Chris Gayle has backed his West Indies side to cause an upset in their five match one-day international (ODI) series with Australia, which starts this morning in Melbourne.
Despite the fact his side have not triumphed in a 50-over match since 2006, Gayle was bullish of his team's prospects against the world champions, even going as far as to boast: "We're going to beat them 4-1."
"I don't see any reason why we can't get it done. The wickets over here are very good to bat on. It should be even-steven going into this game.
"Australia are playing some good cricket. They will be difficult to beat. It's an inexperienced team at this point in time but at the same time it's a lovely opportunity for the guys to step up against Australia and make a name for themself and then look forward to their career."
Australia may have Doug Bollinger back in their bowling attack after he was rested for the last two matches of their 5-0 series whitewash of Pakistan, but captain Ricky Ponting said his side cannot afford to live on past glories and must look to keep on improving.
"Our one-day record over the last few months is very, very good but we can't afford to just be happy with what we've done," he said. "We have to keep moving forward."
Meanwhile, New Zealand play their second ODI against Bangladesh tomorrow in Dunedin and despite winning the first match on Friday by 146 runs their new coach Mark Greatbatch said he wants more from his bowlers.
They dismissed a poor Bangladesh side for 190, but Greatbatch said: "We need to bowl a bit fuller.
"Even if we do get hit down the ground, we're giving ourselves opportunities to pick wickets up early."
* With agencies
Australia v West indies, 7.30am, Showsports 2
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
HOW TO WATCH
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RESULTS
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Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
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Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari