S PORTSWEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

MUMBAI: Controversial batsman ChrisGayle will be looking to ensure the WestIndies’ troubled build-up to the WorldTwenty20 becomes a distant memorywhen they open their campaign againstEngland in Mumbai yesterday. TheWindies are out to prove they are still aforce in the shortest form of the gamedespite their declining Test status, whileEngland want to atone for a humiliatingearly exit from last year’s 50-over WorldCup.

A pay dispute cast doubt over theWest Indies’ appearance in India andwhile the row was resolved at the 11thhour, relations between players and thecountry’s cricket board remain tense.Their preparations have also been hit bythe withdrawal of all-rounder KieronPollard and off-spinner Sunil Narine,who is T20 cricket’s top-performing

bowler and has thrived in the IndianPremier League (IPL). But in the enigmat-ic Gayle they possess a batsman capableof destroying whatever bowling attackhe faces and single-handedly winningany match, providing he stays clear ofoff-field controversy.

The Jamaican, nicknamed “GayleStorm”, faced allegations of sexism afterhe asked an Australian TV presenter for adate live on air in January during the BigBash League. He also lit up the tourna-ment for the right reasons, hitting a 12-ball half-century. Gayle, 36, holds therecord for the highest ever score in T20s,175 off 66 balls, and hit the format’s firstinternational century during the inaugu-ral World T20 in 2007. “To me he is thebest T20 batsman, the most destructiveone in this game so he knows his gameinside-out,” West Indies captain Darren

Sammy said of the left-handed batsmanlast week. But the second-rankedWindies, who are looking to add to their2012 World T20 title, face a toughprospect at Mumbai’s WankhedeStadium in the shape of a new, attack-minded England side. Eoin Morgan’steam have turned their fortunes aroundsince they were dumped out of the 2015World Cup by Bangladesh, adopting amore aggressive attitude which has seenthem up their run rate. In Morgan, all-rounder Ben Stokes, opener Jason Royand classy right-hander Joe Root,England have strength in depth but theywill miss injured fast bowler Steven Finn.England, who won the 2010 World T20,enjoyed a six-wicket win over NewZealand in a warm-up game onSaturday. “The confidence we take fromthat is massive,” said Roy. —AFP

West Indies’ ‘Gayle Storm’ set to hit England

MUMBAI: West Indies’ Chris Gayle warms up duringa practice session ahead oftheir ICC Twenty20 2016 Cricket World Cup match in Mumbai. —AP

NAGPUR: New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi (down) celebrates the wicket of India’s Ravindra Jadeja during the ICC World Twenty20 2016 cricket match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur yesterday. — AP

KOLKATA: Coach WaqarYounis stood by his skipperShahid Afridi yesterday overhis declaration that Pakistan’scricketers receive more love inIndia than back home, sayingcritics should stop stirring uptrouble. Former Pakistani cap-tain Javed Miandad has beenat the forefront of the outrageover Afridi’s comments at theweekend shortly after theteam’s delayed arrival for theWorld Twenty20 being playedin India.

But Younis said Afridi’s crit-ics were making somethingout of nothing and he shouldnot be criticized for wearinghis heart on his sleeve. “This issomething he felt. It’s his emo-tions,” the former fast bowlertold reporters in Kolkata onthe eve of Pakistan’s opening match in the World Twenty20 againstBangladesh. “I believe we should leave it at that rather than creating acontroversy out of nothing. We are here to play cricket, to beat teams,”he said ahead of Pakistan’s opening rubber against Bangladesh. “Mymessage to the boys is just leave everything behind. This is about play-ing some quality cricket and playing for the nation.”

In a press conference in Kolkata on Sunday, Afridi said that Pakistanhad always enjoyed playing in India and “have been loved by Indianscrowds more than crowds back home in Pakistan.” The comments raisedeyebrows as Pakistan’s build-up to the tournament has been embroiledin controversy over whether they would be allowed to travel to arch-rivals India. They agreed to take the trip only after negotiations withIndia over security arrangements and the shifting of their matchagainst the hosts to Kolkata from Dharamsala.

Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have meant that thetwo teams have not played any bilateral series for more than threeyears, and their rivalry is restricted to multi-national tournaments suchas the World T20. India’s batting great Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday saidAfridi’s comments would help dull the hostility of the usually raucoushome crowd at Eden Gardens, the venue for the much-awaited India-Pakistan tie on March 19. “Emotions run high whenever India playPakistan,” Gavaskar told the NDTV news network. “He (Afridi) said nicethings-maybe you need it, maybe you don’t. It will help as far as thecrowd is concerned. It has ensured the crowds won’t be overly hostileto him and the Pakistani team.” —AFP

Pakistan’s Captain Shahid Afridi

Pakistan’s coach backs Afridi on India love row

MUMBAI: England skipper Eoin Morganvoiced sympathy yesterday for WestIndies spinner Sunil Narine after thenumber one-ranked bowler pulled outof the World Twenty20 following his sus-pension for a suspect action. The WestIndies’ hopes of winning the tourna-ment were dealt a severe blow lastmonth when Narine withdrew from thesquad, saying he was not ready toreturn to the international fold afterwork to remodel his action. But whileNarine’s absence from the World T20 issomething of a relief for Morgan’s teamwho play the West Indies in their open-ing match on Wednesday, the England

skipper said he felt for his former team-mate.

