TOP 100 SPORT SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| South Africa's Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis give lesson in stoicism | Mike Selvey Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis showed the fortitude required of Test cricket, but the captain's moment of madness helped England recoverEngland regained their grip on the first day as the storm, garishly prominent on the weather radar, rumbled in from the south west. The air cooled, the light dimmed – even with the aid of floodlights, which as ever show that with the shadow they cause have little place in a game played with a red ball – and the bowlers regained a little of the urgency that had been lost during the afternoon as Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis pulled South Africa from the mire.For more than three hours Kallis had seemed monumental, an immovable object offering yet another batting masterclass, until Graeme Swann, the leading spin bowler in the world during the past 12 months, drifted one across his bows from round the wicket to have him caught at slip. But there was no such dignity in the manner of Smith's departure, unable to coax a run out of the non-striker AB de Villiers, and flat on his face short of his own crease as Alastair Cook, not the fleetest Englander, galloped in from extra cover and joyously whipped off the bails. For four hours and a quarter Smith had played not just with skill (and a measure of good fortune) but with character, to build an innings in the classic manner of openers of yore. He had survived a torrid start and a crushing blow on his left hand that had him whipping it from his bat handle like a man starting a chain saw and craving the anaesthetic chill of the physio's cold spray. To come to such a sorry demise after all that graft: as with the death of Little Nell, it required a heart of stone not to laugh. When JP Duminy became the second lbw victim to depart without even considering a crack at a referral, so plumb was he to England's best and most deserving bowler, Graham Onions, three wickets had fallen for 10 runs in five overs. The merit of persistence should never be underestimated.England might have made better of the morning that they dominated for the first hour and a half. The day was searingly hot, blue skied but with a humidity that left sodden the logoed shirts of those television bods who ply their pre-match trade out in the middle before retiring to the air-conditioned commentary boxes. As the captains prepared to toss, the rowdies who occupy Castle Corner, the traditional centre of free-flowing drink and opposition abuse (ask Kevin Pietersen, who spent some uncomfortable overs patrolling in the vicinity) were already shoe‑horned in situ, the crowd building up towards 17,500, larger than anyone could remember since the return to Test cricket two decades ago. Andrew Strauss and Smith had things to consider: Strauss, protecting his players, has suggested he might have misread the Centurion pitch in bowling first (he had not, his bowlers let him down) but might have been wary of a second bite of that cherry; his opposite number, knowing that South African sides have tended to put in the opposition here, looked at the skies on winning the toss, crossed his fingers and opted to bat instead. Strauss might, but only might, have done the same. We shall never know.For that 90 minutes Smith may have pondered on the wisdom. But the South African captain saw the calm lagoon beyond the surf pounding the reef. Survival of the new ball is the opener's raison d'etre. On some days, such as those when Virender Sehwag or Chris Gayle take charge, it is done as brutally as an armed robbery. This, though, was a throw-back, a pitch with teeth, good steep bounce and a little sideways movement if only a little swing.Jimmy Anderson got Ashwell Prince early on with bounce (although not as much as the batsman would want to admit: it was playable), and Stuart Broad's full length did for a tentative Hashim Amla. Through it all Smith batted stoically, playing and missing, smiling ruefully but knowing that, whatever, he was still there. Had he misread the pitch, the South African manager was asked? "No, he under-read it," was the response. Smith, he meant, had expected things to be challenging first thing, but not this challenging. Yet cricket is at its most watchable when there is help for the bowlers and questions can be asked of a batsman's skill, and his character. Too many inferior players hide behind the protection of bland, sluggish surfaces, soft ball, and powder puff bowling. When the true test comes they are unable to cope. Smith and Kallis were hugely impressive.England in South Africa 2009-2010South Africa cricket teamEngland Cricket TeamAndrew StraussGraeme SmithMike Selveyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Bolton fans furious at Arsenal’s late call Bolton Wanderers supporters criticised Arsenal for “ignoring” the weather forecast after the postponement of their Barclays Premier League match yesterday evening. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
McGwire owns up to steroid use • Former St Louis Cardinals player issues public apology • Maintains steroids used for health reasons, not for performanceFormer St Louis Cardinals star Mark McGwire has admitted using steroids when he was a player, including in 1998 when he broke the single-season home-run record. But McGwire denied they improved his performance."I used steroids during my playing career and I apologise," the 46-year-old said an admission applauded by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig.McGwire hit 70 home runs for St Louis in 1998 to shatter the record of 61 set by Roger Maris for the New York Yankees in 1961. The record was subsequently broken when Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants registered 73 homers in 2001."It's the most regrettable thing I've ever done in my life," McGwire added. "I apologise to everybody in Major League Baseball, my family, the Marises, Bud Selig. Today was the hardest day of my life."McGwire, who last played in 2001 and was hired in October as hitting coach for the Cardinals, said he wanted to set the record straight before beginning his new role with the team. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected," he said.McGwire told MLB Network he took steroids only to overcome health issues. "I told my dad yesterday when I finally had to. I remember calling him in '96," he said. "I was so frustrated with injuries I wanted to retire. He's the one that told me to stick it out. I was using steroids to heal faster, help my body to feel normal. I did not take steroids for any gains or strength purposes."McGwire said he experimented briefly with steroids in the 1989-90 off-season and began taking them regularly in 1993 and used them in low dosages throughout the 1990s, including during his record-setting 1998 season, "just to feel normal".McGwire started his career with the Oakland Athletics, playing briefly in 1986 before his 49 homers the following year led the American League and set a rookie record. The 12-times All-Star was traded to St Louis during the 1997 season.Selig welcomed the admission from McGwire, who is eighth on the all-time home-run list with 583. "I am pleased Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player," the MLB commissioner said. "Being truthful is always the correct course of action. This statement of contrition I believe will make Mark's re-entry to the game much smoother and easier."Selig's statement, however, came before McGwire's insistence that he believed he could have achieved the same heights without doping. McGwire was asked about his appearance at a 2005 US government hearing into use of steroids in baseball, where he declined to disclose whether he had used drugs."I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to be positive about this subject," he said repeatedly.McGwire said he had gone to Washington prepared to tell the truth but was advised against it by his lawyers after a request for immunity was turned down. In 2007 the Mitchell Report on use of performance enhancers in baseball mentioned McGwire among 89 players tied to doping.Although there was no drug testing in baseball during his career, suspicion of doping has tarnished McGwire's image and led to a backlash in Hall of Fame voting. McGwire, in his fourth year of eligibility, last week received only 23.7 percent of the vote by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, well shy of the 75 percent needed for admission.US sportMLBguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Venter given four-match suspended ban • One-month touchline ban suspended to end of year• Saracens director of rugby apologies for remarksBrendan Venter has issued a public apology to the referee David Rose and thereby escaped immediate punishment for criticising the official by implying he had been nobbled at half-time during Saracens' home match with Leicester on 2 January.Venter, the Saracens director of rugby, faced a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel after being charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game for saying that Rose had been influenced during the interval of the Premiership game, which Leicester won 22‑15. He was found guilty and given a one-month touchline ban suspended until the end of the year on condition he issued a public apology to Rose and paid ÂŁ250 costs."I apologise unreservedly for issuing a statement that caused offence to David Rose," said Venter. "I firmly believe that I did not question, or intend to question, David's integrity and any criticism that has been implied was not meant. When I said that he had been influenced at half-time I did not intend to mean that he was improperly influenced."As I said in the interview, I have no doubt that all the referees operating in the Guinness Premiership are honest and operate without intentionally favouring one side over another. I look forward to welcoming David Rose back to Vicarage Road in the near future."The three-man panel, which was chaired by the RFU's chief disciplinary officer, Jeff Blackett, expressed its concern at the Premiership system that allows coaches to have written communication with a referee at half-time through the fourth official. The reserve referee at Vicarage Road for the Leicester match, JP Doyle, told the hearing that he received communication cards from both coaching teams. He thought Leicester raised a point about "refereeing both sides" but could not remember the exact wording. He put the cards in his pocket but did not raise any of the points with Rose because the referee had either already identified them or, in the case of refereeing both sides, Doyle deemed it irrelevant."The [written card] system does allow coaches to influence the referee and there is potential for that influence to be improper," Blackett wrote in the panel's judgment. "We understand that this was established to diffuse [sic] any potential conflicts which might occur if there were direct contact. However, we believe that the system should either prevent any direct or indirect contact or, if there is to be written contact, be more formal and transparent. Ed Morrison [the RFU's director of elite referees] has agreed to review this process."Venter's suspended ban from match-day coaching will only be activated if he is found guilty of any other offence this year. The panel accepted that he did not intend to impugn the integrity of Rose, who said in evidence that he had found the remarks, which he read on Ceefax when he returned home after the game, extremely offensive and an attack on his integrity.Blackett said the case showed the need for directors of rugby to be careful about what they say to the media after matches. "Robust debate is healthy and they must be free to express general concerns about the game, but when doing so they must not offend the RFU's core values, which highlight the importance of teamwork and respect. Where specific concerns arise, which might include criticism of individuals, they should be dealt with in private through the recognised channels that have been agreed by the clubs."SaracensGuinness PremiershipRugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
It comes to pass: Colts, Saints offenses to meet in Super Bowl How you start is a footnote. How you finish is history. The best start in the NFL this season belonged to the Indianapolis Colts at 14-0. Now, ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |