his career
trying to eke out a living on
the unglamorous second-tier
Challenger circuit, Thompson
thrived on the big stage, outplaying Murray to shatter the
Scot’s hopes of a third successive
Queen’s title.
There was no sign of any hangover from that epic performance
when Thompson returned to
centre court to face Querrey.
Querrey, ranked 28th, has impressive pedigree on grass after
lifting the Queen’s trophy in
2010 and memorably shocking
Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
last year. Yet Thompson made
the American work for every
point before finally succumbing
in two hours and 11 minutes.
“Jordan is tough. I knew he
was confident coming off that
win against Andy,” said Querrey,
who faces Luxembourg’s Gilles
Muller for a place in the semifinals.
“Queen’s is one of my favourite places to come. It was fun to
win it back then.
“But to be able to win two
matches in a row gives me more
confidence than winning the
tournament seven years ago.”
POTENTIAL STAR
With Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic already
knocked out, Croatian fourth
seed Marin Cilic is the highest
ranked player left in the draw.
The 2012 Queen’s champion
breezed through with a 6-0,
6-4 second-round victory over
American teenager Stefan Kozlov.
Cilic’s sixth Queen’s Club
quarter-final appearance will
come against American Donald
Young as the former US Open
champion aims to reach the final
for the third time.
Watched by David Beckham and son Romeo, highlyrated Russian youngster Daniil
Medvedev defeated Australian
wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis
6-2, 6-2. Kokkinakis, the world
number 698, became the lowest
ranked player to beat a top-six
opponent since 1994 when he
shocked former Wimbledon finalist Raonic in the first round.
But Medvedev, 21, is emerging as a potential star and, just
a week after beating Kokkinakis
at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the world
number 60 was on top again
as he cruised to a quarter-final
meeting with Bulgarian sixth
seed Grigor Dimitrov.
Spain’s Feliciano Lopez advanced to his third Queen’s
quarter-final with a 6-1, 7-6 (4)
win against French qualifier Jeremy Chardy.
Lopez, the Queen’s runner-up
in 2014, takes on Czech seventh
seed Tomas Berdych for a place
in the last four.
HALLE OPEN
Improving Federer beats
Zverev to reach quarters
Reuters
Halle, Germany
T
4:30pm to 5:15pm, 5:30pm to 6:15pm and 6:30pm
to 7:15pm.
The organisers will be limiting the number of
participants per week to ensure the best experience possible, and therefore early registration is
advised. For more information and to register,
visit www.alshaqab.com or call at 6662 5379.
op seed Roger Federer beat Germany’s Mischa Zverev 7-6 (4), 6-4
to advance to the last eight of the
Halle Open yesterday as the 18-times
Grand Slam champion sharpens his grasscourt game ahead of Wimbledon.
Federer, who skipped the entire claycourt
season after winning the Australian Open
and claiming titles at Indian Wells and Miami
this year, will next play defending champion
Florian Mayer who beat Frenchman Lucas
Pouille in three sets.
The Swiss, who lost his first comeback
match in Stuttgart last week, is still lacking
some game sharpness and squandered three
set points at 5-4 in the first set of an entertaining serve-and-volley encounter.
He persisted and carved out two more, winning the tiebreak by whipping a crosscourt
backhand winner on his fourth set point.
Zverev’s erratic first serve was a liability
and Federer pounced again at 4-4 in the second set to break the German, whose younger
brother Alexander is through to the quarter-
finals, and served out the match.
World number nine Kei Nishikori’s own
Wimbledon preparations suffered a setback
when he was forced to retire injured for the
third straight time at this tournament.
The third seed needed to take a medical
time-out against Karen Khachanov to treat a
back injury before playing on for a few points
and retiring with the Russian leading 3-2 in
the first set.