Sports Supplement, 10th issue

DT
VOL 1, ISSUe 10 | Saturday, april 1, 2017
Sports Tribune
2
Saturday, April 1, 2017
DT
Week in Review
this week
Picture of the week
Australia captain Steve Smith is cleaned up by India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the fourth
and final Dharamsala Test match
REUTERS
Following the third and final one-day
international on Saturday between Sri
Lanka and Bangladesh at the Sinhalese
Sports Club ground in Colombo, attention
will then turn to the two-match
Twenty20 international series.
The first and second T20Is will be
held on Tuesday and Thursday respectively;
both games to be hosted by Sri
Lanka’s capital city.
Meanwhile in the Caribbean, the
West Indies and Pakistan will lock horns
with each other in the third and fourth
T20Is on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Both the matches will take place
in Trinidad.
The first of three ODIs between the
two teams will also be held this week, in
Guyana on Friday.
In the meantime, sparks are expected
to fly in India as the cash-rich IPL T20
gets underway on Wednesday. Mustafizur
Rahman’s Sunrisers Hyderabad
take on Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers
Bangalore in the opening game of the
10th edition.
Shakib al Hasan’s Kolkata Knight
Riders will begin their campaign against
Suresh Raina’s Gujarat Lions on Friday.
3
the demand of time -
‘abroad wins’
Dambulla, tigers’
4 hunting ground
Float like a
butterfly,
sting like
a bee
7
Argentina shaken,
dutch shocked
MARCH 29
Irfan suspended
over spot-fixing
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad
Irfan has been suspended for a
year and fined one million rupees
($9,500,00) after failing to
disclose two approaches made by
bookmakers during this year's PSL
T20, the PCB said on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old, who played
for Islamabad United in the 2017
PSL, admitted the charges levelled
against him by the PCB's anti-corruption
unit. The PCB will review
the suspension after six months, at
which point Irfan's contract may be
restored. He has played four Tests,
60 ODIs and 20 T20Is. The PCB
said last month it was investigating
whether an international betting
syndicate was trying to influence
matches in the PSL.
"You are aware that on March
14 the board called in and suspended
me on the basis of two allegations,
out of which I accept that
it was my fault that I failed to let
the board know when bookies approached
me," Irfan told reporters.
"I am formally asking the nation for
their forgiveness and hope that I
will be pardoned by them."
MARCH 29
Madeira airport renamed after CR7
The airport of Madeira, the Atlantic
Ocean island birthplace of Portugal
captain Cristiano Ronaldo, was renamed
in his honour on Wednesday.
"To see this airport bear my name is
a very special thing," said Ronaldo, who
skippered Portugal to victory in the
European championship last year.
"Everyone knows I am proud of my
roots."
Ronaldo, speaking at a naming ceremony
attended by his family, Portugal
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
and Prime Minister Antonio Costa, and
some 5,000 fans, added: "I didn't ask
MARCH 30
Hodge apologises to Kohli
Former Australia batsman Brad Hodge
has apologised to Virat Kohli for
comments suggesting the India captain
missed the fourth Test in Dharamsala
to rest his injured shoulder ahead of the
IPL T20 campaign, starting next week.
Hodge was heavily criticised in
India for his comments and opted to
address the situation on social media.
“I take this opportunity to apologise
to the people of India, cricket fans,
the Indian national cricket team and
particularly Kohli for my previous
comments,” Hodge said in a lengthy
apology on his verified Twitter account.
for this, but I'm not a hypocrite and I
acknowledge that it honours me and
that makes me happy."
In his birth town of Funchal, Ronaldo
already has a museum and bronze
statue in his honour.
The 32-year-old follows in the
footsteps of Northern Ireland legend
George Best, who also wore the
number seven shirt in his time at Manchester
United and had Belfast airport
named after him. Like Ronaldo and
Best, former England captain David
Beckham and Frenchman Eric Cantona
also wore the number seven shirt.
“My intention was never to harm,
criticise or be derogatory toward
anyone. They were intended to be
light-hearted comments with the
utmost respect to the IPL which I have
thoroughly enjoyed through the years.”
MARCH 28
Shenhua stadium on fire
The home stadium of China's Shanghai
Shenhua football club caught fire early
on Tuesday but there were no casualties
and the blaze was extinguished
by mid-morning, the city government
said. The cause of the blaze at the
Hongkou Football Stadium was still
being investigated, Shanghai city government
said on its official microblog.
State news agency Xinhua said the
fire, which pictures online showed
pouring from one side of the stadium,
had not affected the stands or the
pitch.
"Grateful there are no casualties.
As for the Shenhua emblem, it's best
to burn it into ashes," one person said
on China's Sina Weibo microblog. "The
fire is gone, the emblem is intact, this
must mean the Chinese national team
will rise from the ashes," said one.

