Decline and fall of Test cricket? Don’t tell West Indies or England

Decline and fall of Test cricket? Don’t tell West Indies or England
Shamar Joseph of the West Indies dismisses Josh Hazlewood of Australia, sealing a win for the West Indies during day four of the second cricket Test match between Australia and West Indies at the Gabba in Brisbane on January 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 29 January 2024
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Decline and fall of Test cricket? Don’t tell West Indies or England

Decline and fall of Test cricket? Don’t tell West Indies or England
  • Nail-biting finales in Brisbane, Hyderabad Test matches shows there is still life in the format
  • England’s Tom Hartley and West Indies bowler Shamar Joseph heroically bowled their teams to victories

PARIS: A few years ago, an award-winning film “Death of a Gentleman” drew attention to what appeared to be the steady decline of Test cricket as it struggled to ward off the popularity of the shorter game.

On Sunday, however, Test match cricket, which has been on the scene since Australia and England first locked horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877, showed there is still life in the format.

An extraordinary day of twists and turns saw two gripping games in Brisbane and Hyderabad reach nail-biting finales.

They also launched two new stars, both 24, in England’s left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and West Indian fast bowler Shamar Joseph.

In Hyderabad, Hartley went from zero to hero, taking 7-62 on his Test debut to help England to a 28-run win over India.




England's Tom Hartley celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of India's Mohammed Siraj to win the first Test at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India on January 28, 2024 (REUTERS)

In Brisbane, Joseph, who was working as a security guard a year ago, came back from being helped off the field after being smashed on the toe while batting, to rip through Australia’s much-vaunted batting line-up.

Playing in only his second Test, he took 7-68 as the West Indies won by just eight runs, their first win in Australia since 1997.

“I feel like we won the series. Even though it’s 1-1 I feel like we won the entire series,” Joseph told reporters.

Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite said victory was the perfect riposte to former Australia fast bowler Rodney Hogg who had described the West Indies as “pathetic and hopeless.”

“We wanted to show the world we’re not pathetic,” he said.

Test cricket has come under threat over several decades by the rise first of one-day cricket and latterly from the emergence of T20 — and even T10 — franchises that have sprung up around the world.

This month, for example, South Africa withheld its top players from a Test tour to New Zealand so that they could play instead in the domestic T20 tournament.

The money in T20, especially in the Indian Premier League is eye-watering — Australia captain Pat Cummins fetched $2.47 million for a few weeks’ work in the 2024 auction — so it is no surprise that players are attracted.

Fans enjoy the thrash, bash and smash as well as the flashing lights, bright colors and party atmosphere while television is attracted by the easier packaging of the shorter game.

For all its bells and whistles, however, T20 lacks the nuances and slow-burning drama of the kind seen in Brisbane and Hyderabad.

England trailed by 190 on first innings which would normally make an India win a formality — they had never previously lost a Test on home soil in which they held a first-innings lead of 100 runs or more.

But thanks to some fine batting from Ollie Pope, who made 196, England were able to set the home side 231 to win.

Hartley, whose first ball in Test cricket three days earlier was hit for six, found the length and enough turn to unsettle the batsmen and guide England to an improbable win late on the fourth day.

Ben Stokes described it as “our greatest triumph” since he took over as England captain in 2022.

India and England along with Australia are the three wealthiest countries in international cricket which perhaps makes Joseph’s exploits in Brisbane the more significant.

From the mid-1970s to the late 1980s the West Indies were the finest team in the world but decline set in, largely through bad management, to the point where calling them mediocre was a compliment.

The team in Australia was missing a slew of top names who had been lured away to play franchise cricket elsewhere.

There were seven uncapped players in the 15-man squad, including Joseph who had not even played a first-class game for Guyana 12 months ago.

Overwhelmed in the first Test, the West Indies bounced back in real style with Joseph epitomising a new spirit that teases the prospect of a return to former glories.

And perhaps the best news was what he said after the game when he was inevitably asked if he would be heading to the riches of the T20 circuit.
“I will always be here to play Test cricket for the West Indies,” Joseph said with some reverence.

“There will be times when T20 might come around and Test cricket will be there... but I will always be available to play for the West Indies no matter how much money comes toward me.”


Erdogan says UEFA ban on Turkiye’s Demiral ‘political’

Erdogan says UEFA ban on Turkiye’s Demiral ‘political’
Updated 1 min 6 sec ago
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Erdogan says UEFA ban on Turkiye’s Demiral ‘political’

Erdogan says UEFA ban on Turkiye’s Demiral ‘political’

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said UEFA’s two-game ban on Turkiye defender Merih Demiral for making a ultra-nationalist salute was “political” and overshadowed the championship.

