Sports Briefs
Real are top moneymakers LONDON (AP): Real Madrid are football’s biggest moneymakers for the 11th straight year, while Bayern Munich dropped to their lowest position in eight years. Madrid’s revenue of US$628 million in 2014-15 kept them top of the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte. The revenue of the world’s top 20 clubs, which are all European and include nine from the Premier League, grew 8 percent year-to-year to US$7.2 billion. European and Spanish champions Barcelona regained second place by generating US$609 million, displacing Manchester United, who made US$560 million while still struggling on the pitch in the post-Alex Ferguson era. French champion Paris Saint-Germain climbed to fourth by generating US$522 million, followed by Bayern on US$515 million. Napoli coach Sarri banned MILAN (AP): Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has been banned for two Italian Cup matches and fined US$22,000 for “directing extremely insulting epithets” toward his Inter Milan counterpart, Roberto Mancini. Sarri was sanctioned after making anti-gay slurs to Mancini during Napoli’s 2-0 loss in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Napoli says yesterday’s decision “formally clarifies” that Sarri’s comments were delivered in anger but were not driven by racist or anti-gay discrimination. The club says it hopes Mancini “can accept the apologies which have repeatedly been offered.” Mancini was fined US$5,422 for “an intimidating attitude toward the coach of the opposing team, who had insulted him” and for being “disrespectful” toward the fourth official in the dressing room after the match. Chelsea player joins Werder Bremen on loan BREMEN, Germany (AP): Chelsea defender Papy Djilobodji has joined Werder Bremen on loan until the end of the season. The Bundesliga club announced the deal yesterday without giving financial details. Werder Bremen are 16th in the Bundesliga and face a struggle against relegation when the campaign resumes this weekend after the winter break. The club needed a defender after the departure of Assani Lukimya for China. Djilobodji could make his debut on Sunday at Schalke. He arrived in Chelsea last summer from the French club Nantes and made only one brief League Cup appearance in September.
Brathwaite, a powerful lower order batsman and steady seamer, has been on the fringe of West Indies Test selection for some time, but finally made his debut on the tour of Down Under last December. He struck 59 in his first Test innings at Melbourne and then flaunted his bold attacking style in the final Test in Sydney, blasting 69 from 71 balls with seven fours and four sixes. However, it was his scintillating hundred in a one-day game against Sri Lanka Cricket President’s XI last October in Colombo that would have caught the attention. He faced just 58 balls and slammed ten fours and seven sixes in a devastating knock. BENGALURU, India (CMC): Rising West Indies star Carlos Brathwaite made headlines at the Indian Premier League auction yesterday when he was snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for US$626,000. The 27-year-old, who made a huge impact with his power-hitting on the recent Test tour of Australia, entered the draft with a base price of US$30,000, but saw his value catapult as Delhi moved quickly to secure his services. He will now make his first-ever appearance in the glitzy multimillion-dollar tournament that runs from April 8 to May 29. “Excited to be a part of IPL and DelhiDaredevils. Giving thanks,” Brathwaite tweeted shortly afterwards. He was one of four West Indies players to find success during the auction. Opener Dwayne Smith was picked up by new franchise Gujarat Lions for US$343,000, Test and one-day captain Jason Holder was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for $104,000 while leg-spinner Samuel Badree went to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $74,000. POWERFUL BATSMAN
KOLKATA, India (CMC):Captain Darren Sammy’s aggressive, unbeaten half-century led a determined lower-order rally as West Indies beat Australia by three wickets with a ball to spare in their final official warm-up game of the Twenty20 World Cup here yesterday.Rocked by seamer Josh Hazlewood’s hat-trick in the fourth over to be tottering on 49 for five in the ninth over, West Indies recovered brilliantly to reach their target of 162 at Eden Gardens, thanks to exactly 50 off 28 balls from Sammy.All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite smashed 33 from just 14 deliveries, while Andre Russell blasted 29 from 15 balls, as West Indies scored over 10 runs per over in the final half of the innings as they gathered 106 runs from the last 59 balls.The revival started with a 23-run, sixth-wicket stand between Sammy and Russell and continued with an exhilarating 53-run, seventh-wicket stand off 23 balls between Sammy and Brathwaite.Sammy belted six fours and a six, while Russell counted a four and three sixes.But it was Brathwaite’s cameo which included three fours and two sixes that gave West Indies much needed impetus.He and Sammy combined to plunder 17 runs from the 15th over sent by pacer Mitchell Marsh, and they followed up by taking another 17 runs from the next over from seamer Andrew Tye (2-35).When Brathwaite perished in the same Tye over, Sammy and Ashley Nurse, who finished on 12 not out, then posted a vital 37 in an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership to see West Indies home safely.Hazlewood’s hat-trick had earlier handed Australia the advantage. He claimed Jason Holder promoted to opener for six with the second ball of his second over and then bowled Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo without scoring off successive deliveries.Opener Johnson Charles (14) and Denesh Ramdin (11) also fell cheaply to leave West Indies in deep trouble.Opting to bat first earlier, Australia started strongly but were pegged back by medium-pacer Bravo and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, to finish on 161 for nine off their 20 overs.Bravo claimed four for 21 and Benn, three for 37, as the Aussies declined from 106 for one in the 12th over to lose eight wickets for 55 runs.Opener Shane Watson top-scored with 60 from 39 balls, striking four fours and four sixes. He put on 76 for the first wicket with Aaron Finch, who scored 33 from 24 balls and a further 30 for the second wicket with captain Steve Smith, whose 36 required 29 balls.Brathwaite was brilliant in his three overs of seam, taking three for 16.West Indies will now turn their attention to their opening group game of the T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where they take on England on Wednesday.
INFORE, India (AP): Ravichandran Ashwin took his 20th five-wicket haul yesterday as New Zealand were bowled out for 299 runs on day three of the third Test in Indore. India then reached 18-0 in six overs at stumps, taking an overall lead of 276 runs. The visitors started well, with Martin Guptill (72) adding 118 runs with Tom Latham (53). They were both dropped once. Ashwin then accepted a simple return catch to dismiss Latham before lunch. The slide began after the break, as New Zealand lost four wickets for 14 runs. Ashwin bowled Kane Williamson (8) and then had both Ross Taylor (0) and Luke Ronchi (0) caught at slip, with Ajinkya Rahane pulling off sharp catches. “Early in the spell, I try to get my alignment and rhythm going properly and it’s taking me a few overs,” said Ashwin. “Once I go through it and when my body starts going completely into the ball, the starts getting better. That was one of the spells after lunch,” he said, after the close of play. Guptill was unlucky to be runout when Ashwin got his fingers off a Ronchi drive and deflected the ball onto stumps. James Neesham (71) added 53 runs with BJ Watling (23) to stem the rout. But Ravindra Jadeja (2-80) struck on either side of tea to remove Watling and Mitchell Santner (22), who added 52 runs with Neesham. The all-rounder completed his fourth Test half-century, before becoming Ashwin’s fifth victim, trapped lbw. It was the 20th five-wicket haul for the off-spinner and he became the quickest Indian bowler to achieve this milestone. He got there in 39 Tests, as compared to Kapil Dev (98 Tests), Anil Kumble (75 Tests) and Harbhajan Singh (59 Tests). “We have had some good discussions. If somebody is batting well, he gives you different ideas about how differently you can bowl and what fields you can have,” said Ashwin, about his interactions with Indian coach Kumble. Jeetan Patel (18) was then run-out much in the same way as Guptill, Ashwin deflecting a dropped return catch from Matt Henry (15 n.o.) onto the stumps. Trent Boult (0) was last man out, caught in the deep off Ashwin, as the Black Caps surrendered a first innings’ lead of 258 runs. India didn’t enforce the follow-on though. Gautam Gambhir, who injured his shoulder while fielding, walked off after facing seven balls as he aggravated his injury. There was some surprise that the Indian captain chose to rest his bowlers with only six overs remaining in the day. “I was certainly preparing to bat. Tomorrow, I expect them to come out, play a few shots, and put quick runs on board,” said Latham, after the day’s play. Murali Vijay was unbeaten on 11, while Cheteshwar Pujara was not out on one run at stumps. India have already won the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. UNLUCKY GUPTILL
“It was a frustrating game for us.” University of the West Indies FC’s (UWI) assistant coach Andrew Peart cut a frustrated figure after the league leaders were held at home against 10-man cellar dwellers Harbour View in top-flight action yesterday. Harbour View halted red-hot UWI FC’s winning streak with the teams battling to a 1-1 draw in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) at The UWI Bowl in Mona yesterday. The visitors took an early lead when Ranique Muir slotted past the advancing UWI goalkeeper Amal Knight in the fifth minute. However, that strike was cancelled out by Deno Schaffe in the 50th minute. A corner kick taken by UWI’s captain Rochane Smith was headed by Schaffe past Harbour View’s custodian Joel Johnson. Harbour View were later reduced to ten players when Nicholas Beckett was shown a red card by FIFA referee Odette Hamilton for a dangerous challenge on UWI’s Kemar Flemmings in the 47th minute. Both teams had their share of possession and both enjoyed periods of dominance. Harbour View looked better in the first half and were rewarded with the early strike, while UWI took control in the second half, an effort which led to their equalising goal. “It was a frustrating game for us. We started slow and went behind. Then in the second half, we played better. However, we did not show enough aggression after Harbour View went down to ten players,” Peart told The Gleaner. Coach of Harbour View Ludlow Bernard credited his team for a fighting game after the red card. “It was a battling performance from the team. We deserved to win as we got the better chances. I believe that with the extra player on the pitch, we could have done better,” Bernard claimed. Despite the draw, UWI continue to lead on 20 points in the 12-team table, while Harbour View remained in 11th position on six points. Yesterday’s results Jamalco 1 Humble Lion 2 Portmore United 1 Montego Bay United 0 Maverley-Hughenden 2 Arnett Gardens 2 Tivoli Gardens 3 FC Reno 0 UWI 1 Harbour View 1 Waterhouse 3 Boys’ Town 1
Barbados Pride are the 2017 West Indies Cricket Board Regional Super50 champions. The Barbadians defeated Jamaica Scorpions by 59 runs in tonight’s final played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. Final scores: PRIDE 271 for nine off 50 overs (Shai Hope 101, Jason Holder 69, Kevin Stoute 41; Rovman Powell 2-27, Jason Campbell 2-35); SCORPIONS 212 all out in 44.3 overs. (Rovman Powell 65; Sulieman Benn three for 33.)
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):Following their chastening whitewash last September, West Indies are quietly hoping to return the favour on home soil when they take on Pakistan in the four-match Twenty20 International series starting at Kensington Oval here today.The T20 World champions looked a shadow of the side that dominated the showpiece in India just months before, as they slumped to an embarrassing 3-0 loss in the United Arab Emirates.But even though revenge rests on their minds, captain Carlos Brathwaite said they were taking nothing for granted against a dangerous Pakistan side.”They are very, very worthy opponents,” Brathwaite told reporters yesterday.”I think they are one of the better teams in the world as well and it is tough playing them in their backyard but we welcome them to the West Indies and we want to take home advantage as well.”He added: “I think they play a fearless brand of cricket. Sometimes you see them dismissed for 80, but on another day, they can make 180, 200, and it can be very exciting as well.”I think one of their strengths is their rotation of strike in the middle overs. They play spin very well.”It’s about us counteracting that; not focussing on their strengths but maximising ours.”West Indies will again miss the talents of superstar opener Chris Gayle and will also have to do without the experienced all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell.PROVEN MATCH WINNERSHowever, they have at their disposal the likes of Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons, all of whom are proven match winners in the game’s shortest format.Brathwaite pointed out that even without some of their leading names, West Indies were still an extremely strong side and were backing themselves to put up big totals.”We have strength in depth. Not having Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell, and still being able to pick the team we’ve selected is massive for any international team,” he noted.”One thing we’ve always been able to boast of is power-hitters, and we have four or five one after the other and with three or four in the shed. There’s a perfect mix of experience and youth as well. We have very, very young guys like … Rovman Powell, Jason Mohammed, but then there’s still elder statesmen although Pollard is only 28, he is a T20 veteran.Last year’s nightmare against Pakistan still looms large. It was not so much that the Windies lost the series, but rather, the way in which they did.They mustered a paltry 115 in the opening game batting first and lost by nine wickets, failed to chase down 160 in the second outing and lost by 16 runs before scraping together 103 in their final game to lose by eight wickets.Brathwaite admitted he was still unsure about what went wrong, but said he hoped the team would put things right in the upcoming series.”[I’m] not sure. It’s a multitude of factors. Obviously, when things don’t go as well as you would like, everyone seems to know the problem, but in the dressing room, we are trying to find the solutions,” he said.SQUADSWEST INDIES Carlos Brathwaite (captain), Samuel Badree, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams.PAKISTAN Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Ahmad Shahzad, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz , Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Rumman Raees, Usman Khan Shinwari.
