England v South Africa ODI abandoned after wash-out

Posted on August 24, 2012 by adminsports

Cardiff wash-out scuppers England ODI revenge bid against South Africa

UPDATED:

15:16 GMT, 24 August 2012

England's hopes of exacting revenge against their Test conquerors South Africa were frustrated as the first match of their NatWest one-day series was washed out with less than half-an-hour's play possible in Cardiff.

Ian Bell did his best to offer the drenched supporters some entertainment, clubbing two huge sixes on his way to 26 not out from 18 balls, but England's 37 without loss from 5.3 overs was a poor return for more than five hours of watching the skies.

The sides were contesting a reduced 23-over contest when the game was finally abandoned under the heaviest rain of the day.

Foiled: Alastair Cook during a rare period of play

Play in the first one-day
international was due to begin at 10.15am and the rival captains got as
far as the toss, with AB de Villiers calling correctly and opting to
field.

The dark clouds above duly began to open and the start was delayed.

The umpires, Richard Kettleborough and
Kumar Dharmasena, were frequent visitors to the pitch for the next few
hours, inspecting conditions in the brief breaks between showers.

A handful of provisional start times -
and revised playing conditions – were set and then abandoned as the
rain continued to set in but spectators finally got some action when the
sides took to the field at 3pm.

A 24-over match was scheduled at that
point but spectators reacted with disbelief when just one delivery – a
leg-side wide by Morne Morkel – was sent down before the players left
the field again.

On hold again: Players trudge off in the rain

A slow handclap ensued and the delay
this time lasted just 10 minutes before hostilities were resumed, this
time with a further over per innings removed.

Alastair Cook failed to score off the
first six legal deliveries of the game and was then close to being run
out attempting a bold single when Wayne Parnell failed to hit the stumps
from close range.

England managed just four runs from
the first three overs but both Cook and Bell picked up boundaries in
Lonwabo Tsotsobe's second over, both crisply driven to the ropes.

Cook (10no) might already have been
gone after a bold single gave Parnell the chance of a run-out from
mid-on. He missed from close range to reprieve the England skipper.

From there it was all about Bell.

Still having fun: Fans drinking during a rain break

He took a step down the track before
swiping Morkel into the stands at mid-wicket for six and followed up
with an even better lofted six over mid-off.

England took 16 off that fifth over to
double their total and when Bell stepped outside off-stump and flicked
Tsotsobe for four over short fine-leg it looked as though fireworks were
imminent.

Instead, it turned out to be a damp squib as just two more balls were possible before the rain returned with vengeance.

This time the weather was heavy and
locked in for a long time, leaving officials with no choice but to call a
halt to proceedings.

England had earlier chosen to hand Chris Woakes his fifth ODI cap, and the first since August 25 last year, with the in-form Warwickshire all-rounder replacing the rested Stuart Broad.

Broad has been given the series off and 23-year-old Woakes got the nod ahead of Samit Patel's left-arm spin and the pace of Jade Dernbach.

Halted: Ian Bell and Cook leave the field

South Africa's side was much-changed from the team which clinched the Test series 2-0, with only De Villiers, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, JP Duminy and Morne Morkel retained.

Debutant Dean Elgar was among the incoming players, alongside one-day specialists including Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson and Faf du Plessis.

Both Albie Morkel and Dale Steyn failed fitness tests and will be monitored ahead of Tuesday's second match at Hampshire's Ageas Bowl.

Team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said: 'Albie's recurring left ankle injury is still a concern for us. We do not want to risk him by playing and would rather take the necessary precautionary measures especially with the World T20 taking place next month.

'Dale is battling with a stiff neck and will need a few days to recover from the strain.'

London 2012 Olympics: Any Murray beats Roger Federer

Posted on August 6, 2012 by adminsports

Final closure: Murray exacts revenge on Federer for SW19 defeat but can't get across the line with Robson as duo settle for silver

UPDATED:

00:03 GMT, 6 August 2012

A journey that began with Andy Murray taking delivery of the torch the week before the Olympics and joyously running with it through the Wimbledon grounds came to a perfect end on Sunday — atop the podium on Centre Court.

After a sensational performance in which he dismantled the greatest player of this or any other era, it turned out that the pathways of the All England Club were lined with both the silver and gold of the medals hung around Murray’s neck.

Four weeks on from his spirit being broken by the same player in the same arena, Murray visited near humiliation on Roger Federer, brilliantly scaling the heights of performance and adding to the do-not-adjust-your-set feeling that sometimes accompanied the surreal Olympic tennis at Wimbledon.

Andy Murray beat Roger Federer in the men's singles, exacting revenge from losing the men's final at Wimbledon in July

Net gains: Murray looks to he heavens after beating Federer 6-2, 61, 6-4 on Sunday afternoon

Federer has never been beaten up at his spiritual home like he was on Sunday afternoon, managing only seven games as he was pummelled 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in only an hour and 56 minutes.

For a while it seemed that Murray was going to carry the momentum to a remarkable second gold with Laura Robson, his late call-up of a partner who was only ever meant to play women’s doubles here with Heather Watson.

Faced by the world’s No1 doubles and singles players, Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka, they so nearly pulled it off but just faltered at the death in the deciding tiebreaker to go down 2-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Murray had appeared dazed at the singles medal ceremony beforehand, trying to control his senses due to the commitment coming up while attempting to drink it all in as he stood between Federer and Juan Martin del Potro, winner of the bronze ahead of Novak Djokovic.

Andy Murray

What a difference 28 days makes: Murray stormed to victory at Wimbledon after turning in a fine display

There was certainly none of the overt emotion that followed his Wimbledon final defeat and, maybe, if he could have picked one of these feverish Sundays to win upon then it would have been July 9.

That should not detract from Sunday’s magnificent effort and he should look at this past six weeks in the round — not that he has much chance to take stock with the US Open fast approaching towards the end of this month.

Murray went into Wimbledon in unspectacular form and not only played a fine tournament to reach the final but also showed a side of himself that the public has rarely seen with his honest and human reaction to defeat.

If that boosted his standing, then his guts-and-glory performances in the Team GB colours of the past week have only multiplied the effect, so nearly carrying his 18-year-old partner along to gold in the process.

Always technically superb, there has been a purpose and aggression to Murray’s tennis not seen before, like a light has gone on. You even wonder if this might turn out to be his Djokovic ‘Davis Cup’ moment of late 2010, when the charge the Serb got from winning the team competition subsequently powered him towards a phenomenal nine months.

Good return: Murray won two medals in one day, including a silver in the mixed doubles with Laura Robson

Good return: Murray won two medals in one day, including a gold in the men's singles

You can't hurry a Murray (or so they say): The British No 1 put Federer to the sword on Centre Court with a dominant display

And although Ivan Lendl was not here — as was always the plan — it should not be forgotten that Murray’s bold hiring of him as coach is looking a very shrewd move when that was less obvious in an average clay- court season. Still we await a Grand Slam title, although as Federer pointed out, Murray did not need to win the Olympics to convince the great Swiss that he remains a major winner in waiting. The quality of Murray’s tennis was enough to show that.

The world No 1 was mugged by the 25-year-old Scot’s forehand and a serve that, as against Djokovic in the semi-final, continually delivered when it mattered most.

That was the case spectacularly in the final game, when Murray stepped up to serve out for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

At 15-all there might have been a wobble but the response was shudderingly emphatic: service winner, ace, ace. That is what you call closure.

Andy Murray

Roger Federer

Contrasting fortunes: Murray was on another
level compared to Federer as the British ace turned in one of the best
displays of his career

Federer did not try and spin his way out later, but pointed to the toll that his gruelling semi-final against Del Potro may have taken: ‘It was more probably emotional than physical, I had tears in my eyes after my first round, I found this a very emotional tournament. Maybe that’s trying to make excuses, Andy was much the better player than me today.’

Equally, Murray could point to the fact that he did not have the luxury of Saturday off, playing instead two mixed doubles matches that ended with sudden-death tiebreaks.

That might have hampered him in producing this tour de force, which had the effect of making Federer look all of his nearly 31 years.

From 2-2 he conceded nine games in 57 minutes, the crucial one being the third of the second set, when six break points were saved by Murray. Unlike in the Wimbledon final, when Murray also had his rival on the ropes, there was no letting him slip away this time.

Home support: The Wimbledon crowd roared Murray on to glory as they helped create a Davis Cup atmosphere on Centre Court

In the stands: Andy Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears assumes her position on Centre Court to cheer on her partner

Team Murray: Andy made his way into the stands to celebrate his straight-sets victory over Federer

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH

Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro won the bronze medal in the men's singles after upsetting second seed Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 on Wimbledon's Court One.

Djokovic, beaten by Andy Murray in the last four, was the bronze medallist in Beijing four years ago but he ceded first blood when his serve was broken in the 11th game.

He had two chances to break back and force a tie-break but Del Potro held on, and the Argentinian broke again to lead 2-1 in the second set.

Djokovic tried to respond but there was no way back and for the Serb there was only the agony of finishing fourth.

A facet of this grass-court season has been the impregnability of Murray’s serve, and here it was again.

One point was lost on it in the third set and Federer, having the legs run out of him by being moved side to side and handling some uneven bounces from the wearing court less adroitly than his opponent, could not make any inroads on the second delivery.

An hour after that last ace was pumped past Federer to the deafening acclamation of the Centre Court, he was back on to face a vastly more experienced pair who have twice won the US Open. Four years on from winning the Wimbledon junior title, Robson had the chance of another unlikely remarkable triumph and her nerve held admirably until the decisive tiebreak.

There were a couple of double faults in it but it was Murray who faltered slightly at 6-6 to allow high-class opposition to sneak ahead.

Until then it had appeared that the stars were aligning for an astonishing double triumph, but it was not to be.

Robson said: ‘I want to thank him for playing with me because this has been one of the best weeks of my life.’

Neither player should reproach themselves, as to get so far was an achievement in itself.

Not quite: Murray and Robson were beaten in the final of the mixed doubles

Centre of attention: Murray provided the Wimbledon crowd with some exhibition celebrating

ANDY MURRAY'S MILESTONES: SPORTSMAIL LOOKS BACK AT ANDY'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Immense: Murray hammered Roger Federer in one of his many career highlights to take Olympic gold

US Open junior title (September 2004): Murray's talent for tennis was evident from an early age. He won the prestigious Orange Bowl in Florida aged 12 and went to train in Spain when he was 15 to develop his game. Victory over Sergiy Stakhovsky in the final of the US Open juniors cemented his position as Britain's brightest hope.

Making a mark on grass (June 2005): Wild card Murray reached the third round at Queen's and was in a winning position against former grand slam winner Thomas Johansson before succumbing to cramp. It was a similar story on his senior Wimbledon debut as he beat world number 16 Radek Stepanek in round two and went two sets up against David Nalbandian only to lose in five.

First ATP Tour final (September 2005): Murray enjoyed a superb run to the final of the Thailand Open in Bangkok but found world number one Roger Federer one obstacle too far. The run took him into the top 100 for the first time.

Maiden ATP Tour title (February 2006): Andy Roddick was the Scot's first top-10 victim as he beat the world number three in the semi-finals of the SAP Open in San Jose. He then defeated Lleyton Hewitt in three sets to lift the trophy, climbing into the top 50.

Team Murray (December 2007): The Lawn Tennis Association hired coach Brad Gilbert to work with Murray but the young Scot knew it was not for him. After only 18 months together, Murray ended the arrangement and assembled his own team of coach Miles Maclagan plus fitness trainers, a physio and various friends.

Wimbledon thriller (June 2008): Murray gave the Centre Court crowd a rollercoaster ride as he came back from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet and reach the quarter-finals for the first time. He was well beaten by Rafael Nadal, though.

Masters magic (August 2008): The Scot won his first Masters title in Cincinnati, beating Novak Djokovic in the final.

US Open breakthrough (September 2008): Murray and the US Open always seemed made for each other. After coming back from two sets down against Jurgen Melzer in round three, 21-year-old Murray beat Nadal for the first time, in a marathon match over two days. Federer was a class act in the final, however.

Back-to-back titles (October 2008): Murray's US Open heroics lifted him to number four in the world for the first time and he cemented that position by winning the Madrid Masters, beating Federer in the semi-final, and successfully defending his St Petersburg Open title. He also qualified for the Masters Cup for the first time.

Biggest title (April 2009): Murray was victorious at the Miami Masters – known as the unofficial fifth major – beating Djokovic in the final.

Ranking milestone (May 2009): Murray became the first British player ever to be officially ranked number three in the world on May 11. He then climbed to number two in August, albeit briefly.

King of Queen's (June 2009): Murray reached the quarter-finals of the French Open for the first time and then justified his number one seeding by becoming the first British winner at Queen's for 71 years, his first title on grass.

Getting closer at SW19 (July 2009): Murray boosted hopes of a first home men's singles winner with a thrilling run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. He was favourite to beat Andy Roddick but the American produced an inspired display to win in four sets.

Missing out in Melbourne (January 2010): After knocking out Nadal and Marin Cilic to reach the final of the Australian Open, Murray's grand slam hopes were again dashed by Federer. The Swiss triumphed 6-3 6-4 7-6 (13/11) at Melbourne Park.

Another Melbourne final (January 2011): Back in the Australian Open final, Murray was optimistic he could go one better than in 2010. But he suffered a 6-4 6-2 6-3 defeat against Djokovic and lost three straight first-round matches afterwards.

Nadal has Murray's measure (June-September 2011): Murray was having his most consistent season, marked by reaching the semi-finals at every grand slam. At the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open it was the same story, though – Murray was good but not good enough to beat Nadal.

So near and yet so far (January 2012): Under new coach Ivan Lendl, Murray produced one of his best grand slam performances in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, pushing world number one Djokovic all the way before finally losing out in five sets after almost five hours.

First Wimbledon final (July 2012): Murray ended the 74-year wait for a British Wimbledon finalist by holding his nerve under intense pressure to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last four. He then won his first set in a grand slam final but Federer was not to be denied, the Swiss winning 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4.

Olympic Gold (August 2012): A straight-sets defeat of Djokovic in the semi-finals gave Murray the chance to claim Olympic tennis gold for Britain for the first time since 1908. And he duly delivered as, exactly four weeks since the Wimbledon final, he gained revenge on Federer with what appeared a breakthrough performance, Murray winning 6-2 6-1 6-4 to top the podium.

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Mark Cavendish exclusive: I"m a control freak

Posted on June 27, 2012 by adminsports

Mark Cavendish exclusive: I'm a control freak, there's ridiculous order about everything I do

UPDATED:

21:30 GMT, 26 June 2012

Mark Cavendish looks across at a jacket slung on to a chair as we meet in a studio in central London.

‘I’m not sick,’ he says. ‘But I wouldn’t allow that in my house.’

On Saturday in Liege, the Manx rider will begin his defence of the green jersey he won in last year’s Tour de France.

Exactly four weeks later, the nation will be cheering him on to win Great Britain’s first gold medal of London 2012, in the road race that finishes on The Mall.

Eyes on the prize: Mark Cavendish has told Sportsmail of the planning that goes into making him the best

Today he changes out of the dark suit he was wearing for a photo shoot and sits behind a desk. It could be a psychiatrist’s couch.

He talks candidly about his compulsive nature, his ordered mind, his meticulous preparation — as well as about his perfect princess in her baby-pink nursery.

‘I’m a control freak,’ he declares. ‘There is a ridiculous order about everything I do: what I wear, my schedule, how I train, what I eat, how my house is. Everything has to be precisely how I want it.’

Is this Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

‘That’s switching the light switch on five times or knocking your head against a wall,’ he says. ‘I just want things in order. I like “control freak” more than “OCD”.

Weight on his shoulders: Cavendish says it took him a while to know how to channel his attitude

‘I wouldn’t have anything lying around in my house. I’m just tidy.’

His former Page Three girl partner, Peta, cooks, but he washes up to make sure the job is completed to his exacting standards.

Peta gave birth in April to his first child, a beautiful little girl called Delilah Grace, who lived up to the romantic image he had for her during the pregnancy.

‘I think she will be a cute doll,’ he said back then.

As Cavendish was saying that, five weeks before the birth, he had already bought in a full year’s clothes for her. The high chair was ready. The nappies, too.

‘The nursery is baby, baby pink,’ he adds. ‘The name they give it is Princess Pink. The cot and the furniture is all white wood.

‘Professionally and privately these are the greatest moments of my life: winning the green jersey and the world championships last year; I am with Team Sky, the biggest team in the world; and the Olympics are coming up. Everything’s super sweet.’

Cavendish speaks his mind – ‘If you do that you don’t worry what bull**** you’ve said’ – and that makes him engaging and honest.

It helps explain why, along with his historic feats on the track, he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Sports Journalists’ Association awards last December.

‘I prepare more than most of the other guys,’ he reveals. ‘I prepare my mind as well as my body. I do a lot of puzzles to keep my mind active. I enjoy reading, from novels to biographies. I do chess and other board games. You have to keep your reflexes going.

