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Sports 34 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020
LAUSANNE (AFP) - Former world
record holder and Olympic gold
medallist Roland Schoeman
has been suspended for dop-
ing, the International Swimming
Federation (Fina) announced
on Thursday.
The South African, who is 39
and was training for the 2020
Olympics, tested positive in May
2019 for a prohibited product
from the family of “hormonal and
metabolic modulators”, Fina said.
Schoeman has been suspend-
ed until May 17. The swimming
competition in Tokyo starts on
July 25.
He was part of the winning
South African 4x100m relay team
at the 2004 Olympics in Athens,
a triple world champion and
held world records in butter“ly
and freestyle.
The swimmer can appeal to
the Court of Arbitration for Sport
in Lausanne.
SYDNEY (AFP) - Indian superstar
Sachin Tendulkar (pic right) paid
Australian batsman Marnus La-
buschagne the ultimate compli-
ment yesterday, singling him out as
the player most like himself.
Labuschagne emerged from
nowhere to become Test cricket’s
leading scorer last year with 1,104
runs, including 896 since Novem-
ber - beating the great Neil Harvey
(834) for the most scored by an
Australian in a “ive-Test summer.
None of this may have happened
if Labuschagne had not grabbed
his chance as a concussion sub-
stitute for Steve Smith during Aus-
tralia’s Ashes campaign in England
last August.
He made the most of the op-
portunity, reeling oš four con-
secutive half-centuries and “in-
ishing the Ashes with 353 runs at
50.42, before an incredible sum-
mer series against Pakistan and
New Zealand.
Tendulkar was at Lord’s when La-
buschagne came on as Test crick-
et’s “irst-ever concussion substitute
and was immediately impressed.
“His footwork was incredible, so
he would be the one I would say,”
Tendulkar said in Sydney when
asked if any modern-day player re-
minds him of himself.
“I saw Marnus getting hit (on the
helmet) oš the second ball from
Jofra Archer and post that, the 15
minutes he batted, I said ‘this play-
er looks special, there is something
about him’.”
“Footwork is not physical, it’s
mental,” he added.
“If you’re not thinking positively
in your mind, then your feet won’t
RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (AP) — Pak-
istan’s pace bowlers struck early
to leave Bangladesh struggling
at 95£3 on the “irst day of the “irst
test yesterday.
Shaheen Afridi (2£30) had
21-year-old debutant Saif Hassan
caught in the slips for no score oš
his third delivery and then broke a
half-century stand when the left-
arm fast bowler switched ends and
had Bangladesh captain Mominul
Haque (30) caught behind.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, play-
ing his “irst test since Novem-
ber 2018, was unbeaten on 44
with six fours while experienced
Mahmudullah was not out on 17 in
an extended two-and-a-half hours
opening session.
Pakistan fast bowlers exploited a
tinge of grass on the wicket at the
Pindi Cricket Stadium after captain
Azhar Ali won the toss and opted
to “ield.
The visitors ran into early trou-
ble against Pakistan pace bowl-
ers and after Afridi’s early strike,
Mohammad Abbas successfully
went for leg before wicket referral
against Tamim Iqbal in the second
over but Nigel Llong overturned a
con“ident appeal.
Tamim, who scored a triple cen-
tury in domestic “irst-class game
last week, scored only three in his
comeback test match after the
lefthander missed Bangladesh’s last
test series against India.
Abbas bowled two tidy spells in
the “irst session and gave away only
seven runs in his 10 overs for the
key wicket of Tamim.
Mominul and Najmul played res-
olutely after two early setbacks and
just when they looked to carry Ban-
gladesh’s “ightback, Afridi broke the
59-run third-wicket partnership.
Mominul hit “ive that includ-
ed two on driven fours in Afridi’s
one over before the leftarmer in-
duced a thin edge of Bangladesh
skipper’s bat.
Pakistan retained the same
playing XI which won by 263 runs
against Sri Lanka at Karachi in last
December which meant no place
for allrounders Bilal Asif and Fa-
heem Ashraf.
Bangladesh also went with three
fast bowlers: Rubel Hossian, Abu
Jayed and Ebadot Hossain.
Afridi strikes twice as Bangladesh reaches
95-3 against Pakistan
Pakistan’s pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (2nd R) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Bangladesh’s
Mominul Haque during the irst day of the irst cricket Test match. PHOTO: AFP
Tendulkar likens Australia’s Labuschagne to himself
move. That clearly indicated to me
that this guy is mentally strong be-
cause if you’re not, your feet will
not move.”
Tendulkar, India’s greatest-ever
player, who scored 15,921 runs from
200 Tests, smacking 51 centuries, is
in Australia to take part in a charity
match tomorrow in Melbourne to
raise funds for bush“ire relief.
South African swim
star Schoeman
banned for doping
File photo shows Roland Schoeman competing in the men’s 50m
breaststroke inal at the FINA Swimming World Cup Tokyo meet in
Tokyo. PHOTO: AFP