La Liga: Messi won't be 100 percent for 'Clasico' - Luis Enrique

November 21, 2015

Barcelona, Nov 21: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will not be at full fitness for Saturday's La Liga 'Clasico' at Real Madrid if he makes his return from injury but "the feelings are positive", coach Luis Enrique said on Friday.

messiMessi has not played since injuring his knee at the end of September, during which time champions Barca have pulled three points clear of second-placed Real at the top, largely thanks to the form of the Argentina captain's South American compatriots Neymar and Luis Suarez.

Luis Enrique said a decision would be made on Saturday whether Messi will start the clash at the Bernabeu, when a win for Barca, chasing a sixth La Liga title in eight years, would put them six points clear of Real after 12 matches.

"Since he started training again (on Monday) the feelings are positive," Luis Enrique told a news conference. "He has recovered and he is playing at the same level as the rest of the squad," added the former Barca and Spain midfielder. Obviously he won't be at 100 percent in physical terms due to the time he has been out but he is so important that to have him recovered at least gives us some security."

There was more good news for Luis Enrique on the injury front this week when Barca's Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic returned to training after a calf injury.

If Messi and Rakitic start, Messi will be reunited with Neymar and Suarez in attack and Rakitic will likely join Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets in a three-man midfield.

Luis Enrique said he was not worried about which match officials would take charge of Saturday's game.

An assistant referee last month filed an anonymous complaint through a lawyer with the state anti-corruption prosecutor claiming instructions had been given by the Spanish soccer federation's refereeing committee to favour Real.

The federation (RFEF) and the professional league (La Liga)dismissed the allegation, although Spanish media have reported a probe has been launched by the state prosecutor.

"When that came out I asked it be investigated and that is being done," Luis Enrique said.

"Until conclusions are drawn I won't comment. I am not worried about who is refereeing. I am just focused on the things I can control."

Security is being ramped up for Saturday's game following last week's attacks in Paris, with more than 2,000 police and

other security and emergency services personnel to be deployed around the stadium.

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News Network
May 10,2020

New Delhi, May 10: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has proposed radical changes in the LBW laws, stating that a batsman should be given out leg before as long as the ball is hitting the stumps irrespective of the spot of its landing and impact.

Chappell also said captains should agree on one way of working up the ball which will encourage swing bowling, even as the ICC is considering the use of artificial substances to shine the ball instead of sweat and saliva in post-COVID-19 scenario.

"The new lbw law should simply say: 'Any delivery that strikes the pad without first hitting the bat and, in the umpire's opinion, would go on to hit the stumps is out regardless of whether or not a shot is attempted'," he wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

"Forget where the ball pitches and whether it strikes the pad outside the line or not; if it's going to hit the stumps, it's out."

The 76-year-old said the change in lbw law would attract expected criticism from the batsmen but it would make the game more fair.

"There will be screams of horror - particularly from pampered batsmen - but there are numerous positives this change would bring to the game. Most important is fairness.

"If a bowler is prepared to attack the stumps regularly, the batsman should only be able to protect his wicket with the bat. The pads are there to save the batsman from injury not dismissal.

"It would also force batsmen to seek an attacking method to combat a wristspinner pitching in the rough outside the right-hander's leg stump," said Chappell.

He cited Sachin Tendulkar's example on how he negotiated Shane Warne's round the wicket tactic during the 1997-98 Test series in India.

"Contrast Sachin Tendulkar's aggressive and successful approach to Shane Warne coming round the wicket in Chennai in 1997-98 with a batsman who kicks away deliveries pitching in the rough and turning in toward the stumps. Which would you rather watch?

"The current law encourages "pad play" to balls pitching outside leg while this change would force them to use their bat. The change would reward bowlers who attack the stumps and decrease the need for negative wide deliveries to a packed off-side field," he said.

Chappell said his proposed change to the lbw law would also cut down "frivolous" DRS challenges.

"This change to the lbw law would also simplify umpiring and result in fewer frivolous DRS challenges. Consequently, it would speed up a game that has slowed drastically in recent times.

"It would also make four-day Tests an even more viable proposition as mind-numbing huge first-innings totals would be virtually non-existent."

On the substitute of shining the ball without sweat and saliva, Chappell said international captains should find out a way of working up the ball.

"With ball-tampering always a hot topic, in the past I've suggested that administrators ask international captains to construct a list (i.e. the use of natural substances) detailing the things bowlers feel will help them to swing the ball.

"From this list, the administrators should deem one method to be legal with all others being punishable as illegal," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

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Agencies
August 3,2020

Silverstone, Aug 2: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won his seventh British Grand Prix title after a dramatic last-lap at the Silverstone Circuit.

Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas were at the first and second spot respectively until tyre drama struck.

Second-placed man Bottas was the first to suffer as his tyre deflated on lap 50, resulting in 11th place finish. Hamilton also suffered a similar issue before the final few seconds of the race.

However, with Max Verstappen having opted to pit a few laps from the end to try and claim the fastest lap, Hamilton had enough time in hand to just cross the line first, five seconds ahead of Verstappen and the third-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

McLaren's Carlos Sainz had been set to finish fourth, but his own last lap tyre issue saw him eventually come home P13, allowing Renault's Daniel Ricciardo to claim fourth, following a late pass on the sister McLaren of Lando Norris.

Renault's Esteban Ocon finished sixth, having enjoyed a race-long battle with Lance Stroll's Racing Point, with Pierre Gasly having enjoyed a fine race to finish seventh for AlphaTauri.

Alex Albon finished eighth for Red Bull, having recovered from a lap 1 tussle with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen that saw him fall to last, while Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10, Vettel holding off a late charge form the recovering Mercedes of Bottas.

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News Network
January 30,2020

Hamilton, Jan 30: Caught unaware about the Super Over scenario, Rohit Sharma took five minutes to “find” his abdomen guard after the third T20 International against New Zealand had ended in a tie on Wednesday.

The India vice-captain said the team had almost given up with New Zealand going great guns at one point.

“Everything was packed. All my stuff was inside my bag. I had to get it out. It literally took me five minutes to find my abdomen guard because I didn’t know where it was,” Rohit said.

“I mean we never thought it would go to the Super Over, the way they were batting at one point. It looked like they could easily win the game,” he added.

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