Charles, Gayle lift West Indies to 179/5

September 27, 2012

VBK-JOHNSON

PALLEKELE (SRI LANKA), September 27: A little-known Johnson Charles scored his maiden half-century while big-hitting Chris Gayle too made a quick-fire fifty to propel West Indies to a competitive 179 for five against England in a Super Eights match of the ICC World Twenty20 in Pallekele on Thursday.


After an incredibly slow start, Charles used his long handle to great effect to notch up his personal best score off 84 that came off just 56 balls with help of 10 fours and three sixes.


Opting to bat in the second Group 1 game of the Super Eights, Charles and Gayle (58 off 35) produced a 103-run opening partnership to set the platform for the West Indies’ total.


Skipper Stuart Broad was the pick of the English bowlers with figures of two for 26.


Gayle turned the heat on the English bowlers in the second over when he hit Jade Dernbach for three fours.

Charles, on the other hand, was slow to get off the blocks and wasted too many deliveries in the six overs of powerplay to put additional pressure on Gayle.


But it hardly had any affect on Gayle as the big-hitting left-hander welcomed left-arm spinner Samit Patel with three huge sixes to pick up 19 runs of the eight over.


Gayle’s pyrotechnics seemed to have inspired Johnson, who made up for his slow start by spanking Graeme Swann for two sixes and a four to notch up 18 runs of the next over.


In the process, Gayle also notched up his ninth T20 half century off just 29 balls.


In the 11th over of West Indies innings both the team’s witnessed mixed fortunes, but in the end it was England who had the last laugh.


The drama started with Gayle hitting Swann for another of his huge sixes and then Steven Finn added salt to the bowler’s wound when he dropped Charles in the fifth ball. But Finn made amends for his drop a ball later by holding on to dangerous-looking Gayle’s catch. He struck six fours and four sixes during his 35-ball stay.


Charles, however, continued his fine display and smashed two more fours, this time of Luke Wright’s bowling, to score his fifty off just 36 balls.


Marlon Samuels (2), Kieron Pollard (1) and captain Darren Sammy didn’t trouble the scorers much.


In search of quick runs, Charles finally fell in the 18th over, caught by Jonny Bairstow off Dernbach.


Dwayne Bravo (11 not out) and Andre Russell (10 not out) made full use of the few deliveries they got and picked up 15 runs of the final over of the innings, courtesy three hits to the fence off Dernbach.


Brief Score:

West Indies:

Johnson Charles c Bairstow b Dernbach 84

Chris Gayle c Finn b Swann 58

Marlon Samuels c Morgan b Broad 2

Kieron Pollard c Wright b Finn 1

Dwayne Bravo not out 11

Darren Sammy b Broad 4

Andre Russell not out 10

Extras: (B—1 LB—7 W—1) 9

Total: (For 5 wkts in 20 overs) 179

Fall of wickets: 1/103 2/118 3/128 4/154 5/158

Bowling: Steven Finn 4—0—26—1, Jade Dernbach 4—0—38—1, Stuart Broad 4—1—26—2, Graeme Swann 3—0—32—1, Samit Patel 4—0—38—0, Luke Wright 1—0—11—0.

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Agencies
April 12,2020

London, Apr 12: Former Formula 1 legendary driver Stirling Moss died at the age of 90 on Sunday.

"All at F1 send our heartfelt condolences to Lady Susie and Sir Stirling's family and friends," Formula 1 said in a statement.

Often referred to as the greatest driver never to win the world championship, Moss contested 66 Grands Prix from 1951 to 1961, driving for the likes of Vanwall, Maserati and Mercedes, where he famously formed a contented and ruthlessly effective partnership with lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

In his 10-year-long stint at the tracks, Moss took 16 wins, some of which rank among the truly iconic drives in the sport's history - his 1961 victories in Monaco and Germany in particular often held up as all-time classics.

Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia on public roads for Mercedes at an average speed of close to 100mph, while he also competed in rallies and land-speed attempts.