HUGE BANG DORTMUND, Germany (AP): Three explosions went off near the team bus of Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany’s top football clubs, as it set off for a Champions League quarter-final match yesterday, slightly injuring a player. Police said in a statement they were working on the assumption that the blasts ahead of the team’s match against Monaco were caused by “serious explosive devices”, which may have been hidden in a hedge near a car park. They didn’t elaborate on the possible nature of the devices or say who might have planted them ahead of the first-leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, which was subsequently called off and rescheduled for today. Police said that there were three explosions near the Dortmund team bus as they left their hotel on the outskirts of the western city of Dortmund for the stadium, around 10 kilometres away, around 7 p.m. local time. A window on the bus was damaged and Spanish defender Marc Bartra was injured. Dortmund said Bartra was taken to a hospital. Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said Bartra was injured in the arm and hand “but nothing life-threatening”. Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki said the team bus had just pulled out of the hotel driveway when an explosion a “huge bang” happened and sent glass flying. The Switzerland international told Swiss daily Blick that he was sitting in the last row of the bus, next to Bartra. Bartra was hit by shards from the broken back window, he added. Players ducked for cover, wondering whether there would be more explosions. “We’re all shocked nobody thought about a football match in the minutes after that,” he said. Inside the packed stadium, supporters of Monaco, who play in the French league, chanted “Dortmund, Dortmund” in sympathy for the German side. Dortmund residents, for their part, used social media to offer accommodation to stranded Monaco supporters ahead of their rescheduled match in Europe’s premier football club competition. “The team is totally shocked, that’s clear. It’s our task now to digest this somehow because it’s only 24 hours before we have to play. That’s our job,” Watzke said. He added that there was “no alternative” to rescheduling the match for today as Monaco also have to play at the weekend and the return Champions League match is scheduled for next week.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC): Jason Mohammed’s form in the just-concluded three-match series against Pakistan has seen him vault up the International Cricket Council one-day batting rankings. In the latest ratings announced by cricket’s world governing body yesterday, the 30-year-old Mohammed had jumped a whopping 86 places to a career-best 93rd spot. The right-hander was the West Indies’ leading batsmen in the three-match series in Guyana with 151 runs, at an average of 75. He struck a brilliant, career-best unbeaten 91 in the opening ODI as West Indies chased down over 300 for the first time in their history. He also notched 59 in Tuesday’s six-wicket loss, a knock that marked his fourth half-century in six one-dayers, following his brace in last month’s three-match series against touring England. Mohammed’s counterpart Shai Hope also experienced a rise in the rankings, jumping 33 spots to 98th, also a career-best spot. The right-hander failed to impress in the opening two ODIs, but came to the fore in the third with a high-class 71 in difficult circumstances. Hope, who made his ODI debut last November, now has a hundred and a half-century in 10 appearances. The top five in the batting rankings remain unchanged, with South African strokemaker AB de Villiers at number one. In the bowling department, the Windies pair of off-spinner Ashley Nurse and fast-bowler Shannon Gabriel also managed to make healthy moves up the rankings. Nurse led the Caribbean side’s attack with six wickets at 25 apiece to climb 26 places to 62nd, while Gabriel, who finished with four wickets, jumped 29 spots to 73rd. South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir is the number-one ranked bowler.
Bolt wants to go out ‘unbeatable’ MOST READ View comments Despite potentially logging in fewer minutes next season, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson believes Clarkson will continue to be a vital cog for the team.The player-turned-executive bared his lofty expectations for the 25-year-old former second-round pick and even issued a personal challenge.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’“I have challenged him because I want him to be Sixth Man of the Year,” Johnson described Clarkson to Serena Winters of Lakers Nation.“I’ve challenged him to play like that, I think he has the potential, the talent, he’s worked hard this summer,” he said. End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Kawhi Leonard, Clippers rally to beat Pelicans LeBron James scores 31 points, Lakers beat Rockets With talks of winning the league’s most prestigious award for a substitute, Johnson couldn’t help but compare Clarkson to his former “Showtime” stablemate, Michael Cooper.“Like I want Jordan (Clarkson) to do, Michael Cooper won the Sixth Man Award a couple times, and he was All-Defense every single year, because the boy was a bad, bad basketball player, such an unbelievable player,” he said.“He was our sixth man, but you would believe he was our starter. And, he was on the court in the fourth quarter, sometimes it doesn’t matter if you start or not, it’s whether you’re in the game in the 4th quarter and guess who’s supposed to be in the game in the 4th quarter?” Magic added.During his first three seasons in the league, Clarkson put up solid numbers of 14.7 points, 2.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals.His flexibility to play both guard spots has been a ray of light for the California-based franchise, which Magic believes will translate even more in his incoming fourth year.ADVERTISEMENT 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano ‘I’m out!’: PewDiePie releases last video before taking break from YouTube LATEST STORIES “Now we’re excited about our season. He’s gonna play a major role in us being a better team this year,” Magic said of Clarkson.“We felt we put some weapons around him that would even make his game better.” Khristian Ibarrola /raRELATED STORY:NBA: Magic Johnson has no regrets trading D’Angelo RussellSports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Indian national gunned down in Camarines Sur Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award PLAY LIST 01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award01:56Boris Johnson ‘humbled’ after majority win, says Parliament ‘must change’00:51Clarkson on being PH flag-bearer: One of the happiest moments in my career01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Jordan Clarkson APThe signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last month was certainly a welcome addition to the Los Angeles Lakers’ upstart core.However, it could also be a signal for Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson to most likely come off the bench at the shooting guard position.ADVERTISEMENT Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. McGregor blasts Cerrone in 40 seconds in UFC return
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