Ambrose full of praise for Roach
FORMER WEST Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose has given young pacer Kemar Roach a ringing endorsement following his ten-wicket haul in the recently concluded second Digicel Test against Australia at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain.
Roach’s effort was the first time since 1993, a regional bowler took that sum against the Aussies and he was subsequently named “Man-of-the-Match”.
Prior to Roach, the last man to do similar damage against the Aussies was none other than Ambrose who took ten wickets for 120 runs in a thrilling one-run win at Adelaide.
The ex-Leeward Islands player commended Roach on the feat and encouraged him to continue trying to match and better the accomplishments of his predecessors.
“I wouldn’t want to say he emulated my feat because that is what cricket is all about. You want to try and do better than the past cricketers so we can show the world we have an abundance of talent.
“I thought Kemar Roach bowled extremely well because to take ten wickets on a pitch like this which is unresponsive to fast bowling was a tremendous effort. He really bowled well except for his first spell on the first morning but since then he came back with decent bounce and I am happy for him. He worked hard and got his reward,” Ambrose pointed out.
Of Roach’s ten wickets, three came via three leg-before-wicket while four were bowled and Ambrose commended the 23-year-old for adapting to the conditions.
“If you know the Queen’s Park Oval pitch, it is always a situation where when you bowling consistently between wicket and wicket you will get wickets (then you do that).
“One or two (deliveries) will keep low and you get some leg-before or bowled down, that is the key to bowling here especially here on a pitch like this where there is no grass, no sideways movement, you have to bowl between wicket and wicket. That is what Kemar Roach did and he got the results,” Ambrose continued.
The Antiguan believes Roach is now bowling the best of his career after a slump in form last year and called on him to now begin performing consistently for the regional team.
“I never had any doubt that he can become a great fast bowler. He went Australia not so long ago and really came to the fore on that Australian trip and really caused the Australians all sorts of problems. He came back to the Caribbean and I believe that maybe he relaxed a little bit and figured he had a good Australian tour, people began talking about him and probably didn’t keep working hard at his game. He perhaps relaxed a little bit, lost form and was dropped from the team and that for me was a bit of a wake up call for him.
“He really realised that no matter how good you are you’re only as good as the last game. He came back, put in the hard work and is reaping the rewards at the moment,” he added. Ambrose also believes there is a bright future for the West Indies in the bowling department with an abundance of good pacers as well as spinners.
“I don’t think the fast bowling attack is a bad one. You’ve got guys like Kemar Roach and Fidel Edwards who when he is fit and bowling well can be a handful. Ravi Rampaul has been very consistent for the West Indies over the years until injury forced him out but he’s on his way back. You’ve got (Shannon) Gabriel who looks to be a very promising one for the future. There is one from Barbados - (Christopher) Jordan... he’s another good prospect and Jason Holder from the CCC (Combined Campuses and Colleges) so the cupboard isn’t as bare as people think.
“We’ve got a bunch of spinners as well. We’ve got (Sunil) Narine, (Devendra) Bishoo, (Narsingh) Deonarine, Shane Shillingford, Nikita Miller and Odean Brown. So when looking at both departments the cupboard isn’t as bare as people think,” he reiterated.
NEWSDAY
Manchester City win and send Wolves down
Goals from Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri saw Manchester City relegate Wolves and move to within three points of leaders Manchester United.
Both sides had early chances before City took control and Aguero slid them ahead from Gael Clichy's superb cross.
Joe Hart made an excellent save to deny Steven Fletcher as Wolves worked hard to level, but Nasri slotted in to earn his side a vital win in the title race.
If City beat United at home on 30 April they will be top with two games left.
Their goal difference is six superior to that of their local rivals and all eyes will now be on that meeting at Etihad Stadium.
City spent much of the season in top spot but their defeat at Arsenal on 8 April left them eight points behind United with six games remaining.
Suddenly, though, they are very much back in contention and it promises to be a thrilling end to the campaign.
The same can not be said for Wolves, who drop into the Championship after three years in the top flight.
Terry Connor's side have lost a club-record nine successive home games and are without a win of any description since 4 February.
They needed little motivating for a match of this magnitude and produced a spirited display but City, buoyed by news of United's 4-4 draw against Everton earlier on Sunday, ground out a professional win.
Carlos Tevez fired just over the bar after only 17 seconds and at the other end Sebastien Bassong's shot was deflected narrowly wide.
Aguero then drilled across the face of goal before David Davis forced Hart into a fine save with a powerful effort from 18 yards.
City seemed intent on moving the ball wide, letting full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Clichy stretch Wolves and create space for Aguero and Tevez.
Zabaleta and David Silva combined well on the right to slip Nasri through on goal, but the Frenchman dragged wide of the far post.
Aguero was again off-target on 20 minutes but there would be no mistake at the end of his side's next foray forward.
Clichy nutmegged Michael Kightly before curling a delightful low pass to Aguero, who kept his footing to stab a finish past Dorus de Vries.
Wolves deserve credit for their positive response and it took a superb diving save from Hart to repel Fletcher's header shortly after half-time.
City had now lost their earlier rhythm, they were misplacing passes and Mancini introduced Nigel de Jong for Silva.
It may not have been an attacking move but City actually looked more composed with De Jong on the field, and they duly ended the contest.
Tevez took a quick free-kick, squared for Nasri and he benefited from Bassong pulling a hamstring to coolly slot past De Vries.
Wolves were furious with referee Lee Probert's decision to penalise Davis for his challenge on Tevez, but their protests were in vain.
City celebrated as Wolves commiserated. The full-time whistle sounded as torrential rain arrived, an apt conclusion to their Premier League stay.
Rafael Nadal secures his eighth consecutive Monte Carlo title
Rafael Nadal won his eighth straight Monte Carlo Open, easily beating world number one Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-1.
It was Nadal's 42nd consecutive win in Monaco but only his first victory over the Serbian in eight attempts.
After winning the first set, the Spaniard - who entered the tournament with a troublesome knee - raced to 4-0 in the second.
Off-key Djokovic broke for the first time to make it 4-1 but Nadal hit straight back before sealing the title.
Nadal took only 78 minutes to see off Djokovic, who suffered the loss of his grandfather on Thursday and never quite looked himself.
The Serbian managed just one break point throughout, while the world number two converted five of his eight.
Djokovic won his first service game to love but was broken in the third game of the set and struggled to get back into the match.
Nadal, who will be seeking his seventh French Open title in Paris next month, held his service game to love to race to 4-2 before breaking again in the ninth game to take the opening set.
His domination continued throughout the second, leaving Djokovic feeling he had to apologise.
"I'm sorry for my performance, Rafa played well and deserved to win today," he said.
"I just didn't have any emotional energy left in me. I was there physically, game-wise I was playing OK throughout the week.
"But it was a bad day. If I wanted to have any chance of winning against Rafa on clay, I needed that extra gear, which I didn't have.
"I'm still very happy to reach the finals for the second time.
"This is one of my favourite events at the most beautiful centre court in the world."
The win was Nadal's 47th ATP title and his first since claiming last year's French Open.
"I always loved this tournament, seriously, since I was a kid," he said. "One of my dreams was to play here. It's an historic tournament where you see all of your idols playing.
"To have eight victories, you must be lucky, you have to be in the right way, no injuries, perfect conditions for eight years in a row.
"I had lost to Novak seven times, so losing eight would not have been much different. But to win this one makes a big difference."
Fed Cup: USA secure promotion back to world group
The USA secured their place back in the Fed Cup World Group with a crushing 5-0 win over Ukraine.
Serena Williams was in impressive form, winning both her rubbers and losing just eight games as they bounced back from Group II at the first attempt.
In the other play-off matches Japan beat Belgium 4-1 to reach the World Group for the first time since 2007.
Slovakia beat Spain 3-1 while Australia also secured their promotion with a 3-2 win over Germany .
The USA were playing in the second tier of the tournament for the first time, after suffering relegation last year.
But they made easy work of Ukraine in Kharkiv and were 2-0 up after the first two rubbers.
Four-time Wimbledon champion Williams, 30, demolished her opponent Elina Svitolina 6-2 6-1 after Christina McHale had won the opening match against Lesia Tsurenko 1-6 6-4 3-6.