The Turkish leader canceled his visit to Azerbaijan and traveled to Berlin on Saturday to watch the quarter-final at the Olympiastadion in the German capital, which tens of thousands of Turks attended.

The Netherlands came from behind to beat Turkiye 2-1 to reach the Euro 2024 semifinals.

Demiral, who scored twice against Austria, could not play Saturday after UEFA suspended him for two matches after making a controversial salute during celebrations, associated with Turkish right-wing extremist group Grey Wolves.

“To put it bluntly, UEFA’s two-match ban for Merih has cast a serious shadow over the championship,” Erdogan was quoted as telling journalists on a plane from Berlin, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

“This cannot be explained, it is a purely political decision,” he added.

Erdogan however said the decision did not affect the team’s motivation.

“Despite all the negatives... we watched a thrilling game,” Erdogan said.

Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella said Friday that Demiral’s ban was “unfair.”


Gauff crashes at Wimbledon as Alcaraz, Sinner locked on collision course

Gauff crashes at Wimbledon as Alcaraz, Sinner locked on collision course
Updated 08 July 2024
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Gauff crashes at Wimbledon as Alcaraz, Sinner locked on collision course

Gauff crashes at Wimbledon as Alcaraz, Sinner locked on collision course

LONDON: World number two Coco Gauff was sent crashing out of Wimbledon by American compatriot Emma Navarro on Sunday as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were firmly locked on an All England Club semifinal collision course.

Gauff’s 6-4, 6-3 fourth round defeat means that only two of the top 10 women’s seeds are left in the tournament.

Elsewhere, unheralded Lulu Sun became the first New Zealand woman to reach the last-eight at Wimbledon, while Madison Keys quit her last-16 clash in floods of tears.

Navarro, ranked 19th, reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time with her defeat of US Open champion Gauff.

Gauff, who made the semifinals at the Australian Open and French Open this year, has still to get past the last 16 at Wimbledon, the tournament, where she made her breakthrough as a 15-year-old in 2019.

Her shock defeat followed the unexpected exit of world number one Iga Swiatek in the third round on Saturday.

“I think I played really aggressively. Coco’s an amazing player and I have a ton of respect for her,” said Navarro.

Only fourth-ranked 2022 champion Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, the world number seven, remain from the top 10 women.

Paolini will be Navarro’s quarter-final opponent.

World number three Alcaraz defeated French 16th seed Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to make the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the ninth time in just 14 appearances.

However, it was another uncomfortable afternoon for the Spaniard, who had needed five sets to see off Frances Tiafoe in the third round.

His erratic performance on Sunday saw him drop serve five times and commit an uncharacteristic 33 unforced errors.

The 21-year-old, bidding to become just the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, eased through the first set under the Center Court roof before crucially saving four break points in the fifth game of the second.

Humbert stormed back, breaking the champion three times in the third set as Alcaraz went spectacularly off the boil.

But Humbert handed over a service break in the 11th game of the fourth set and Alcaraz took full advantage to quickly seal the tie.

“I will be there, fighting until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, who is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz will take on American 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

Over on Court One, top seed Sinner moved into the last-eight with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11/9) win over American 14th seed Ben Shelton.

Sinner, who won his maiden Slam crown at the Australian Open this year, will face Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semifinals in a rematch of their final in Melbourne.

“It was a tough match, especially the third set. I had to keep saving set points,” said Sinner, a semifinalist in 2023.

Medvedev, also a semifinalist last year, progressed when 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired in the first set of their last-16 tie with a knee injury.

Sun made history for New Zealand with a three-set victory over Emma Raducanu, shattering home hopes of ending a 47-year wait for a British women’s champion.

The 23-year-old qualifier, ranked at 123, triumphed 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 over the 2021 US Open winner.

Sun hit 52 winners against Raducanu, who took a medical time-out in the third set to treat problems with her ankle and back.

“It was a great match against Emma. I really dug deep to get the win,” said Sun.

Sun will next face Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the world number 37, who clinched a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Spain’s Paula Badosa on the back of 33 winners.

American 12th seed Keys was just one game away from a third quarter-final at the All England Club before she was forced to quit against Paolini.

After dropping the first set, Keys hit back to level the match at 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).

The 2017 US Open runner-up then raced into a 5-2 lead in the decider when she suffered a left leg injury in the eighth game.

At 5-4, she took a medical time-out, returned with her left leg bandaged but with her movement severely restricted, she wept openly on court before quitting at 5-5.

“I’m very sorry for her, it’s sad,” said French Open runner-up Paolini, who had never won a grass-court match until two weeks ago.


