For auld lang syne…
…Perfidious AlbionBack in the day when Britain was colonising us natives right, left and centre, the rest of Europe dubbed them “Perfidious Albion”. They were a country never to be trusted: with them, it was always a matter of “looking out for number one”! According to good old, Wiki, “Perfidious” signifies one who does not keep his faith or word , while “Albion” is derived from an ancient Celtic name for Britain.They continue: “Perfidious Albion is an Anglo-phobic pejorative phrase used within the context of international relations and diplomacy to refer to alleged acts of diplomatic sleights, duplicity, treachery and hence infidelity (with respect to perceived promises made to or alliances formed with other nation states) by monarchs or governments of Britain (or England) in their pursuit of self-interest.” Yup!! Expect “diplomatic sleights, duplicity, and treachery” when dealing with our erstwhile “Mother Country”!We raise this matter now because Pressie’s presently presenting his credentials to the Queen and members of the British Government. Imagine Pressie meeting Queen Elizabeth herself!! The British government’s really pulled out all the stops to woo Pressie, haven’t they??. They would’ve done a background check and know when Pressie was a wee lad in short pants – he’d lined up with so many schoolkids waving the Union Jack in 1953 at her coronation.Sent to the British Military school at Mons just before Independence, Pressie would’ve been totally inculcated into showing deference and loyalty to the Queen. Back in Guyana when she visited just before Independence, in 1966, would have shown the British Officers who headed the new Army how well he’d been trained. For God and Queen!!But the question has to be asked: why all this attention to Pressie? President Burnham had stood much higher on the world stage after independence, but he was never been given this honour? What’s going on? Ahhh…no need to look further – Perfidious Albion’s at work!! Oil is in the offing and with Britain fulfilling the European’s long-held suspicion they’d betray the EU, she seeks to use us – once again.When Britain needed their cuppa after the WWII – with sugar that had been rationed during the war – we signed the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement. And guaranteed them sweetness on Christmas Eve 1951. Wasn’t that sweet? We agreed to have the Agreement transferred to the EU in 1975 as the Lome Convention that was to last “in perpetuity”. Well, we got the stick from the EU in 2007…Did Britain intervene for us? Not on your life!! Rather it was the strongest proponent of slashing of sugar prices!!Let’s remember Perfidious Albion when they seek a piece of our oil!!…in CricketWell there’s hope for us against Perfidious Albion – and this was shown in cricket recently. For most of the past century, England ruled the roost over professional cricket through its control over the ICC. They then brought in the Aussies. Folks went along because that was how it “always” was. Until 2014. That’s when India- from where most of the revenues were now coming – flexed its muscles and demanded equality of the money with England and the Aussies. So much for “native unity”!!Anyhow there was much gnashing of teeth among the rest of the cricketing nations – with some weeping in the WI. But like most bullies, the BBCI of India didn’t know when to quit – they teed off the Brits and Aussies with their escalating demands. The Brits in particular were miffed that a former colony was calling the shots.And so just this week, they pulled the rug out from under India and had them cut their lion’s share of the take!!The loot will now be shared more equally!…in courtIsn’t the lawyer fella who wrote the letter, “No one should be charged or remanded to prison on mere suspicion” the one accused of diddling with some under aged girl over in Berbice??Is he pleading early?
Robredo to visit Batangas families displaced by Taal erruption LOOK: Kryz Uy, Slater Young expecting first son The two buried the hatchet in an online podcast released in 2015 — but it seemed the feud might erupt again after Bryant told an interviewer in Las Vegas this month that if O’Neal had had a better work ethic “he’d be the greatest of all time.”O’Neal countered by saying: “You don’t get statues by not working hard.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSAndray Blatche has high praise for teammate Kai SottoSPORTSBig differenceSPORTSGinebra looks set for another titleLike Bryant, O’Neal is now retired and in 2017 saw a statue of himself unveiled at the Lakers’ Staples Center.Bryant, who was on hand for those ceremonies two years ago, was quick to say the two remained on good terms. French league game halted after homophobic banners unfurled LOOK: Taal Volcano island 2 days after eruption LATEST STORIES No need to wear face masks in Metro Manila, says scientist Teen dead, another hurt in vehicular collision in Santiago City Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles06:27SEA Games 2019: No surprises as Gilas Pilipinas cruises to basketball gold02:43Philippines make clean sweep in Men’s and Women’s 3×3 Basketball02:15Sinas: 2,500 NCRPO cops poised to support Taal eruption relief ops01:52Phivolcs: Cloud seeding in ashfall affected areas needs study01:04Daybreak as smoke, ash billows from Taal volcano01:05Poor visibility, nakaapekto sa maraming lugar sa Batangas03:028,000 pulis sa Region 4-A, tuloy ang trabaho03:57Phivolcs, nahihirapan sa komunikasyon sa Taal FILE – Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal shake hands at halftime after both of Bryant’s #8 and #24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are retired at Staples Center on December 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images/AFPKobe Bryant insisted Wednesday he has “no beef” with Shaquille O’Neal as the former Los Angeles Lakers teammates hit social media to say their sometimes strained relationship was “all good.”Bryant and O’Neal won three NBA titles together, but their tense relationship was a staple of league debate during the Lakers’ period of dominance in the early 2000s.ADVERTISEMENT Heart Evangelista, Kim Chiu, more celebs appeal for animal rescue after Taal eruption “There is no beef with @Shaq I know most media want to see it but it ain’t gonna happen. Ain’t nothin but love there and we too old to beef anyway.”O’Neal responded with a tweet that said “It’s all good bro,” then added an apparent dig at recent Lakers signing Dwight Howard when he concluded “when I saw the interview, I thought you were talking about Dwite, is that how u spell his name lol”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. MOST READ ‘People evacuated on their own’ Residents rescue horses, farm animals left on volcano island View comments
To reopen the street, giant cranes removed or rearranged hundreds of blast barriers and tons of barbed wire. Grass was planted in the park, foot bridges built and children’s swings and benches installed. Restaurants and other businesses were refurbished and owners were promised cash grants to get them through what promises to be a slow start. The opening was delayed several times because of security concerns, and Saturday’s celebration was heavily guarded by U.S. and Iraqi forces. Salam Jabar, a 37-year-old father of eight, made the trek from Baghdad’s main Shiite district of Sadr City with his family, saying the street’s reopening was a sign of success of the Baghdad security plan. “At first, when I saw the heavily deployed forces on the street, I was reluctant to attend the celebration, but I did not want to let my children down so I went ahead with it,” he said, sitting on a bench with his wife and watching their children playing on the swings and other playground equipment. “This is a great day that shows that Iraq is witnessing security,” he said. The street still has not regained a full sense of normalcy.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! BAGHDAD – The smell of grilled fish and the sound of children’s laughter provided moments of joy for many Iraqis on Saturday as the government reopened Abu Nawas Street, a famous riverside promenade that has been largely barricaded from the public since the U.S.-led invasion. The Iraqi government hailed the renovation of the street – named for a ninth century poet and once known for its art galleries – as a sign of improved security. But the presence of U.S. troops and armed private security guards underscored the fragility of the new signs of calm. Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, the Iraqi commander for Baghdad, recalled the concrete barriers that once lined the street before a U.S.-Iraqi security operation began in mid-February to quell spiraling violence. “The reconstruction of Abu Nawas is considered one of the bright results,” he said during the opening ceremonies. But he warned the fight was not over, saying “we realize that the enemy will not lay down his weapons as easily as some would think, but we are determined to defeat them.” AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREPettersson scores another winner, Canucks beat KingsAbu Nawas Street, which sits on the east side of the Tigris River, was long a popular retreat for Iraqis with its old eucalyptus trees and trademark fish restaurants. But it became a no-go zone shortly after U.S. Marines toppled Saddam Hussein’s statue at the nearby Firdous Square in 2003 and hundreds of American troops moved into the Palestine Hotel, an 18-story tower standing halfway along the street. Soon most of the smart apartment blocks built for officers of Saddam’s elite Republican Guard were abandoned, their occupants fleeing out of fear of reprisals. Squatters, mostly Shiites from the capital’s poorest districts or the south of the country, moved in. Mortars fired from eastern Baghdad toward the U.S.-protected Green Zone just across the river often have fallen short, crashing into the street, the park or the wide Tigris. Areas close to the street, such as the mainly Shiite Karradah district and Tahrir Square, have seen some of the worst bombings blamed on insurgents. Late-night gunfights still rage on Firdous Square and adjacent streets. 
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGift Box shows no rust in San Antonio Stakes win at Santa Anita Sort of. “Turin is the English translation of the Italian word Torino,” said Clara Orban, a professor of Italian at DePaul University. “Standard practice in the United States is if a city name has been translated differently, go with the English translation.” That’s what The Associated Press is doing. Its policy – and it was around long before Turin was awarded the Olympic Games – is to use the English version of foreign cities. It’s Rome, not Roma. Munich, not Muenchen. Moscow instead of Mockba or Moskva. And Florence isn’t going to be called by its Italian name, Firenze. At least not without an accompanying map so people would know what city that is. “We use Turin in accordance with our long-standing style to use English names on English-language wires,” said Terry Taylor, AP sports editor. “It’s the Shroud of Turin, for instance, not the Shroud of Torino. And when the World Cup comes to Germany this summer, we will write that games will be played in Munich, not Muenchen. “Of course, in the interest of accuracy, we will not Anglicize the name in full references to the Olympic organizing committee, which uses Torino, and we will not change Torino to Turin in quotations.” The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and many other news organizations follow similar policies. Travel writers at the Times, for example, have been calling cities by their English names for years. “For us, it’s a pretty simple style rule,” said Tom Jolly, sports editor at the Times. “We follow Webster’s and The World Fact Book as our guide. Generally those are spelled in an Anglicized fashion.” Even the Italians go with English translations sometimes. One of their top soccer teams is AC Milan, not AC Milano, and it’s supposedly because when the club was founded, the namers wanted to stick with the sport’s English roots. So why the linguistic confusion? The official name of the games is “Torino 2006,” and the International Olympic Committee refers to the city by its Italian name. When the games were awarded in June 1999, then-IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch announced, “The hosts of the 2006 Games will be Torino.” After NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol took a trip to Turin, he decided the network would go with Torino, too. NBC has the U.S. broadcast rights to the games. “Dick was hearing the way the locals were saying Torino, and how it’s so magnificently Italian how it rolls off the tongue,” said Mike McCarley, vice president of communications and marketing for NBC Sports. “He decided on that trip that we would call it Torino.” And with as many as 200 million people tuning in to watch the games, that means there’ll be a lot of Americans speaking at least one word of Italian for a few weeks. USA Today also went with Torino because that is the official name, said Monte Lorell, the paper’s managing editor for sports. “We had to decide what is the least confusing to our readers. You could say the Torino Olympics in Turin, but that just leads to confusion,” Lorell said. “We decided to just make it uniform all the way throughout. “I feel a little bit better that NBC is using Torino because that’s what readers will be seeing on TV.” So, Turin or Torino. Either way, the Winter Olympics will simply call the city home next month. “I think,” Jolly said, “people will be able to figure it out.” Until they do, confusion is sure to be the rule. “I had this woman call me up,” said David Ledford, executive editor at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del. “She said, `Don’t you even know how to spell it? It’s in huge type on the front page. On the front page!’ I didn’t get a chance to say anything. She hung up on me.” 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! Turin or Torino? It’s the Olympic version of “You say tomato, I say tomahto.” The city in northern Italy that’s hosting the Winter Olympics next month is “Torino” to the locals and NBC. For most of us non-Italians, it always has been Turin. 
“I believe readers are seeing it on television with the NBC logo. It says `Torino,’ the Olympic Games,” Ron Fritz, sports editor at The News Journal in Wilmington, Del., said Tuesday. “And then they see it in the paper, ‘Turin,’ and they’re thinking we got it wrong.” The explanation for the different versions is simple. 
The former Long Beach State pitcher, Mike Gallo, considered by those close to the school’s baseball program as the quintessential Dirtbag with his fierce spirit, his ebullient personality and his rags-to-riches saga, is reminiscing about that blessed June day back in 2003 when he was called up for the first time by the Houston Astros. “It was absolutely surreal to me,” says Gallo, who will be the keynote speaker next Thursday evening at the Dirtbags Leadoff Dinner at The Grand Long Beach Event Center. “Here I am a kid from Long Beach who was a first base-outfielder in my senior season at Millikan High and pitched only a few innings, and I suddenly find myself in the same clubhouse with people like Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. “And it’s still a surreal experience for me when a guy like Roger Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers in the history of our sport, comes up and says to me after I’ve relieved him, ‘Good job, Rooster’ (Gallo’s nickname). Or a guy like Andy Pettitte gives counsel to me on the art of pitching. Or when our manager, Phil Garner, says to me after the World Series, ‘Mike, you grew up this year.” “You never know for sure what will happen in this game, but I’ll be going to spring training in mid February this time with a lot of confidence. This time I feel pretty secure that I’ll be with the Astros for the entire season.” AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORESanta Anita opens winter meet Saturday with loaded card Mike Gallo is smiling, and this seems a permanent part of his outgoing persona that made him one of the most popular players ever to wear a Long Beach State baseball uniform, as well, of course, as his 16-6 three-season record that included a sterling 10-3 performance in 1999 that earned him Big West Pitcher of the Year honors. He is seated with his attractive wife of four years, Kristin, whom he met in a speech class at Long Beach State, in a booth at Phil Trani’s on a recent evening, oozing optimism, spreading goodwill, evincing a joyful image of an unspoiled professional jock who appreciates his station. “Oh, I’m thankful for what’s happened in my life,” says the goateed Gallo, one of those weird individuals who has a full head of hair, yet, curiously, shaves it. “Oh, there have been some hardships along the way, but everyone goes through hardships. I’m just fortunate to have a great, devoted wife who has stuck with me through the tough times. “There were a lot of guys rated higher than me in the 1999 draft, and I was selected in the fifth round, the 173rd player picked. But I have two years and twenty days in the majors, and I’ll be eligible for arbitration if I get in another season.” One of Mike Gallo’s compelling attributes is that he throws left handed, and such specimens are valuable commodities, especially if they’re employed as relievers and display a facility for being able to retire left-handed batters. 
He certainly did so during the 2005 post-season, as he didn’t yield a run against the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. “I come in, face a batter or two, and that’s it,” says Gallo. “I made two appearances in the World Series, got A.J. Pierzynski and Joe Crede the first time and then got Pierzynski the next time.” Still, Mike Gallo admits he yearns to do what he did at Long Beach State when the then Dirtbag coach, Dave Snow, used him in a starting role. “I’d still like to get a chance to start, but I don’t really have a say in the matter,” he says. “And I’m certainly not complaining. I know left-handed relievers can stay around for a long time. Look at guys like John Franco and Steve Kline. I’ll do what they want me to do. But I still think I could be a good starting pitcher.” Mike Gallo certainly was an extraordinary one at Long Beach State, and he still recalls with fondness the glad feeling he felt that 1998 spring afternoon in Stanford when his team beat Alabama to qualify for the College World Series. “I remember lying on the diamond, looking up at the sky and just being overcome by emotion,” he says. “No doubt the three years I was a Dirtbag prepared me well for becoming a professional player. “I know I’m going to get very emotional when I give that speech at the Dirtbag banquet next week. I’ll talk about all the fun I had, but I’ll also talk about how I was able to overcome some hardships in my life. I’m sure I’ll wind up crying.” While some players get to the major leagues quickly and wind up with lucrative, long-term contracts, Gallo’s arc has been uneven, as he has bounced around the minors in places like Auburn, N.Y., Battle Creek, Mich., Lexington, Ky., Red Rock Tex., and New Orleans before that first call up three years ago when he worked in 30 games and had a 3.00 ERA. He appeared in 69 games with the Astros in 2004, but was back in Red Rock at the beginning of last season before being summoned by the Houston on July 1. He would appear in 36 games and would yield just six runs in 20 1/3 innings for a 2.66 ERA. “I think the Astros now believe in me,” says Gallo, who has a 3-1 record with the Astros. Mike Gallo is a 1995 Millikan High graduate, and played on a Dan Peters team that featured such other standouts as Nick Bierbrodt, Matt Williams and Geoff Watts. He still stays in contact with many of his high school pals he attended the pre-marriage bachelor party a while back of Watts, now a Joe Jost bartender, in Las Vegas and will continue to live in the east Long Beach area he grew up in, as he and his wife Thursday moved into a home they recently purchased. “Used my World Series money as a down payment,” says Gallo, who split the $120,000 share with the gentleman he replaced at mid-season, John Franco. Being of Italian heritage as well as Irish and Polish Gallo has accepted an invitation to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic in March. “Should be a lot of fun,” says Gallo. “Life can be so wonderful. Here I am a guy from east Long Beach who never even pitched that much in high school, and now I’m pitching in the major leagues and soon might be pitching for Italy. Who can figure life?” Tickets for the Dirtbag Leadoff Dinner next Thursday night are priced at $75 and reservations can be made by calling (562) 985-4662. The event will be held at The Grand Long Beach Event Center at 4101 East Willow. Cocktails will be served at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
Trabzonspor and Turkey midfielder Okay Yokuslu West Brom have opened talks with Trabzonspor regarding a deal to sign Okay Yokuslu.The 23-year-old has established himself as a key first-team player since arriving at Trabzonspor from Kayserispor in 2015 and his form as earned him international caps for Turkey too.West Brom have reportedly been tracking the holding midfielder all season and have been impressed with his performances during 11 outings in Turkey’s top flight.And now, according to Turkish-Football, the Baggies have made contact about a potential January deal for the Konak-born ace, who can also operate at centre-back.It has been suggested that Yokuslu, who is under contract until 2020, is rated at around £10million by Trabzonspor as talks continue. 1
Invasion of PrivacyJune 17Washington County Sheriff’s DepartmentSterling Kent Backus, 28, Scottsburg Possession of MethMaintaining a Common Nuisance Possession of Cocaine or NarcoticPossession of ParapharnaliaMaintaining a Common NuisanceJune 15Indiana State PoliceKatherine Saranam Johnston, 33, Pekin Operating a Vehicle while intoxicated – with previous convictionOperating a Vehicle with an equivalent to at least .15 gram of alcoholJune 24Washington County Sheriff’s DepartmentGabriel Lon Lanham, 32, Salem Possession of Meth, amount less than 5 grams and enhancing circumstancesPossession of paraphernaliaMaintaining a common nuisanceJune 20Washington County Sheriff’s DepartmentKayla Hildreth, 31, Vallonia TheftSalem Police DepartmentJoey Maudlin, 55, Salem Possession of MethPossession of ParaphernaliaVisiting a Common NuisanceDealing in Schedule IV controlled substance – amount at least 28 gramsPossession of a Schedule 1 through IV controlled substanceTrafficking with an inmate – article is a controlled substance – deadly weapon – cell phone or other communication deviceMaurita Wrighthouse, 52, Salem Resisting law enforcementPossession of MethPossession of a syringeOperating a motor vehicle while privilegesJune 22Indiana State PoliceRitchie Washburn, 29, Scottsburg Possession of Cocaine or Narcotic DrugMaintaining a Common NuisancePossession of ParaphernaliaJohn Enoch Spalding, 37, Salem BatteryJune 21Salem Police DepartmentWillie Jean Caves, 53, Salem Possession of MethPossession of a syringePossession of ParaphernaliaMaintaining a common nuisancePossession of Cocaine or narcotic drugPossession or use of legend drug or precursorIndiana Department of Natural ResourcesJustus Jeremiah Stidham, 39, Brownstown Operating a vehicle with an alcohol equivalent of at least .15 gram of alcoholOperating a motor vehicle while license suspended or revokedOperating while intoxicated per seJune 23Salem City PoliceJoshua A. Hartsock, 28, Salem Neglect of a dependent Possession of MethPossession of ParaphernaliaMaintaining a Common NuisanceNeglect of a dependentWestley James Reynolds, 33, Salem Possession of MethPossession of ParaphernaliaMaintaining a Common NuisanceDealing in Schedule IV controlled substance – amount at least 28 gramsWashington County Sheriff’s DepartmentBruce Moore, 27, Lexington Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic OffenderJacob H. Fleenor, 19, PekinTheft of a firearmIndiana State PoliceJoshua C. Hankins, 34, Salem Possession of a syringe with prior convictionPossession of a synthetic drug or synthetic drug lookalike substanceJune 18Salem City PoliceKate L. Murray, 40, Salem Neglect of a DependentVisiting a Common NuisanceRyan Hackworth, 33, Brandenburg, Ky Visiting a Common NuisanceCaleb Nekiah Baughman, 32, Medora Washington County Inmate RosterJune 14Indiana State Police Amanda Lee Dickerson, 29, Pekin
Starbucks’ holiday drinks are out and, apparently, they’re trying to KILL YOU. Because according to a new study, they have a RIDICULOUS amount of sugar in them. And that’s actually BETTER than they’ve been in the past. Starbucks says they’ve cut the sugar in their Christmas drinks by 33% in the past three years. A grande Gingerbread Frappuccino, Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino, or Caramel Brulee Frappuccino all have as much sugar as seven Krispy Kreme glazed DONUTS. And a venti Eggnog Latte has as much as five-and-a-half.
23 March 2010Durban may be a host city for the upcoming 2010 Fifa World Cup™, but last week it hosted a football tournament with a difference, with street children from eight countries congregating in the coastal city to battle it out against each other.Vincent Khumalo (16) ran away from home in Johannesburg when he developed a drinking and smoking habit that led him to thieving. After roaming the streets of Durban, he was introduced to the Umthombo Foundation, where he started playing football. Today he plays for the South African street child team, and dreams of becoming an engineer.Vincent is just one of over 100 children from eight countries, including India, Brazil, Tanzania, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Philippines, the UK and South Africa, that took part in the first ever seven-a-side Street Child World Championship at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in Durban from 15 to 21 March.The week-long tournament, organised by UK Human Rights organisation Amos Trust, followed the groundbreaking work of the Durban-based Umthombo Foundation and was a celebration of the potential of street children, if they’re given a chance.Football changing livesAnd with the World Cup around the corner, it served as an example for South Africa of how football can change lives.The championship has elicited significant attention and support, with former England Captain David Beckham, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko among those who officially endorsed the event as a means to provide a platform for the rights of street children to be heard.According to Tom Hewitt, CEO of Umthombo, the world championship was created as a way of getting the plight of street children into the public arena.“Street children across the globe remains a peripheral issue with regards to development, and we thought that this could be a platform to bring the issue out into the mainstream as a development issue.”Hewitt said that the decision to host the tournament in South Africa came as a result of the country playing host to the Fifa World Cup in South Africa. He added that the Championship is to happen every four years, with the next one to be held in Rio de Janiero in Brazil in 2014.‘Our stories are alike’Vincent Khumalo really enjoyed the tournament experience. “Meeting these other children helps me a lot because our stories are alike,” Khumalo said. “I also think to myself that if I get a second chance, I must go back to school, and not make the same mistakes I made.”Street child Dennis David (15) from Tanzania said that he never imagined there would be street children in other parts of the world. The small lad said the tournament showed people that street children are capable.“People normally look at street children and think they can do nothing … but this tournament will show that we can do amazing things. I want to become a professional footballer and play for Tanzania one day at the World Cup … and win it,” he said with a smile.David ran away from home after suffering abuse from this stepmother, but counsellors have been working to get him to reintegrate with his family, and he is due to rejoin his family after the tournament.Marsh Sylvestres, who coaches the Tanzanian street child team and who also coaches the Tanzanian U17 team, agreed that football helped their shattered confidence.“Now they are able to look at the future and they feel they’re human beings,” Syvestres said.Source: 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa Organising Committee
Sign up for The Spin, the Guardian’s weekly cricket email. Five days can gnaw away at a restless mind, especially if things have gone awry early in proceedings. The challenge in white-ball cricket is more immediate. You succeed or fail but there is not much time to agonise and it is the agonising that can eat away at a cricketer low on confidence – distant personal experience reminds me of that.Rashid has been England’s most successful wrist-spinner in Test cricket for half a century and it was remarkable, though instructive, that the selectors took the extraordinary step of picking Mason Crane rather than him for last winter’s Ashes tour. Yet by most standards Rashid’s Test record is modest. He has 38 wickets at 42 apiece, a similar haul to Bob Barber (primarily an opening batsman) who took 42 wickets at 43 before playing his last Test in 1968. But in the one-day game Rashid is now touted as England’s best ever spin bowler.He has become impressively confident with a white ball, but that has rarely been the case with a red one at the highest level. Buttler – a resilient, self-contained character – may be a one-off. Do not expect everyone to be able to flit from one format to the other without any preparation. Rashid’s temperament can be flakier and there is a good case for England letting him flourish in ODIs and T20s, without the complications of Test cricket, until the World Cup is over and then to encourage him back to the longer form of the game. Read more Inner-city cricket: fighting for new blood England cricket team Facebook The Spin Twitter Share on Twitter features … we have a small favour to ask. More people, like you, are reading and supporting the Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism than ever before. And unlike many news organisations, we made the choice to keep our reporting open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay.The Guardian will engage with the most critical issues of our time – from the escalating climate catastrophe to widespread inequality to the influence of big tech on our lives. At a time when factual information is a necessity, we believe that each of us, around the world, deserves access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart.Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Guardian journalism is free from commercial and political bias and not influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This means we can give a voice to those less heard, explore where others turn away, and rigorously challenge those in power.We hope you will consider supporting us today. We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Since you’re here… England’s Adil Rashid in action during the third Royal London One Day International at Headingley. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA Images We will know more on Thursday when the selectors announce their squad for the Edgbaston Test. They will have spent a long time debating the spin department which, as ever, is in some confusion. Dom Bess played in England’s last two Tests and to the dismay of the selectors – and himself – he was omitted from Somerset’s side at Worcester, a very odd decision.Peter Trego is one of my favourite cricketers yet it was a source of amazement and despair that he should now be preferred to Bess, who, as it happens, currently averages 37 with the bat in Test cricket; this was a selection that triggers tension within and without the county. Why in cricket is there so often such an aversion to do the bleeding obvious?(Witness the enthusiasm for The Hundred rather than T20 as well as this shortsighted selection).Meanwhile Moeen Ali, another to have prospered in England’s one-day side this summer, bowled 22 overs in the first innings at New Road, taking three wickets, with more following in the second.Jack Leach, who has had a wretchedly unlucky season so far, having broken his thumb and then suffered concussion, is playing for Somerset, though he was required to bowl only four overs in Worcestershire’s first innings. No doubt Ed Smith would like to be able to study the red-ball data before naming his squad for Edgbaston. But there is barely any to look at.This is an extract taken from The Spin, the Guardian’s weekly cricket email. To subscribe, just visit this page and follow the instructions. But in the recent one-day series against Australia and India Rashid bowled so well that it was put to Trevor Bayliss that he might be included in the Test team despite not playing any first-class cricket since September. “Well, it’s happened once this year with Jos Buttler,” said Bayliss, the implication being that he was quite keen on the idea.There is, however, a difference in principle here since Buttler had never officially withdrawn from red-ball cricket; he just was not available very often. Moreover it has already been pointed out that the precedent of allowing Rashid – or anyone else – to pick and choose when he is available for a Test match is an uncomfortable one. It was, after all, Rashid’s choice to withdraw from the red-ball fray. Not even Edmonds felt able to take that course of action.There is also a cricketing argument to consider in all this. There is a gulf between bowling wrist-spin in an ODI and in a Test match. Rashid is guaranteed four men on the boundary if he so wishes in white-ball cricket (notice how Eoin Morgan, who employs his wrist-spinner so shrewdly always prefers to bowl Moeen Ali rather than Rashid in the early powerplay overs).This is rarely practicable in Test cricket. The batsmen have to attack the white ball even if they are unsure which way it is going to bounce; in Test cricket they can merely wait for the bad one. For the same reason India – who have included Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner, in their Test squad – are more likely to stick with their Ravis, Ashwin and Jadeja, at Edgbaston next week.Wrist-spinners have become almost essential in white-ball cricket, less so in Test cricket. Counterintuitively spin bowlers have to be more accurate in the longer form of the game, which is, in so many ways, more demanding. Phil Edmonds, independent thinker, entrepreneur, Cambridge graduate and the most gifted of left-arm spinners, once declared that he would like to circumvent county cricket. Of course he would like to play Test matches for England and he proposed that he would prepare for that by bowling, not for Middlesex, but in club cricket in London. It was a neat idea but even the arch-manipulator Edmonds could not persuade the men that matter this plan was feasible.Now it is possible Adil Rashid, a less manipulative soul one imagines, may be able to achieve the Edmonds dream. In the winter Rashid decided to withdraw from red-ball county cricket to concentrate on the white-ball game, a choice he could take because he had established himself as an England regular in the two short forms of the game. They were unimpressed at Yorkshire but there was a certain logic to Rashid’s decision: he had been dropped from the Test team and he had recently been more successful with a white ball. There was scope for lucrative overseas contracts in the T20 leagues, which did not really materialise; and there was always England, for whom he was increasingly regarded as a key weapon in pursuit of the World Cup in 2019. Pinterest Share on Pinterest Cricket Share on WhatsApp Share on Facebook Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Topics Support The Guardian Share on Messenger Reuse this content