Following an enforced retirement from racing (barring a brief comeback in saloon cars in the 1980s) after a major crash at Goodwood in 1962, Moss maintained a presence in Formula 1 as both a sports correspondent and an interested observer, before retiring from public life in January of 2018.

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News Network
July 9,2020

Tokorozawa, Jul 9: Olympic boxing hopeful Arisa Tsubata is used to taking blows in the ring but it is during her work as a nurse that she faces her toughest opponent: coronavirus.

The 27-year-old juggles a brutal training regime in boxing gloves with long, irregular hours in surgical gloves at a hospital near Tokyo.

Tsubata mainly treats cancer patients but she said the virus was a constant threat, with medical experts warning at the peak of the pandemic that Japan's health system was close to collapse.

"We always face the risk of infection at medical facilities," she said.

"My colleagues and I have all worked under the stress of possibly getting infected."

Like most elite athletes, the virus played havoc with Tsubata's training schedules, meaning she welcomed the postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics until 2021.

"It was a plus for me, giving me more time for training, although I wasn't sure if I should be so happy because the reason for the postponement was the spread of the infectious disease," she said.

Tsubata took up boxing only two years ago as a way to lose weight but quickly rose through the ranks.

"In a few years after becoming a nurse, I gained more than 10 kilos (22 pounds)," she laughed.

"I planned to go to Hawaii with my friends one summer, and I thought I wouldn't have much fun in a body like that. That is how I started boxing."

She quickly discovered a knack for the ring, winning the Japan national championship and a place on the national team.

But juggling her medical and sporting career has not always been easy and the first time she fought a foreign boxer came only in January, at an intensive training camp in Kazakhstan.

"That made me realise how inexperienced I am in my short boxing career. I was scared," she admitted.

Japanese boxing authorities decided she was not experienced enough to send her to the final qualifying tournament in Paris, which would have shattered her Tokyo 2020 dreams -- if coronavirus had not given her an extra year.

Now she is determined to gain the experience needed to qualify for the rescheduled Games, which will open on July 23, 2021.

"I want to train much more and convince the federation that I could fight in the final qualifiers," she said.

Her coach Masataka Kuroki told AFP she is a subtle boxer and a quick learner, as he put her through her paces at a training session.

She now needs to add more defensive technique and better core strength to her fighting spirit and attacking flair, said Kuroki.

"Defence! She needs more technique for defence. She needs to have a more agile, stronger lower body to fend off punches from below," he said.

Her father Joji raised Arisa and her three siblings single-handedly after separating from his Tahitian wife and encouraged his daughter into nursing to learn life-long skills.

He never expected his daughter to be fighting for a place in the Olympics but proudly keeps all her clippings from media coverage.

"She tried not to see us family directly after the coronavirus broke out," the 58-year-old told AFP. "She was worried."

Tsubata now want to compete in the Games for all her colleagues who have supported her and the patients that have cheered her on in her Olympic ambitions.

"I want to be the sort of boxer who keeps coming back no matter how many punches I take," she said.

"I want to show the people who cheer for me that I can work hard and compete in the Olympics, because of them."

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News Network
March 28,2020

Milan, Mar 28: Juventus star Paulo Dybala revealed how he "struggled to breathe" after contracting coronavirus which has killed over 9,000 people in Italy.

The Argentine international announced last Saturday he was one of three Juventus players to catch the virus along with Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi, who both had no symptoms.

"I feel better now after some strong symptoms," the 26-year-old Dybala told JTV channel.

"A couple of days ago I was not well, I felt heavy and after five minutes of movement I had to stop because I was struggling to breathe.

"Now I can move and walk to start trying to train, because when I tried in the past few days I started to shake too much.

"I gasped for air and as a result I couldn't do anything, after five minutes I was already very tired, I felt the body heavy and my muscles hurt.

"Now I'm fine. My fiancee Oriana (Sabatini) has also overcome the symptoms."

Dybala has scored 13 goals in all competitions this season, including in league leader's Juventus's last game against Inter Milan before Serie A and all sport in Italy was suspended.

"The goal against Inter was the greatest emotion, (Aaron) Ramsey provided the perfect assist - it's a pity that there was no public," added Dybala.

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