Meet the Saudi athletes preparing for the Paris Olympics

Meet the Saudi athletes preparing for the Paris Olympics
Updated 07 July 2024
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Meet the Saudi athletes preparing for the Paris Olympics

Meet the Saudi athletes preparing for the Paris Olympics
  • Seven Saudi Arabian athletes have qualified for the Games

JEDDAH: With just weeks left until the Olympic Games kick off in Paris, Saudi Arabia is gearing up for what is being hailed as one of its most important appearances in the history of the global sporting event.

Saudi Arabia will make its thirteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics and will be among 206 countries competing, set to take place between July 26 and August 11 in the French capital.

Seven Saudi Arabian athletes have qualified for the Games, who will be participating in show jumping (4), Taekwondo (1), shot put (1) and pole vault (1).

The Kingdom's athletes will look to better their tally of one silver medal from the last Games in Tokyo won by Tariq Hamdi in the 75kg Karate competition.

Habib Al-Amin, executive director of the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation and Shaddad Al-Omari, Saudi Taekwondo Federation President, told Arab News they were excited to see the athletes show off their talents.

Both have extended their best wishes to the Saudi competitors, emphasizing the significance of the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee support.

Speaking from Antalya in Turkey, where Taekwondo competitor Donia Abu Taleb is holding her training camp, Al-Omari added: “Competing against the best 15 Taekwondo players in the world, will be a very tough competition but Donia is capable to win. She is not there to participate but to compete.”

Al-Amin said: “We are extremely proud of our track and field athletes for the hard work they put in to achieve this level of excellence.”

He added: “Tolo and Al-Hizam exerted their best efforts to reach it to the Paris games. Definitely, we have high hopes in both athletes and looking forward to their performance.”

Below is a look at all the Saudi athletes who have qualified for Paris:

Show Jumping

The Saudi show jumping team managed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after achieving first place in the Group G qualifiers at the Doha International Show Jumping Championship in 2023.

The Saudi equestrians won a qualification card after an outstanding performance among the participating teams to return to the Olympics after an absence of 12 years, as the last Saudi participation was at the London Olympics in 2012.

Rider Ramzi Al-Dahami, Abdullah Al-Sharbatly, Abdul Rahman Al-Rajhi, and Khaled Al-Mabti will represent the Saudi show jumping team.

Taekwondo

Abu Taleb is a Taekwondo athlete competing in the 49kg weight category, and will be only Saudi female competing at this Olympics. Her qualification came through the Asian Olympic qualifying tournaments for the Paris 2024 Games.

The 27-year-old is poised to give Saudi Arabia its best chance of winning a medal in Paris.

The current world No. 4, she has won tournaments around the world as well as a bantamweight bronze at the 2022 Asian championships and a flyweight bronze at the world championships in Mexico the same year.

Shot Put

Saudi shot-putter Mohammed Tolu has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics in shot put, after breaking the Asian record and the Olympic qualifying mark with a throw of 21.80 meters during his participation in the recent Madrid meeting.

Tolu won the silver medal at the Asian Games last summer in Hangzhou, China, where he was also close to winning gold.

Tolu's previous best was a throw of 20.80 meters and he has since improved his mark to break the Asian record.

Pole Vault

Saudi pole vaulter Hussain Al-Hizam was the last Saudi athlete to qualify for the Games. On June 24, Al-Hizam earned a ticket to Paris after winning the bronze medal at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poznan, Poland with a height of 5.62 meters.

Previously, he also clinched the bronze medal in the pole vault final at the 19th Asian Games held in 2023 and won the gold medal at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. His personal bests in the event are 5.70 metres outdoors and 5.70 metres indoors.

Saudi Arabia's history in the Olympics

Saudi Arabia's Olympic story officially began in 1965 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised the nation, and approved its participation in the Games.

Saudi Arabia has competed in 12 Summer Games, first appearing at Munich in 1972 and competing in every Games since, with the exception of the 1980 Moscow Games.

Saudi Arabia won its first two Olympic medals at Sydney in 2000. Hadi Soua’an Al-Somaily won a silver in the men’s 400 meter hurdles and Khaled Al-Eid won an equestrian bronze in individual show jumping.

In 2012, the Kingdom's first female athletes participated in the London Games. Sarah Attar represented the nation in the women's 800 meters, whilst Wojdan Shaherkani competed in women's judo.


Unity key to stopping Mbappe at Euros, says Cucurella

Unity key to stopping Mbappe at Euros, says Cucurella
Updated 07 July 2024
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Unity key to stopping Mbappe at Euros, says Cucurella

Unity key to stopping Mbappe at Euros, says Cucurella
  • Joint record three-time winners Spain face France in Munich on Tuesday

DONAUESCHINGEN: Spain defender Marc Cucurella believes the key to stopping France striker Kylian Mbappe in their Euro 2024 semifinal clash is a unified approach.

Joint record three-time winners Spain face France in Munich on Tuesday after ousting hosts Germany in extra-time.

Explosive new Real Madrid signing Mbappe has struggled at the Euros after breaking his nose in France’s first match, scoring once from the penalty spot, but remains Les Bleus’ main attacking threat.

“I think football is a collective sport, and it’s true that if it was one-on-one it would be tricky, but it’s up to us in the end,” Cucurella told a news conference Sunday.

“Apart from being good with the ball, we are a very hard-working team, we give everything for each other, and I think that’s the key.

“We have to be united, to know what to do in each moment, and above all we need to minimize their counterattacks which are perhaps their strongest weapons.”

Cucurella has been one of the most impressive players in Spain’s side this summer, a surprise to some after an inconsistent season with Chelsea.

The left-back had only appeared once for his country before this year, but improving performances at Stamford Bridge in the final months of the season and Valencia defender Jose Gaya’s injury helped him claim a starting spot.

With defender Dani Carvajal suspended against France after a red card in extra time in the 2-1 win over Germany, the 25-year-old could be used at right-back, where he operated for Chelsea on occasion.

“I’ll try to give my best, to contribute my grain of sand,” said Cucurella.

“I feel more comfortable on the left but in the end I have to try to do the best I can and help the team.

“What’s important is that we win, and it doesn’t matter who plays, if on Sunday we are in the final.”

The defender was involved in a controversial moment against Germany where the ball struck his hand in the area but the hosts were not awarded a penalty.

“If the referees said it wasn’t a penalty, then I will respect that,” said Cucurella.

“In the end these are things that happen, they are decisions ... (Germany’s Toni) Kroos could have been booked before and then sent off.

“Football is a game of errors and accuracies; in the end we were more accurate than them, we scored one goal more and we got through.”

Kroos hacked down Barcelona’s Pedri in the early stages and the midfielder was substituted and will miss the rest of the tournament with a knee ligament sprain.

The former Real Madrid star wished Pedri a speedy recovery in an open letter to Germany fans after his retirement from football, and the Spaniard replied on Sunday.

“I came to Germany for Euro 2024 and here I will stay, until the end, because don’t doubt it, the dream continues,” wrote Pedri on social media platform X.

“Thanks Toni Kroos, for your message, this is football and these things happen. Your career and your achievements will always remain.”


Abhishek century guides India to T20 victory against Zimbabwe

Abhishek century guides India to T20 victory against Zimbabwe
Updated 07 July 2024
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Abhishek century guides India to T20 victory against Zimbabwe

Abhishek century guides India to T20 victory against Zimbabwe
  • Zimbabwe, who won the first match by 13 runs on Saturday, were bowled out for 134 runs
  • Abhishek Sharma, playing second international match, thrashed eight sixes and seven fours

HARARE: Abhishek Sharma slammed a 46-ball century as India bounced back with a 100-run win over Zimbabwe in the second Twenty20 international at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
Sharma, playing in his second international match, made 100 in an Indian total of 234 for two.
Zimbabwe, who won the first match by 13 runs on Saturday, were bowled out for 134.
The left-handed Sharma, who was out for a duck on debut on Saturday, thrashed eight sixes and seven fours.
“It was a good performance after the defeat yesterday,” said Sharma when he was named man of the match.
“Thanks to the coaches and captain to keep confidence.”
After opening his score with a six against off-spinner Brian Bennett, who dismissed him on Saturday, Sharma charged to his half-century with a six off medium-pacer Dion Myers.
He then raised his hundred with three successive sixes off left-arm spin bowler Wellington Masakadza before being dismissed next ball, caught at backward point.
Sharma was dropped on the long-off boundary off Luke Jongwe when he had 27.
“After the drop I thought it was my day,” he said. “I always believe in my ability. If it’s in my arc and even if it’s the first ball I will go after it.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out) and Rinku Singh (48 not out) continued to take the attack to the Zimbabwe bowlers, who conceded 160 runs in the last 10 overs.
India made more runs in their innings than the combined total of both teams in a low-scoring encounter on the same pitch on Saturday when Zimbabwe made 115 for nine and India were bowled out for 102.
Despite an aggressive 26 off nine balls by Bennett, Zimbabwe’s hopes were virtually extinguished when they crashed to 46 for four after four overs, with seamers Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan taking two wickets each.
India captain Shubman Gill said his young team had responded well to Saturday’s defeat.
“Yesterday it was more about not being able to handle the pressure. It is a young side and many of them are new to international cricket. It was good to have pressure in the first game. We knew what to expect in this game.”