Tigers meeting the demand
of time - 'abroad wins’
• Mazhar Uddin
Following their maiden quarter-final
appearance in a World Cup two
years ago down under, Bangladesh
have displayed improvements on
a consistent basis. It was clearly
evident at home as the Tigers won
three bilateral ODI series' in a row,
against world cricket powerhouses
Pakistan, India and South Africa.
At the same time however, there
were questions lingering over the
Tigers' performance in Test match
cricket. Bangladesh took care of that
criticism too as they slowly but steadily
began to showcase improvements
in the longer version of the game.
It all started to change when
Bangladesh scripted a brilliant
comeback against Pakistan in the
first of the two-match Test series
in Khulna where Tamim Iqbal and
Imrul Kayes put on a record 312-run
opening wicket stand in the second
innings to deny the opposition.
The belief began to gather under
the guidance of the visionary head
coach Chandika Hathurusingha,
who seems to know what he is doing,
that too with a great amount of
confidence.
As a result, Bangladesh started
to believe that they can win Tests as
well. And at home against the formidable
England, who are much higher
than the Tigers in the Test ranking,
Bangladesh created history.
The home side lost the first of
two Tests in Chittagong but came
agonisingly close to victory. The
Tigers then made a brilliant comeback
in the second and final Test,
clinching a memorable win to
square the series 1-1.
However, it remained to be seen
if the Tigers are good enough in
Tests away from home in difficult
conditions. Many thought the Tigers
would continue to struggle abroad,
despite their recent run of success.
First up for the Tigers after the
England Tests was the tour of New
Zealand. The visiting side were
greeted with fast bouncers in deadly
swinging conditions as the Kiwis
forced the Tigers to the backfoot.
Bangladesh went on to lose both
the ODI and T20I series' despite
some valiant performances. But
the way the Tigers fought in both
the two Tests was remarkable, in
spite of New Zealand running away
with the series 2-0.
All-rounder Shakib al Hasan and
skipper Mushfiqur Rahim’s record
359-run partnership was a major
highlight. However, despite posting
a mammoth 595 runs for eight
wickets declared in the first innings,
Bangladesh went on to lose the
Test, breaking a 122-year old record.
No other side lost a Test after scoring
such a huge first-innings total.
But apart from the defeat, the
fighting instinct shown by the visitors,
including Mushfiq receiving
a blow to his helmet before being
taken off the filed by an ambulance
to the hospital, were all part of the
learning process. A brave Mushfiq
later returned to the field, earning
a lot of praise along the way.
In 2017, Bangladesh also played
their first ever Test in India. It was
the perfect time for the Tigers to
challenge their mental and technical
skills against the world's number
one ranked team.
As expected, the visiting side
faced some testing times against
Virat Kohli’s furious Team India.
But still, the Tigers tried to counter-attack
the opposition where
Mushfiq’s responsible century in
the first innings helped Bangladesh
to take the Test right till the fifth
and final day.
Bangladesh were able to scent
victory and tried to learn from their
small mistakes, which at times
made them suffer heavily. And
Feature 3 4
Saturday, April 1, 2017
the tour of Sri Lanka was perhaps
the perfect time to correct their
mistakes and finally look for wins
abroad, in both Tests and ODIs.
However, it was never going to
be a smooth ride for the visiting
side as the Lankans have a great recent
track record at their den. And
in the first Test, it proved to be true
as Bangladesh went on to face a
comprehensive 259-run defeat.
Then came the landmark 100th
Test for the Tigers in the second
and final match of the series at P
Sara Oval in Colombo. Bangladesh
did exactly what they were capable
of and adapted to the five-day
game perfectly, controlling the majority
of the sessions.
The likes of Shakib and Tamim,
the senior members of the side, took
up the responsibility and led from
the front. And, the result was evident
as the Tigers became the fourth
team in history to win in their 100th
Test and levelled the series 1-1.
The job was not yet done however.
The focus immediately shifted
from the Tests to the ODIs in
which the Tigers have already created
a reputation of being a dangerous
unit. Their tails were up as
the cricketers were beaming with
confidence after the Test series.
They won the first ODI against the
home side comfortably by 90 runs.
Tamim once again stood firm and
smashed his eighth century.
The second match was then
washed out due to rain. Bangladesh
though are in no mood to
share the ODI series and will definitely
eye winning it 2-0.
Even if the Tigers don’t win the
third ODI, that will be followed by
the two match T20I series, the tour
of Sri Lanka will remain their most
successful visit in recent times. And
without a doubt, the cricket pundits
will now rate Bangladesh as the new
big thing in world cricket. •
NAZMUL ABEDEEN (FAHIM)
It’s time to wrap
things up
DT
Now there is no way to presume what could be the fate of the second
ODI if we had a full match in Dambulla on Tuesday. It’s true, a 300-plus
score is always a difficult chase in an ODI. And although not in the best
of form, still, it’s only fair to think that with 311, the scoreboard was
slightly on the Lankans’ side and their chances of a win was on the card.
And to add to that, the history of no team chasing such score in their
land was another point to ponder.
But then there were a few elements in favour of the visiting side too.
One of the biggest challenges while chasing any big score is the wicket.
This particular wicket in Dambulla was the best that we’ve seen in
this series so far. One of those that may be termed as “batting paradise”,
even bounce, no sideways or seam movement and no turn. Even the
guile of Shakib al Hasan had hardly any impact on the Lankan batters.
Once in, it is easy for a batsman to play pre-determined shots, both
vertical and horizontal; an ideal surface even for an out-of-form batsman.
A condition that very much suits Bangladeshi batsmen’s aggressive
batting style.
Understandably the margin
of error for the bowlers
on such wickets is really very
Bangladesh are different
now. They are able and
hungry. And today in
Colombo, they have the
perfect opportunity to
prove it by winning the
last ODI and clinching an
away series
small. Although some of our
bowlers looked a bit expensive,
the fact is other than
Mustafizur Rahman, all bowlers
bowled reasonably well.
Mustafizur’s cutters were
less effective on this very
skiddy surface as it didn’t offer
much friction to create the
desired bounce and deviation,
which is supposed to be his
main strength. This probably
made him uncomfortable and
indecisive and compelled him to bowl defensively; something that he’s
not used to and didn’t work for him at all.
To be honest the bowlers should be given credit for keeping the score
to a minimum in the last few overs. Taskin Ahmed bowled his heart out,
especially the last over. It’s not only the hat-trick that he should be given
credit for, but more for not conceding runs in the last over. This outstanding
over could easily have been the decisive factor of the match.
The way our bowlers, with the help of some sharp fielding, got back the
momentum, was really commendable. It shows our team’s “never say
die” attitude and willingness to win.
The current form of our batsmen is also an undeniable factor. Top-order
to middle-order to lower- middle order, there is a sense of confidence
and hunger. They seem to be challenging their own performances
in every match. Big partnerships, strike rotation, playing to a plan, fearless
stroke play, and strong body language indicate only one thing; we’re
maturing as a cricket team.
And this is where Bangladesh team are different now. They are able
and hungry. And today in Colombo, they have the perfect opportunity
to prove it by winning the last ODI and clinching an away series. It’s time
to wrap things up. •
Nazmul Abedeen Fahim is an Elite cricket coach and analyst
DT
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Tour Diary
Dambulla, happy hunting ground for Tigers
• Ali Shahriyar Amin
from Dambulla
The Dambulla leg of Bangladesh's
ongoing tour of Sri Lanka will be
remembered for many reasons.
Bangladesh made a strong start in
the ODI series, winning the first
game by a margin of 90 runs. Opening
batsman Tamim Iqbal scored
the eighth century of his ODI career
and also became the first ever
Bangladeshi to join the 10,000-run
club. In the second ODI, fast bowler
Taskin Ahmed became the fifth
Bangladeshi to clinch a hat-trick.
But apart from cricket, there are
quite a few things to remember from
Dambulla for a long time to come.
The journey towards Dambulla
started from Colombo on March
23 with memories of Bangladesh’s
historic win in their 100th Test
match still fresh in the mind of
this correspondent. The hilly areas
in the island nation are pretty
similar to Bangladesh's Rangamati,
Bandarban and Khagrachari. As the
journey progressed, this journalist
was slowly nearing the central
province of Sri Lanka when large
hills became visible.
En route, the Bangladesh correspondents
visited Pinnawala Elephant
Orphanage. The orphanage
started off with the introduction
of five abandoned baby elephants
in its premises in 1975. There are
almost 96 elephants at the orphanage
now. This institution caters not
only for the abandoned babies but
also for those injured and maimed
within the jungle. One of the most
interesting times is when these elephants
cross the road and bath in
the nearby Maha Oya river. They
are herded by mahouts twice a day.
The journey towards Dambulla
came to an end in the evening.
The next day, the first experience
of seeing the Rangiri Dambulla
International stadium was quite
memorable. One can see the Ibbankatuwa
Lake flowing at one side
and Dambulla Rock on the opposite
side from the top of the gallery. The
press box in Dambulla is way higher
than Galle or P Sara Oval in Colombo.
The box is probably on the
ground's sixth floor, much different
to the home of cricket in Bangladesh
– Mirpur's Sher-e Bangla National
Cricket Stadium.
The visit to Aliya Resort – the
Scenic view of Dambulla from the Aliya Resort
(L) Elephants bathing in the Maha Oya river and the Sigiriya Rock
Tigers' residence during their Dambulla
stay - after Bangladesh’s first
ODI win was a memorable experience
as well. The swimming pool
there was beautiful as both the Sigiriya
Rock and Pidurangala Rock
could be seen. The resort is so big
that Bangladesh players often had
to ride the bicycle to visit a fellow
teammate's room. A funny experience
comes to mind. This journalist
saw Tamim searching for room
number 86 while riding on a bicycle.
He was lost! Later, the officials
helped Tamim to drive to his desired
destination.
The resort is situated in the Sigiriya
jungle. A touch of nature always
exists there. Once, this journalist,
while waiting for an official
Bangladesh press conference, even
Overview of the Rangiri International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla
ALI SHAHRIYAR AMIN
ALI SHAHRIYAR AMIN
witnessed a bird singing in front of
the hotel lobby. The experience of
climbing the Pidurangala Rock in
order to observe sunrise was an adventurous
one. This correspondent
awoke at 4am in the morning and
started his journey, along with the
others, on the preview day of the
second ODI. The group of Bangladesh
journalists were done climbing
the hill at around 5:30am. The
last few steps before reaching the
peak of Pidurangala Rock was really
challenging.
Unfortunately, the sun rose
around the shade of the clouds and
the Bangladesh correspondents
weren't able to see the beautiful
scene. But the view of the green
carpet from the top amid the refreshing
cool breeze was rich consolation
to say the least.
The next destination was the
world famous Sigiriya Rock. The
well-preserved archaeological site
was breathtaking to watch. Sigiriya
today is a UNESCO-listed world
heritage site. It is one of the best examples
of ancient urban planning.
The climb to the peak of the rock
is generally tough. But after reaching
the summit, all the tiredness
will disappear. One thing comes to
mind after reaching the top – how
much fitness does a cricketer has
to achieve before playing a competitive
five-day match under the
scorching heat? After surfing the
internet, a few websites suggested
that a player has to burn almost
2,000 calories in a full day's play
of Test cricket. According to a research
prepared by The University
of New Mexico, for every person
weighing over 75kgs, every step
climbed will ensure the burning of
0.42 calories on average.
This journalist had to climb
1,200 stairs to reach the top of Sigiriya
Rock. And 1,000 steps to
reach the peak of Pidurangala
Rock on the same day. Therefore,
this correspondent might have
lost 1,000 or 1,200 calories overall.
Combining all these experiences,
the Dambulla journey would have
been perfect had the Tigers sealed
the ODI series in the second match.
However, having experienced the
beauty of mother nature, Tamim's
ton, Taskin's treble, along with the
first ODI win, this journalist can't
complain! •
ALI SHAHRIYAR AMIN

India-Australia Tests 5
DT
Saturday, April 1, 2017
6
Saturday, April 1, 2017
DT
Football
5 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE INDIA-AUSTRALIA SERIES
Jadeja emerges from Ashwin shadow
Virat Kohli wasn’t the only Indian star to vacate the limelight during the series. Rather
than Ravichandran Ashwin, it was fellow spinner Ravindra Jadeja who led the
hosts’ bowling strike force, upstaging his more acclaimed colleague.
Aussies can bowl in India
There were question marks over the Australian bowlers' ability to adapt to Indian
conditions as they came into the series following nine recent Test losses in Asia. But
an impressive display, from spinners and pace bowlers alike, dispelled the notion
that the Aussies don't like the turning tracks of the sub-continent.
Smith cements No 1 status
Steve Smith underlined his status as the world's No 1 Test batsman despite being
unable to lead his side to a famous series win. His batting helped take the hosts
3
Teams holding series titles
against all other Test sides at
the same point of time. India,
with this series win, hold trophies
against all Test teams. The first two
teams to achieve this were Australia
and South Africa. Australia managed
this feat first time when they won the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2004-05 in
India and again after winning the Ashes
2006-07. South Africa achieved it
after they won in Australia in 2012-13.
4
Instances of India going on to
win a series after losing the first
Test. Two of those have been
against Australia - this series and the
2000-01 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The other two were: against England
in 1972-73 and in Sri Lanka in 2015.
The series result was 2-1 in all these
IN NUMBERS
cases. The last time Australia lost a
series after winning the first match
was in the 2005 Ashes.
4
Consecutive series wins for
India against Australia at home,
since losing the 2004-05
series. India have lost only once to
Australia in the last 10 series at home.
4
Consecutive series defeats for
Australia in Asia. Before this, they
lost the 2012-13 series in India, in
2014-15 in the UAE and in 2016 in Sri Lanka.
In those three series, though, they had
lost all the nine Tests played, compared
to this series in which they won one and
drew one. Before these four series, they
won five of their previous seven series
in the subcontinent; the two they lost in
that period were both in India.
right to the wire as Australia proved to be top-ranked India's toughest opponents
during its marathon, 13-match home Test season.
King Kohli’s crown slips
The Indian talisman came into the series in sparkling form and was expected to run
the Australian attack ragged but he endured a rare flop, proving that he’s not invincible
after all. The 28-year-old scored a record-breaking four double centuries in
the four previous series but managed only a miserable 46 runs in his three matches
before withdrawing with a shoulder injury.
Friends no more
Relations between the old foes have always been testy, from the infamous “Monkeygate”
scandal in 2008 to Kohli showing Australian fans the middle finger four years
later, but a bad-tempered series has exacerbated the animosity. From Kohli accusing
his fellow captain Smith of systematically abusing the decision review system, to Smith
calling Murali Vijay a “f***ing cheat”, flare-ups have never been far away.
HIGHEST RUN-SCORERS
Player Inns Runs HS Ave SR 100/50
Smith 8 499 178* 71.28 49.21 3/0
Pujara 7 405 202 57.85 38.6 1/2
Rahul 7 393 90 65.5 56.3 0/6
Renshaw 8 232 68 29 38.28 0/2
Rahane 7 198 52 33 47.59 2/1
HIGHEST WICKET-TAKERS
Player Inns Wkts BBI Ave ER SR
Jadeja 8 25 6/63 18.56 2.17 51.1
Ashwin 8 21 6/41 27.38 2.55 64.3
O’Keefe 7 19 6/35 23.26 2.46 56.5
Lyon 7 19 8/50 25.26 2.88 52.5
Umesh 8 17 4/32 23.41 3.08 45.5
4TH TEST
AUSTRALIA R B
Warner c Rahane b Kuldeep 56 87
Renshaw b Umesh 1 6
Smith c Rahane b Ashwin 111 173
S Marsh c Saha b Umesh 4 14
Handscomb b Kuldeep 8 23
Maxwell b Kuldeep 8 17
Wade b Jadeja 57 125
Cummins c & b Kuldeep 21 40
O'Keefe run out (sub Iyer) 8 16
Lyon c Pujara b Kumar 13 28
Hazlewood not out 2 2
Extras (b 1, lb 10) 11
Total (all out; 88.3 overs) 300
Fall Of Wickets
1-10 (Renshaw), 2-144 (Warner), 3-153 (S
Marsh), 4-168 (Handscomb), 5-178 (Maxwell),
6-208 (Smith), 7-245 (Cummins),
8-269 (O'Keefe), 9-298 (Wade), 10-300
(Lyon)
Bowling
Kumar 12.3-2-41-1, Umesh 15-1-69-2, Ashwin
23-5-54-1, Jadeja 15-1-57-1, Kuldeep
23-3-68-4
INDIA R B
Rahul c Warner b Cummins 60 124
Vijay c Wade b Hazlewood 11 36
Pujara c Handscomb b Lyon 57 151
Rahane c Smith b Lyon 46 104
Nair c Wade b Lyon 5 16
Ashwin lbw b Lyon 30 49
Saha c Smith b Cummins 31 102
Jadeja b Cummins 63 95
Kumar c Smith b O'Keefe 0 7
Kuldeep c Hazlewood b Lyon 7 17
Umesh not out 2 8
Extras (b 4, lb 11, w 5) 20
Total (all out; 118.1 overs) 332
Fall Of Wickets
1-21 (Vijay), 2-108 (Rahul), 3-157 (Pujara),
4-167 (Nair), 5-216 (Rahane), 6-221 (Ashwin),
7-317 (Jadeja), 8-318 (Kumar), 9-318
(Saha), 10-332 (Kuldeep)
Bowling
Hazlewood 25-8-51-1, Cummins 30-8-94-
3, Lyon 34.1-5-92-5, O'Keefe 27-4-75-1,
Maxwell 2-0-5-0
AUSTRALIA R B
Renshaw c Saha b Umesh 8 33
Warner c Saha b Umesh 6 5
Smith b Kumar 17 15
Handscomb c Rahane b Ashwin 18 46
Maxwell lbw b Ashwin 45 60
S Marsh c Pujara b Jadeja 1 6
Wade not out 25 90
Cummins c Rahane b Jadeja 12 49
O'Keefe c Pujara b Jadeja 0 4
Lyon c Vijay b Umesh 0 6
Hazlewood lbw b Ashwin 0 9
Extras (b 4, lb 1) 5
Total (all out; 53.5 overs) 137
Fall Of Wickets
1-10 (Warner), 2-31 (Smith), 3-31 (Renshaw),
4-87 (Handscomb), 5-92 (S Marsh),
6-106 (Maxwell), 7-121 (Cummins), 8-121
(O'Keefe), 9-122 (Lyon), 10-137 (Hazlewood)
Bowling
Kumar 7-1-27-1, Umesh 10-3-29-3, Kuldeep
5-0-23-0, Jadeja 18-7-24-3, Ashwin 13.5-
4-29-3
INDIA R B
Rahul not out 51 76
Vijay c Wade b Cummins 8 35
Pujara run out (Maxwell) 0 5
Rahane not out 38 27
Extras (b 4, lb 5) 9
Total (2 wickets; 23.5 overs) 106
Fall Of Wickets
1-46 (Vijay), 2-46 (Pujara)
Bowling
Cummins 8-2-42-1, Hazlewood 6-2-14-0,
O'Keefe 4.5-1-22-0, Lyon 5-0-19-0
India won by eight wickets
LIONEL MESSI ARGENTINA TIMELINE
t Led Argentina to the title at the
2005 World Youth Championship,
scoring two penalties in a 2-1 victory
over Nigeria in the final.
t Made his debut for the senior
side in a friendly against Hungary
in August 2005 but was sent off
less than a minute after coming
on as a substitute for elbowing an
opponent who had pulled his shirt.
t Played only a bit-part role at the
2006 World Cup. Argentina were
knocked out in the quarter-finals
by hosts Germany after a penalty
shootout.
t Led Argentina to the gold medal at
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
t Part of the Argentina side coached
Tweets
Tom Williams
AFP’s London sports
correspondent
March 29
For a very handsome
man, Ronaldo has
had some appalling
luck with statue-makers.
Rob Harris
AP sports writer
March 28
Being hit with a
four-match ban by
Fifa must hit Lionel
Messi’s chances of winning the World
Player of the Year title for 2017.
by Diego Maradona at the 2010
World Cup that was beaten 4-0
by Germany in the quarter-finals.
Messi failed to score and struggled
to find his best form at the tournament
in South Africa.
t After a season disrupted by injury,
captained Argentina to the final
of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil,
where they lost 1-0 to Germany.
Messi, who scored four goals at
the finals, won the Golden Ball
award for the tournament's best
player.
t Played his second Copa America
final for Argentina in Chile in 2015,
losing the final on penalties to the
host nation.
t Scored a hat-trick in 18 minutes
after coming off the bench in Argentina's
5-0 win over Panama in
the 2016 Centenary Copa America
in Chicago.
t Set a record of 55 goals for Argentina
when he scored in the 4-0
win over the United States in the
semi-finals.
t Was on the losing side again after a
penalty shootout defeat by Chile in
the centenary final and said he was
retiring from internationals.
t Was banned for four competitive
international matches on Tuesday
after insulting an official during
their 2018 World Cup South America
qualifier against Chile last week.
Quote of the Week
FC Barcelona express surprise and indignation at
the decision by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee to
suspend Leo Messi following the FIFA World Cup
qualifying fixture between Argentina and Chile.
The club consider the four-match suspension
imposed on the Argentine player to be unfair and
totally disproportionate. Finally, FC Barcelona wish
to reiterate support for Leo Messi, an exemplary
player in terms of conduct, both on and off the
pitch.
- Spanish club FC Barcelona protesting Argentine Lionel
Messi’s four-match international ban.
Everton seek rare derby win
• Reuters
Everton will target a first victory over
Liverpool in nearly seven years on
Saturday knowing that if they succeed
an unlikely pursuit of a top-four finish
might start to be taken seriously.
Arsenal, level on 50 points with
Everton after four defeats in five
games host third-placed Manchester
City on Sunday with their hopes of a
21st consecutive top-four finish in peril.
While Arsenal are looking over their
shoulders, Manchester United, who
have 52 points, host West Bromwich
Albion and are looking up after going
18 matches unbeaten in the league.
While the teams below them jostle
for positions Chelsea’s title march has
been relentless and the Blues can tick
off another three points with victory
over Crystal Palace. Tottenham Hotspur,
10 points behind Antonio Conte’s
side in second place, have not given
up the chase but three points at a
Burnley side who have won nine of 14
at Turf Moor will be paramount if they
are to maintain their lingering hopes.
Barca’s ‘Messi dependence’
to be tested
• Reuters
Saturday
Liverpool v Everton
Burnley v Tottenham
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Hull City v West Ham United
Leicester City v Stoke City
Manchester United v West Brom
Watford v Sunderland
Southampton v Bournemouth
Sunday
Swansea City v Middlesbrough
Arsenal v Manchester City
Saturday
Villarreal v Eibar
Osasuna v Athletic Club
Real Sociedad v Leganes
Malaga v Atletico Madrid
Sunday
Sevilla v Sporting Gijon
Real Madrid v Alaves
Valencia v Deportivo Coruna
Granada CF v Barcelona
Monday
Celta Vigo v Las Palmas
Barcelona will have to prove they
are not dependant on Lionel Messi
when the champions visit Granada
on Sunday without their suspended
Argentine talisman as they seek to
keep La Liga leaders Real Madrid in
their sights.
Messi, who is serving a one-match
domestic ban having accumulated
five yellow cards, has scored 41 goals
in all competitions this term for Barca
and has been at his mesmeric best in
recent weeks.
Real have an almost clean bill of
health for their game at home to
Alaves, with suspended midfielder
Casemiro their only absentee.
The visitors, however, will be
without their midfield heartbeat Marcos
Llorente, who is prevented from
playing against his parent club due to
the terms of his loan deal.
Alaves have been a thorn in the
side of Spain’s biggest clubs on their
return to the top flight.
Hero
RAVINDRA JADEJA
Sir Jadeja is our hero of the week following
his brilliant all-round performance
against Australia in the fourth Test. The
ever-improving Jaddu blasted an invaluable
half-century in their first innings
and bagged a total of four wickets in
the Dharamsala Test. No surprises then
after seeing him collect the player of the
match and series awards.

Road to Russia
7
Saturday, April 1, 2017
DT
Argentina shaken as Netherlands shocked
results
Group A
Sweden 4-0 Belarus
Forsberg 19-P, 49, Berg 57, Thelin 77
Luxembourg 1-3 France
Joachim 34-P Giroud 28, 77,
Griezmann 37-P
Bulgaria 2-0 Netherlands
Delev 5, 20
Group B
Andorra 0-0 Faroe Islands
Switzerland 1-0 Latvia
Drmic 66
Portugal 3-0 Hungary
Silva 32, Ronaldo 36, 65
Group C
Azerbaijan 1-4 Germany
Nazarov 31 Schurrle 19, 81,
Muller 36, Gomez 45
San Marino 0-6 Czech Republic
Barak 17, 24, Darida 19, 77-P,
Gebre Selassie 25, Krmencik 43
Northern Ireland 2-0
Norway
Ward 2, Washington 32
Group E
Armenia 2-0 Kazakhstan
Mkhitaryan 73, Ozbiliz 75
Montenegro 1-2 Poland
Mugosa 63 Lewandowski 40,
Piszczek 82
Romania 0-0 Denmark
Group F
England 2-0 Lithuania
Defoe 22, Vardy 66
Malta 1-3 Slovakia
Farrugia 14 Weiss 2, Gregus 41, Nemec 84
Scotland 1-0 Slovenia
Martin 88
Group H
Bosnia 5-0 Gibraltar
Ibisevic 4, 43, Vrsajevic 52,
Visca 56 Bicakcic 90+4
Cyprus 0-0 Estonia
Belgium 1-1 Greece
Lukaku 89 Mitroglou 46
EUROPE
England and defending champions
Germany remained on course
for the 2018 World Cup on Sunday
while Danny Blind was sacked
as Dutch coach after his misfiring
team faced missing a second
straight major finals.
At Wembley, Jermain Defoe
marked his international comeback
with a goal as England toiled to a
2-0 victory over Lithuania.
Slovakia went second in England's
group with a 3-1 win at Malta
while Scotland are six points off
the pace after substitute Chris Martin
scored an 88th-minute winner
against Slovenia in Glasgow.
Germany maintained their 100
percent record with a 4-1 win over
Azerbaijan in Baku as they moved
to 15 points in Group C.
Northern Ireland stayed second
in Group C, five points behind Germany,
after a Jamie Ward goal in
just the second minute and a Conor
Points table
Group A P W D L GD Pts
France 5 4 1 0 7 13
Sweden 5 3 1 1 7 10
Bulgaria 5 3 0 2 -2 9
Netherlands 5 2 1 2 2 7
Belarus 5 0 2 3 -8 2
Luxembourg 5 0 1 4 -6 1
Group B P W D L GD Pts
Switzerland 5 5 0 0 7 15
Portugal 5 4 0 1 16 12
Hungary 5 2 1 2 2 7
Faroes 5 1 2 2 -6 5
Latvia 5 1 0 4 -7 3
Andorra 5 0 1 4 -12 1
Group C P W D L GD Pts
Germany 5 5 0 0 19 15
N Ireland 5 3 1 1 8 10
C Republic 5 2 2 1 4 8
Azerbaijan 5 2 1 2 -5 7
Norway 5 1 0 4 -4 3
San Marino 5 0 0 5 -22 0
Group E P W D L GD Pts
Poland 5 4 1 0 6 13
Monténégro 5 2 1 2 4 7
Denmark 5 2 1 2 2 7
Romania 5 1 3 1 2 6
Armenia 5 2 0 3 -4 6
Kazakhstan 5 0 2 3 -10 2
Group F P W D L GD Pts
England 5 4 1 0 8 13
Slovakia 5 3 0 2 7 9
Slovenia 5 2 2 1 1 8
Scotland 5 2 1 2 -1 7
Lithuania 5 1 2 2 -4 5
Malta 5 0 0 5 -11 0
Group H P W D L GD Pts
Belgium 5 4 1 0 20 13
Greece 5 3 2 0 7 11
Bosnia 5 3 1 1 8 10
Cyprus 5 1 1 3 -5 4
Estonia 5 1 1 3 -10 4
Gibraltar 5 0 0 5 -20 0
Washington strike on the half hour
gave their team a 2-0 win over Norway
in Belfast.
The Czech Republic are two
points further back after trouncing
San Marino 6-0.
Meanwhile, Blind was sacked as
Netherlands coach after a 2-0 defeat
to Bulgaria 24 hours earlier left
the team's chances of reaching the
finals hanging by the slenderest of
threads.
Poland extended their lead in
Group E to six points after Robert
Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek
scored in a 2-1 win at Montenegro.
In the same pool, Manchester
United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan was
on target in Armenia's 2-0 win over
Kazakhstan to keep up their hopes
of taking the runners-up place.
SOUTH AMERICA
Five-time champions Brazil had
been left waiting in suspense after
goals from Neymar, Philippe
points table
Teams M W D L GD Pts
Brazil 14 10 3 1 25 33
Colombia 14 7 3 4 3 24
Uruguay 14 7 2 5 9 23
Chile 14 7 2 5 5 23
Argentina 14 6 4 4 1 22
Ecuador 14 6 2 6 3 20
Peru 14 5 3 6 -1 18
Paraguay 14 5 3 6 -8 18
Bolivia 14 3 1 10 -20 10
Venezuela 14 1 3 10 -17 6
results
Brazil 3-0 Paraguay
Coutinho 34, Neymar 64, Marcelo 85
Bolivia
2-0 Argentina
Arce 31, Martins 53
Ecuador 0-2 Colombia
Rodriguez 20, Cuadrado 34
Chile 3-1 Venezuela
Sanchez 4, Paredes 7, 22 Rondon 62
Peru 2-1 Uruguay
Guerrero 35, Flores 62 Sanchez 30
Coutinho and Marcelo handed
them a 3-0 win over the Paraguayans
at Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians.
But Uruguay's upset 2-1 defeat
to Peru in the day's final South
American qualifier combined with
other results meant Brazil are
mathematically guaranteed a place
at next year's finals in Russia.
While Brazil celebrated, Argentina
and Messi were left digesting
another stumble in their progress
towards Russia as they slumped to
a 2-0 defeat in La Paz.
Chile moved up to fourth place
with a 3-1 win over Venezuela
in Santiago, Arsenal star Alexis
Sanchez opening the scoring with
a stunning early free-kick. Esteban
Paredes scored twice for Chile to
give the host a 3-0 lead before Salomon
Rondon pulled a goal back for
Venezuela.
In Quito, Real Madrid star James
Rodriguez scored one goal and set
up another for Juan Cuadrado as
Colombia beat Ecuador 2-0.
points table
Group A
Teams M W D L GD Pts
Iran 7 5 2 0 6 17
Korea 7 4 1 2 2 13
Uzbekistan 7 4 0 3 2 12
Syria 7 2 2 3 -1 8
China PR 7 1 2 4 -4 5
Qatar 7 1 1 5 -5 4
Group B
Teams M W D L GD Pts
Japan 7 5 1 1 9 16
Saudi Arabia 7 5 1 1 8 16
Australia 7 3 4 0 5 13
UAE 7 3 0 4 -3 9
Iraq 7 1 1 5 -3 4
Thailand 7 0 1 6 -16 1
results
Group A
South Korea 1-0 Syria
Jeong-Ho 4
Iran 1-0 China
Taremi 46
Uzbekistan 1-0 Qatar
Akhmedov 65
Group B
Australia 2-0 UAE
Irvine 6, Leckie 78
Japan 4-0 Thailand
Kagawa 8, Okazaki 19,
Kubo 57, Yoshida 83
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Iraq
Yehya al-Shehri 53
ASIA
Iran's Mehdi Taremi dealt China's
World Cup hopes a major blow on
Tuesday, as Australia grabbed a
crucial win over UAE to stay in the
hunt for an automatic spot at Russia
2018.
Australia, however, can take
nothing for granted as they lie in
third spot with 13 points after Japan
and Saudi Arabia also won
to jointly go three points clear in
Group B with 16.
Japan ended Thailand's campaign
with a 4-0 victory in Saitama,
and South Korea squeezed past
Syria 1-0 to get back on track after
last week's upset to China.
Saudi Arabia grabbed three
points in Jeddah with Yahya al-
Shehri scoring the winner in the
53rd minute for a 1-0 victory over
Iraq, who languish in fifth place
with just four points.
points table
Teams P W D L GD Pts
Mexico 4 3 1 0 4 10
Costa Rica 4 2 1 1 4 7
Panama 4 1 2 1 0 5
US 4 1 1 2 1 4
Honduras 4 1 1 2 -5 4
T & T 4 1 0 3 -4 3
results
Honduras 1-1 Costa Rica
Lozano 35 Waston 68
T&T 0-1 Mexico
Reyes 58
Panama 1-1 United States
Gomez 43 Dempsey 39
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
The United States remain in contention
for a spot at next year's
World Cup after Bruce Arena's side
battled to a scrappy 1-1 away draw
against Panama in CONCACAF
qualifying on Tuesday.
Mexico extended their lead to
three points atop the group with a
1-0 away win over Trinidad and Tobago,
a second-half goal by Diego
Reyes in Port of Spain lifting El Tri
to 10 points from four games.
Costa Rica are second on seven
points after a 1-1 away draw at Honduras,
followed by Panama on five
points, the U.S. and the Hondurans
on four, while Trinidad have three
points. •