“I think it’s a very touchy subject. Iknow Sunil. I’m not pleased to see whathe’s going through. I wouldn’t wish itupon anybody,” Morgan told reportersin Mumbai. The 27-year-old Trinidadianwas suspended in November afterbeing cited during a match in Sri Lankafor a suspect bowling action, the secondtime he has been reported for an illegalaction.

Morgan and Narine have playedtogether for the Kolkata Knight Riders inthe Indian Premier League (IPL), a com-petition in which the spinner has regu-

larly bamboozled opponents. “He’sbowled the same way since he wasprobably 15 or 16 years old. The fact he’sgot to this stage in his career and it’sonly being looked at now is probablydisappointing from his point of view,”said Morgan. “But there are set rules inplace that are being applied.”

West Indies skipper Darren Sammyacknowledged in his pre-match pressconference that Narine would be a bigloss, along with allrounder KieronPollard who also pulled out of the squadafter an injury setback.”It’s always reallydifficult to replace someone like Narineor Pollard who have so much experience

here,” said Sammy. “Yes we’ll miss them,but it creates another opportunity forsomebody else to step up to the plate.”

Despite not playing since November,Narine is still way ahead of his nearestrivals in the T20 international rankings.Narine was a key member of the WestIndies team which won the 2012 WorldT20, taking three wickets for just nine runsin the final against Sri Lanka in Colombo.He is one of a number of leading bowlerswho are absent from this year’s tourna-ment, including Pakistan’s former worldnumber one Saeed Ajmal who has strug-gled with a remodeled action after beingreported in 2014.— AFP

England’s Morgan feels for suspended Narine

KOLKATA: Bangladesh will look to com-pound the misery of beleagueredPakistan today in their opening groupmatch of the World Twenty20, freshfrom humbling their arch-rivals in theAsia Cup. Despite their recent improve-ments in 50-over cricket, Bangladeshhave a rotten record in the World T20and have never beaten Pakistan in thepremier tournament of cricket’s shortestformat. But they will fancy their chanceslike never before at Kolkata’s EdenGardens against a team who are on amiserable run and whose preparationshave been hit by their late arrival inIndia in a row over security.

Bangladesh cruised through lastweek’s preliminary round and know thata victory over Pakistan will set them upnicely if they are to make the semi-finalsfor the first time. Star batsman TamimIqbal is in the form of his life, scoringBangladesh’s first ever international T20century in Sunday’s victory over Omanafter scores of 83 and 47 in the first twogames. Fans in the cricket-mad nationheld impromptu street parties earlier

this month when Bangladesh clinched afive-wicket win over Pakistan in Dhaka,sealing a place in the final of the AsiaCup which they lost to India.

Bangladesh was part of Pakistanbefore a brutal 1971 war of separation,and matches between the sides there-fore always have an extra edge to them.Mashrafe Mortaza’s side can expectstrong support from their fellowBengalis in what is the capital of theIndian state of West Bengal. But Afridihas been making his own overturestowards the locals by claiming his teamhas received more “love” from fans inIndia than back home, comments thatincensed former Pakistan skipper JavedMiandad.

Backing for Boom Boom Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said

that the team’s troubled build-up to thetournament did not mean they shouldbe written off. “We’re the kind of teamthat once we get the momentum going,we can surprise people,” Younis said in apre-match press conference. The former

bowling great also backed the big-hit-ting Afridi to rediscover the kind of formwith the bat that earned him the nick-name Boom Boom. “It takes less than aminute to lose form and to get it back aswell.

T20 cricket is like that, we’re hopingthat he’s one innings away from gettingback his old form,” said Younis.Bangladesh’s build-up has been serene

in comparison to the dramas inPakistan’s camp. But after seeing offOman, the Netherlands and Ireland inthe preliminaries, Mortaza knows thehard work now begins in a group thatincludes India, Australia and NewZealand. “In that group you can’t makeany mistakes, you have to be up to themark everywhere,” said the veteranbowler.— AFP

Buoyant Bangladesh bid to turn screw on Pakistan

KOLKATA: Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez takes part in a training session aheadof their first WT20 match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.—AFP