Williams then beat Tsurenko 6-3 6-2 to wrap up the victory.
But the USA, who have won a record 17 Fed Cup titles, were not finished yet and went on to complete the whitewash.
Kimiko Date-Krumm, 41, was the hero for Japan as she won two rubbers to help them overcome Belgium.
Her 6-1 6-4 victory over Tamaryn Hendler and Ayumi Morita's 6-4 6-4 win over Alison van Uytvanck gave them a 2-0 lead at the end of day one.
Morito then beat Hendler 7-5 6-2 to tie up the victory before Uytvanck beat Kurumi Nara 6-7 (7-2) 0-6.
Uytvanck then played her third rubber as she linked up with Ysaline Bonaventure in the doubles but was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Date-Krumm and Rika Fujiwara.
Australia were also two rubbers to the good after day one as they took on Germany in Stuttgart.
Sam Stosur's 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 win over Angelique Kerber and Jarmila Gajdosova's 6-4 6-4 victory over Julia Goerges put them in a strong position going into day two.
World number 11 Andrea Petkovic was forced into action earlier than planned for the Germans as they looked to claw their way back into the tie.
After three months out injured she was scheduled to only play the doubles but instead took on Stosur, although she could do little to prevent the Australian winning the match 6-4 6-1 and therefore the tie.
In the final play-off match Slovakia beat Spain with Daniela Hantuchova securing the all-important victory.
The world number 20 recovered after losing the first set 6-0 to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to give them an unassailable 3-1 lead.
The tie was level at 1-1 after the first leg with Dominika Cibulkova winning 6-3 6-0 against Lourdes Dominguez Lino before Hantuchova was beaten 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by Silvia Soler-Espinosa.
Cibulkova then beat Soler-Espinosa 6-4 6-4 to give Slovakia a 2-1 lead and Hantuchova secured their return to the world group.
China manufacturing on the mend, HSBC survey shows
China's manufacturing activity slowed less quickly in April than the previous month, a preliminary HSBC survey has showed.
The HSBC Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) rose to 49.1 from 48.3 in March easing concerns of a sharp slowdown in China's economy.
There have been fears that slowing growth in key markets such as the US and eurozone may hurt China's economy.
China relies heavily on manufacturing and exports for growth.
The PMI is a key indicator of manufacturing activity. A reading below 50 shows contraction in the sector and the HSBC index has remained below that mark for six straight months now.
However, Markit Economic Research, which publishes the index, said the latest reading "pointed to a slower pace of deterioration than in March, largely reflecting slower rates of decline of manufacturing production and new orders."
Additional easing?
The figures come just days after China reported that its economy expanded at an annual rate of 8.1% in the first three months of the year, the slowest pace of expansion in almost three years.
Prompted by concerns over the impact of a global slowdown on its economy, China's has been easing some of its policies in a bid to boost growth.
China's central bank has cut the amount of money that banks need to hold in reserves, twice in the past few months, in a bid to boost lending in the country.
Data out earlier this month showed that banks extended 1.01tn yuan ($160bn; £100bn) in new loans in March. much more than the forecast of 800bn yuan.
Hongbin Qu, chief economist China at HSBC said the latest PMI data indicated that "the earlier easing measures have started to work".
However Mr Qu added that despite the improvement in April, "the pace of both output and demand growth remains at a low level in an historical context."
He said that authorities need to take additional measures to ensure a sustained growth in the manufacturing sector.
Hong Kong fines brokerage firm for inadequate diligence
Hong Kong's securities regulator has fined a brokerage firm and revoked its corporate finance licence as it seeks to implement tighter control over share sales.
Mega Capital (Asia) has been fined HK$42m ($5.4m; £3.4m) for "inadequate and sub-standard" diligence work and "failure to act independently".
The firm was the sole adviser to Hontex International, which had raised HK$1bn via a share sale in 2009.
Mega Capital has denied the charges.
"Mega Capital's failure in discharging its sponsor's duties prejudiced the regulatory assessment of Hontex's suitability for listing and jeopardized the interests of the investing public," said Mark Steward, executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).
