sports

Ross Taylor: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ross Taylor Wishes For More Catching Practice From Philip Hughes

What he said (via ESPN Cricinfo):

“I’d love him to be in the team.”

Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor cannot hide his glee at Philip Hughes’ performance in the first Test at Brisbane.

The belligerent opener scored 10 and seven in his two outings in the middle.

The New South Wales batsman’s troubles outside the off stump continue.

Taylor said:

If Hughes plays in Tasmania then obviously Chris Martin will be bowling at him and hopefully Martin Guptill takes a third catch too.We had a lot of video footage of all the Australian players and Hughes got caught at second, third slip and gully a lot in the Ashes and in South Africa. That was definitely an area we wanted to target, and with the way Chris Martin bowls, he bowls across the left-hander.

Chris Martin bagged Hughes in both innings.

Michael Clarke put his hand up in defense of his young team-mate.

Clarke said:

I look forward to a press conference where I don’t get asked about Phillip Hughes.Once again, not concerning for me. I have confidence that Hughesy will come out in Hobart and perform. He got a hundred not that long ago, 80-odd not that long ago. I’ve seen Hughesy cut that ball for four a number of times. I’m sure he would be disappointed personally that he hasn’t made any runs in this test match, but I’m confident he can put his hand up in Hobart and get a big score for us.

Clarke believes that Hughes can deliver the goods and is a much improved batsman since his Test debut.

Clarke added:

I think his technique has improved out of sight.Every one of us has deficiencies in technique. And these days with the footage you can get on players, it’s very easy to find out what those deficiencies are. It’s no different for any batsman. I have seen a lot of improvement. I continue to see him scoring runs. Probably not as consistent as he would like, but he’s still scoring them. His record for NSW is better than any 23-year-old in this country. He’s scored three great hundreds for Australia and I’m confident he can score a lot more.

What Ross Taylor really meant:

“More slip catching practice for us.”

What Ross Taylor definitely didn’t:

“I’d love to have Hughes bat for my life.”

Michel Platini: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Michel Platini Seeks  A Wintry 2022 World Cup

What he said (via BBC):

“If we play in winter, [it is] not a problem to organise it.”

UEFA Chief, Michel Platini, has the interests of soccer spectators at heart.

The 2022 World Cup awarded to Qatar will have temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius if the tournament begins—as planned—in June.

Qatari officials have sought to alleviate reservations with promises of air-conditioned stadiums and cloud-seeding.

Platini would rather consider a workaround where the European season is modified to continue until June so that the World Cup is scheduled for winter when temperatures are cooler.

Speaking to Al Jazeera English, Platini said:

How can people go to Qatar in 50 degrees in June? If the people can’t come to enjoy it it’s not good. The people they come for three weeks or two weeks in 60 degrees and never go outside the hotel. So when is the best moment? It’s not a problem for players because they can be acclimatised and in hotels.

Platini, revealing  that he voted for Qatar, added:

I think it’s nice to go to another part of the world, with people who have never hosted the World Cup.I think it was a good decision but now we have to adapt to when and where the best moment is to play this World Cup in Qatar.

What Platini really meant:

“Why play Weather God when we can adapt our schedules to it? It’s surely more practical.”

What Platini definitely didn’t:

“I’m dreaming of a Snowy White World Cup.”

Novak Djokovic: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Novak Djokovic Believes He Belongs Among The Game’s Elite

What he said (via ATPWorldTour.com):

“I think luck falls on not just the brave but also the ones who believe they belong there.”

World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, answers the question,”What’s been the difference?”

The Serb’s interview with Patrick McEnroe  features in the debut edition of ESPN, The Magazine.

What he really meant:

“Luck is more belief than anything else.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“It’s all about my gluten-free diet.”

Ben Cutting: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ben Cutting Cannot Find Much Luck In The Corner Stores

What he said :

“If you could buy luck in a corner store, I’d throw my life savings at it.”

Young Aussie paceman, Ben Cutting, is cut up with his side strain that effectively ended his chances of playing the second Test against New Zealand at Hobart.

What he really meant:

“Good fortune,like gold and oil,is in short supply—even more so for pace bowlers.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I wonder what the odds are on my recovery at Ladbrokes?”

