Dein erstes Forum » last Test, in December last year. Wes

Former rugby league international Jason Donnelly says cocaine is everywhere after grand finals.Cronulla fullback Ben Barbas career is once again at a crossroads, with the former Dally M Medallist released by the Sharks this week after testing positive to cocaine four days after the Sharks NRL grand final triumph over Melbourne.Donnelly, a member of St Georges back-to-back grand final squads in 1992-93, says, speaking from experience, cocaine tends to be rife around celebrations of the games biggest day.Cocaine is everywhere after grand finals, he told AAP.Im not casting judgement ... its just reality.Why do you think the NRL tests for recreational drugs?Donnellys claims might ruffle feathers but he insists little has changed in the professional era since his playing days of more than 20 years ago.He says some footballers are happy to run the risk of being tested while on a high - natural or otherwise - after completing a gruelling season in the ultimate fashion.Society is society and back when I was playing you knew it would get out of your system in 48 hours, he said.Thats what all the breaking your back for all year is: to have just maybe one night where youd party all night and let your hair down.A former New Zealand junior decathlon champion who once trained under the legendary Daley Thompson in Britain, Donnelly is adamant he never engaged in recreational drugs - but he saw it first hand.I was too focused, obsessed, growing up on being an athlete. I wanted to go to the Olympics, he said.The first time I was involved in a grand final, I was a bit overawed. I was only 21 and had come over from New Zealand.So then after the grand final, to see all the cocaine use was a bit of a surprise.Donnelly, a nuggety powerhouse and one of coach Brian Smiths trailblazing metre-eating wingers, also cast doubt on the consistency of drug testing.Theres no way that drug testing is random, he said.I was targeted because of my size to height but never failed any of the six or so tests I ever had. But I know teammates who were never tested.Ben Barbas 12-match suspension is what he deserves but I think it (party drug use) is rife.Cronulla stars made no secret on social media of the fact their premiership party lasted for days, posting numerous celebratory images but Sharks chairman Lyle Gorman said hed been assured by the NRL that no other players tested positive to illicit drugs. Rickey Jackson Saints Jersey . 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It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Match factsJuly 21-25, 2016 Start time 1000 local (1400 GMT)Big PictureAjinkya Rahane has said it will be the key. R Ashwin has said this series will be all about it. West Indies coach Phil Simmons has said his side will harp on the word throughout the series. All signs so far point to a test of patience on what have become quintessential slow and low Caribbean pitches.The physicality of winning a Test in the West Indies, no matter how weak the regional Test side might have become, cannot be overstated. The outfields are heavy, which will mean a lot of running. Over the last 10 years, only Zimbabwe and the UAE have produced runs at a slower clip.This is an uneven contest with the best West Indies players not available through problems with the administration and other lucrative options available, the CPL in this case, which will clash with the Test series. As much as for the bowlers and the batsmen, this will be a test for the watching public of the Caribbean islands; many will be choosing between the modern stadiums sans the character of old hosting attritional Test cricket and the CPL matches full of life in the cooler and colourful evenings.If West Indies can manage to make time a factor with good attritional Test cricket, it could be a fascinating series. Make the Indian bowlers earn every wicket, make their batsmen go uneasy in an attempt to give the bowlers enough time, absorb the punches and land one when India leave themselves open in trying too hard. If it works in Antigua, in Jamaica they could even try to blindside India with a green seamer. At a time when West Indies, the World T20 champions, are on the mend in ODIs and have their own T20 party going on, the Test side will need to tell their fans why they should give them their patience.On the other end will be a side looking to break away from its limited ambition of the past. India have claimed they dont want to win series 1-0 anymore. They want to win every Test. Their captain has said he wont entertain tired bowlers in the final sessions of long days. Their new coach is an epitome of relentlessness. They wont be shy of sacrificing a batsman for an allrounder or a bowler in order to claim 20 wickets. From their two warm-up games in St Kitts, they have realised they will have to stretch every sinew to take 20 wickets: batsmen might have to score quicker, and bowlers will have to peg away for long hours.Form guideWest Indies DLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first) ? India WWDWWIn the spotlightMan of World T20 final. Averages 44.69 in ODIs since 2013. Yet Marlon Samuels, the most experienced player in the squad, can be considered lucky to be in the playing party. He has gone 10 Test innings without reaching 20, has scored only two hundreds in the last three years, and has averaged 25.14 in the period. His career average of 33.53 is hardly justification for either his talent or persistence over 64 Tests. If Kemar Roachs dropping is anything to go by, West Indies selectors might be running out of patience and Samuels time. On him and Darren Bravo will rest the biggest responsibility for scoring runs.Im sure Ill have to be as boring as possible in terms of trying to plug away all day long. R Ashwin is not used to being boring. He has already bagged five Man-of-the-series awards in Tests, the joint most by an Indian. He takes a wicket every 52 balls - 46 at home, where he has been at his most effective. He takes a five-for every other Test. If West Indies do manage to hold India off,, Ashwin will have to show he can be boring and persistent and, every once in a while, magical.ddddddddddddTeam newsWest Indies will have one new opener, a new wicketkeeper, a new pace attack and a new spinner from the last time they played a Test. Five men from their last Test XI are not even in this 13-man squad. Expect a debut for Miguel Cummins, Rajendra Chandrika to open alongside Kraigg Brathwaite, and Devendra Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel to make comebacks.WestIndies (probable) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Rajendra Chandrika, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jermaine Blackwood/ Leon Johnson/Roston Chase, 6 Carlos Brathwaite, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt.), 9 Shanon Gabriel, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Devendra BishooIndia go in with a much more settled team; seven months since they last played a Test in a different continent. Nobody will bat an eyelid if they retain the XI. Kohli admitted it was a difficult choice to pick one out of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, although he hinted Dhawan might retain his place. With the pitch expected to be flat, India are likely to continue with five bowlers, but the decision will be whether that fifth bowler should be a spinner, a pure seamer or an allrounder. Kohli has been known to prefer Stuart Binny in the role outside India. Mohammed Shami, who has taken the new ball on each of the three occasions that India have bowled in the warm-ups, should walk right back into the XI after injury kept him out for most of 2015.India(probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Stuart Binny, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Mohammed ShamiPitch and conditionsThere was some grass on the surface, but it seemed dry underneath on the eve of the match. Kohli felt that the grass was only to hold the pitch together, and it would behave like an Indian track. The ball might not bounce much, with conditions favouring the batsmen initially.There have been brief, sharp showers on the days leading up to the Test, and more rain is forecast for days three and four. Its hurricane season all over the Caribbean, but Antigua is usually one of the drier islands.Stats and triviaIndia have played 27 limited-overs internationals since their last Test, in December last year. West Indies last played a Test in the first week of 2016, but have played only 13 other international matches since then.R Ashwin has 16 five-wicket hauls in his first 32 Tests, level with Clarrie Grimmett among spinners at the end of their 32nd Test.The five bowlers in the West Indies squad have a combined experience of 111 wickets. R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma have taken more by themselves.The Indian squad has scored 40 Test hundreds to West Indies 20.QuotesIm really happy to be back here. The atmosphere is really good, people like cricket, they support it. Im really excited to play a Test match here after so long. So is everyone else in the team. Virat Kohli on returning to West Indies for the Test seriesIts the first time Im involved in a series playing four Tests. I think the name of the game is recovery in between Test matches. Theres not much time either. Its not going to be easy. Its going to be tough for every member of the squad. West Indies captain Jason Holder on the importance of rest and recovery in a four-match Test series ' ' '