The fine is the largest so far imposed by the SFC.
'Regarded most grimly'
Hontex International listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2009.
However, just months after the listing the SFC filed a case in the High Court alleging that the prospectus filed by Hontex contained "materially false or misleading information".
The accounts of Hontex and four of its subsidiaries have been frozen and trading in its shares has also been suspended since March 2010.
The SFC said that Mega Capital, being the sole sponsor of Hontex, had failed to carry out its duties and gather proper information on the company.
In its statement, the SFC alleged that while collecting information on Hontex, Mega Capital had not approached any of Hontex's suppliers or customers directly.
The regulator said that all interviews conducted by Mega Capital "were arranged by Hontex and conducted in the presence of Hontex's representatives".
It also alleged that there were "no records showing what background or other due diligence searches had been conducted by Mega Capital on the suppliers, customers and franchisees of the Group".
"Given the important role played by sponsors, these failures must be regarded most grimly. The sanctions imposed on Mega Capital should make it clear that the SFC condemns such failure in the strongest terms," said SFC's Mr Steward.
George Zimmerman released on bail ahead of Trayvon trial
George Zimmerman has been released from prison on bail as he awaits trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin.
The neighbourhood watch volunteer left the Seminole County jail late Sunday night on a $150,000 (£93,000) bond.
He is set to go on trial on second degree murder charges for the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager on 26 February.
He claims he was acting in self-defence, but the case sparked an outcry in the US.
Afghanistan, US Finalize Strategic Partnership Agreement
Afghanistan and the United States have finalized the initial draft of a strategic partnership agreement outlining their relationship following the 2014 withdrawal of Western combat troops from the country.
No details were released about the content of the draft agreement, which will now be reviewed by the U.S. and Afghan presidents, the U.S. Congress and the Afghan parliament.
A statement from Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office says the draft agreement was initialed Sunday by Afghan National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker during a ceremony in Kabul.
U.S. officials say President Barack Obama expects to sign the document before a NATO summit in Chicago next month.
Negotiations on the deal saw progress recently after the U.S. agreed to Afghanistan's demand for full control over the U.S.-run Bagram prison and an end to controversial special forces night raids against Taliban insurgents.
President Karzai has said he wanted a written commitment of $2 billion a year from the United States after the withdrawal.
U.S. officials said they could pay up to about $4 billion a year to fund Afghan forces. But they also said the strategic pact is not meant to be a detailed aid package, but rather a broad framework committing both sides to continue to work together for years to come.
Hollande Emerges as Frontrunner in French Presidential Election
Socialist Francois Hollande has emerged as the frontrunner in France's presidential election after beating incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in Sunday's first round.
First official results give Hollande 29 percent of the vote and the conservative Mr. Sarkozy 26 percent. Both will meet again in a runoff vote on May 6.
Eight other candidates finished far behind. But far-right anti-immigrant candidate Marie le Pen surprised poll-watchers by finishing in a strong third place with double digits.
Hollande is declaring himself the best candidate to become France's new president. He said he wants to unite what he calls a country divided by President Sarkozy's failed policies. He also says he wants to boost taxes on millionaires.
Mr. Sarkozy said he understands French voters are concerned in a time of crisis, including worries about the economy and crime. He challenged Hollande to three debates on social, economic and international issues before the May 6 runoff.
China, Russia Launch Joint Naval Exercises
China and Russia launched joint naval exercises Sunday in the Yellow Sea between the east coast of mainland China and the Korean peninsula.
Chinese state media report that 16 Chinese surface vessels and two submarines, as well as four Russian warships, are taking part in the six days of drills scheduled from April 22 through 27.
The Chinese and Russian vessels gathered at the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao Saturday — the home of China's northern fleet.
The exercises will include maritime air defense, anti-submarine tactics, search-and-rescue and the simulated rescue of hijacked ships, and anti-terrorism drills.
Formerly Cold War rivals for leadership of the communist world, China and Russia have conducted four bilateral and multilateral military exercises since 2005.
The two countries are also participants in six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program that also include the two Koreas, Japan and the U.S.