‘I hear something on the radio and then I spend an hour and a half reading up about it, learning more. I always was like that from when I was a kid. My spelling had to be perfect. My times tables had to be perfect. I got As and Bs at GCSE but already I was on the way to being a professional rider.

‘I haven’t always been able to explain my personality until now. I was asked if I was driven. I didn’t know; it’s just the way I am.

‘I find it really hard to understand other people’s logic. I get frustrated if a driver just stops at a round-about — why stop dead when you can see you don’t need to’

No wonder, then, that he derided the mis-throwing idiot who hurled a water bottle at his front wheel during a one-day race in Belgium as a ‘d***head’. That is typical Cav.

Happy families: Cavendish's girlfriend Peta Todd gave birth to their daughter in April

So, too, is his relentless perfectionism.

‘I know every inch of Tarmac,’ he says. ‘Every corner. Every gradient. A lot of guys don’t do that. But it seems logical to me.
'There are so many variables in bike racing. It’s 3D. Imagine every Premier League footballer being on the same pitch at the same time. It’s like that. I minimise the potential problems.’

One conundrum is how Cavendish — the fastest man on two wheels, with his sprinter’s turbo-charged thighs — can retain the green jersey and win the Olympic road race, which takes place on July 28, just six days after the Tour finishes.

He talks of a ‘long July’.

Unquestionably, Olympic glory is his No 1 priority. For example, he has lost half a stone — or as he puts it, ‘changing my entire body shape’, for the unwelcome demands of a road race that includes nine laps of the 1.6-mile climb at Box Hill, Surrey. He snatched a pulsating victory in the test event over the same terrain this spring.

Tour de force: Cavendish is out to retain his green jersey in the Tour de France

So what of the Tour Cavendish is certainly expected to work as a domestique to help his Sky team-mate and friend Bradley Wiggins in his quest to become the first British winner of the world’s most famous cycle race, but whether he rides for the green jersey to the end, with its energy-sapping implications, is a case of suck it and see.

Cavendish’s mind turns back to London — and high-end shopping. ‘When I go from Harrods to my home in Essex, I go along Knightsbridge,’ he adds. ‘That is the last bit of the course to the Mall.

‘I know every piece of street furniture. I can talk you through every corner, every bump, every traffic light you have to dodge. Straight, right, left with two and a bit k to go. Straight up again. Bears right with under a k to go. Bears left on to the Mall with less than 800m to go…’

There will be a few of us straining to watch that last mad dart on Sunday, July 28. Thankfully, there is one man prepared for it like no other on Earth.

Mark Cavendish is the UK ambassador for new head&shoulders limited edition design Active Sport shampoo, available now RRP 2.79

Paul Nicholls happier with Kauto Star"s progress

Posted on March 3, 2012 by adminsports

Nicholls happier with his Star but will wait to decide on Cheltenham

The prospect of Kauto Star attempting to win an historic third Cheltenham Gold Cup Gold on Friday week improved but trainer Paul Nicholls agreed the final decision whether to run will be the toughest he has ever had to make.

The champion trainer issued a more upbeat bulletin on the most famous horse in training, who had been described two days ago as only ‘50-50’ to run at the Cheltenham Festival.

A final call is expected to be made after Kauto Star is put through a more exacting work-out with stablemate Big Buck’s in a week.

Tough call: Trainer Paul Nicholls will make the final decision on Kauto Star

Nicholls said: ‘It is a very hard call. You look for the right signs but they can’t talk.’

Kauto Star cantered 10 furlongs on Friday and Clifford Baker, head lad to Nicholls and Kauto Star’s regular rider, was happier with his condition.

Nicholls added: ‘You go public and it all gets blown out of all proportion. Clifford said “50-50″ and I was quoting his words.

Making progress: Kauto Star is touch and go to appear at Cheltenham

'If it was a month there would be no problem, two weeks might be too soon but he is improving rapidly. Nothing is troubling too much — he’s just a bit sore. If it was a big problem, he’d be lame.

‘Clifford was happier with him today. Everyday, when he comes back from his work, he rolls in his box. He has not done that until this morning so he is getting back to normal.’

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Tag Archives: exacting

England v South Africa ODI abandoned after wash-out

London 2012 Olympics: Any Murray beats Roger Federer

Mark Cavendish exclusive: I"m a control freak

Paul Nicholls happier with Kauto Star"s progress