Diego Maradona: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Diego Maradona Has Unwelcome Medical Advice For Pele

What he said:

"It seems Pele took the wrong medication."

Diego Maradona takes issue with Pele’s remarks that Brazilian teenager, Neymar, is as good as Maradona or Lionel Messi.

In an interview with ‘Programa do Jô‘ on Globo, Pele said (via SambaFoot):

They talk about Maradona and Messi, but we have Neymar – he is a great talent to have.

Santos is a factory of stars, creating several players without spending anything. It is a lucky team.

Pele advised the Santos forward to become smarter and stronger on the pitch.

It’s not about fighting back, it is about learning to defend himself.

He is very skilled, he is the best player on the team, so of course will be marked. He has to learn to defend himself.

Maradona, reacting to Pele’s comments, said (via Times Of India):

Instead of taking his night pill, he took the morning pill. He got confused and didn’t know what he was talking about … I suggest next time he take the right pills before making any suggestions and that he should change his doctor.

What he really meant:

“If I’m not the greatest footballer ever, it must be Messi. Anything else is heresy.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I know exactly what to do about ‘foot-in-the-mouth’ syndrome. It’s my bete noire. ”

Manolo Santana: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Manolo Santana Roller Blades Over Argentinean Davis Cup Hopes

What he said (via Tennis.com):

“We are superior on clay, grass, hard courts and, if necessary, even on roller skates.”

Spanish tennis great, Manolo Santana, holds out no hope for Argentina when they face Spain in the year-ending Davis Cup final beginning December 2, 2011.

Rafael Nadal leads the home surge to the team title.

Santana said:

From 0 to 10, I would give Argentina a 2 to win Davis Cup and that’s being nice. Spain is clearly superior to Argentina. We are playing at home with a large audience. We are superior on clay, grass, hard courts and, if necessary, even on roller skates. I am optimistic. I think they will win 4-1 or 3-2, unless something unforeseen happens.

The Argentineans will rely on magic from Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian to pull off an upset.

Speaking to Yahoo! Euro Sports, Sanatana wrote off Del Potro’s chances, saying, “I think Rafa today is far superior to Del Potro. Del Potro went a long time without playing. In Valencia, where I saw him play, he wasn’t very accurate. I don’t believe he’s going to arrive in perfect form.”

What he really meant:

“Mano O Mano, we’re better and we’ll roll them over—come what may.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“It’s Davis Cup. Anything can happen, anytime.”

Chris Cairns: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Chris Cairns Is Elephantine In His Pronouncements

What he said (via Sydney Morning Herald):

“And there’s an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing.”

Chris Cairns begins the mind games prior to Australia’s tour of New Zealand.

The Kiwi all-rounder believes that Ricky Ponting’s shelf life has neared its expiry date and called for his retirement.

Cairns said:

I don’t think you can have two years averaging 27 as a No.3. I think it’s his time. And when you look at the likes of Mark Taylor, [Ian] Healy, Mark Waugh – they were told it was their time. And there’s an elephant in the room at the moment in Ricky Ponting that nobody is really addressing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got the utmost respect for Ricky Ponting but there’s a time and a place. And for me, his time and place is Hobart in the second Test against New Zealand. That’s to say, ‘Thanks very much’.

Australian selectors have been kind to Ricky Ponting in comparison to his predecessors, none of whom were retained.

Cairns said:

And whilst [the Ponting saga] continues on, the media circus will go with it and the guys will just be surrounded by that talk instead of just getting on and playing cricket.

Absolutely [Cricket Australia are avoiding the tough decisions]. They’ve allowed Ricky to keep going because of his stature in the game and who he is. But why should he have to make the call? At the end of the day, for me, Australia has always been about the team and what’s best. He is behind Bradman, Australia’s greatest batsman, so they’re managing it. But I just think it’s an elephant in the room. I really do. Australia has got rebuilding to do.

What he really meant:

“Australia have one captain too many in the dressing room—a non-performing one to boot. They all know what needs to be done. The question is ‘who’s going to bell the cat?’”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Ricky Ponting has to be nursed along much like Sachin Tendulkar. Treat him with kid gloves.”

Virender Sehwag: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Virender Sehwag Advises Against Advising Tailenders

What he said (via Times Of India):

“Whatever you tell No. 10 or No. 11, they always do what they want to do.”

Virender Sehwag is one relieved skipper.

Batting minnows, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, knocked off the required 11 runs to secure victory in the first ODI against West Indies at  Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

Prior to the ODI series, the third Test match between the two sides ended in a thrilling draw with the scores tied. Then too, it was left to the tailenders to complete the job.

Sehwag said:

I was sitting in the same place and not moving! It’s good to win another nail-biter. Whatever you tell No. 10 or No. 11, they always do what they want to do. I just told them to play till the end and whatever happens is fine. Rohit and Jadeja batted really well in that partnership and we should have won it easily from there, but still good to end up winning. We hope to learn from our batting mistakes in the coming games.

Darren Sammy was the disappointed captain—again.

Sammy said:

Everytime you lose it is quite disappointing. We just didn’t have the last spark to take us past the finish line. The opening bowlers did well to give us a start and we fought all the way to the end, but it wasn’t enough. We could have done things differently, we even bowled 23 extras, but I would like to commend the boys. They fought with never-say-die spirit and it is going to stick.

What he really meant:

“When tailenders bat, they do what they want to and don’t want to, too.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Isn’t cricket a game of glorious uncertainties? So what if I’m missing fingernails?”

Rory McIlroy: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Rory McIlroy Will Not Be Switching To Tennis Anytime Soon

What he said:

"She has more potential at golf than I do at tennis.”

Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy, believes that girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki would be better at golf than him at tennis.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, McIlroy said (via Tennis.com):

Being a tennis player her upper body is pretty strong. She has more potential at golf than I do at tennis. The thing is that when I play tennis the competitive side in me comes to the fore and I want to play well every time but it just doesn’t happen. I would get more frustrated because I want to be able to grasp tennis straight away.

The golfer disclosed that Wozniacki is something of a mental coach to him.

McIlroy said:

"When Caroline and I might discuss our own sport, I am very interested in how she prepares herself for the mental side of big tennis tournaments like how she goes about setting goals or whatever.That sort of discussion gives me a good insight into how she deals with similar issues I might face."

What he really meant:

“She could probably drive like Tiger.I couldn’t  serve like Roddick, though.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Soon, I’ll be caddying up for Caroline.”

Abhinav Bindra: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Abhinav Bindra Is Really Serious About Getting Real

What he said:

“It’s time we got real. The concept of honorary posts is rubbish.”

Abhinav Bindra is no proponent of the status quo when it comes to Indian sports and its administrative bodies.

India’s only individual Olympic gold medallist continues his tirade against the satraps plaguing the system in an article in the Hindustan Times applauding Ajay Maken’s National Sports Federation (NSF) bill seeking accountability and transparency in the running of sports bodies.

[Bindra devoted a whole chapter in his autobiography,A Shot At History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold, to his experiences with Indian bureaucracy.

A sampling (via Deccan Chronicle):

The tone is patronising, the manner feudal, the atmosphere unwelcoming. I am their job, but I feel like their burden. These are bookkeepers, who look like they feel a physical pain in parting with money that is not really theirs, who have little understanding of sports yet will interrogate you suspiciously… It is humiliating, it is tiring.

]

Bindra writes:

Running sports is not a joke and instilling professionalism and passion is what we should be striving for. After all, the ultimate aim is to win medals at the highest level. Keeping aside personal glory, my Olympic gold is embarrassing when I look at the country’s history of participation in the Olympics!

Bindra is all for the provision seeking to limit tenure in administrative posts.

Bindra said:

“At age 70, priorities change. It is a stage in life when one likes to play with grandchildren rather than worry about athletes’ tickets and visa problems. Fair enough, but stop meddling in everything.”

What he really meant:

“There is no free lunch. It’s administrators who enjoy perks of office while they would have sports persons and the public believe that they are doing them and the country a favour by providing their services gratis. It’s just lunch money—from taxpayers.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Gold medals for our officials too when we win. How about that? Do I hear an aye?”