Australia captain Tim Paine with Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. Getty Images
Australia captain Tim Paine with Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. Getty Images
Australia captain Tim Paine with Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. Getty Images
Australia captain Tim Paine with Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. Getty Images

Tim Paine denies Australian players went easy on Virat Kohli to protect IPL contracts


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Australia Test captain Tim Paine insists his players did not take it easy against India captain Virat Kohli during the 2018-19 series Down Under to protect  their Indian Premier League (IPL) prospects.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke had claimed that some Australian players had steered clear of antagonising Kohli as they feared it could negatively impact their franchise deals.

India went on to win the Test series 2-1 in the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, who had been serving their suspensions after the ball-tampering scandal.

Paine said it was a team strategy to not get into any verbal confrontation with Kohli as that usually spurs him on. And nothing more than that.

"I certainly didn't notice too many people being that nice to Virat or not trying to get him out or anything like that," Paine told ESPNcricinfo.

"I thought everyone who had the ball in their hand or when we were batting were trying their absolute best to win the game for Australia. I'm not sure who was going easy on him; we certainly had a thing where we didn't want to provoke any fight with him because we think that's when he plays at his best.

"I certainly wasn't holding back, but again the IPL is not a huge draw for me, so I had nothing to lose. But anytime our guys go out and play a Test for Australia, they'll be giving their absolute all and I'm pretty sure they're not thinking about an IPL contract when they're running in, bowling to Virat."

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Kohli on turning vegetarian

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Clarke had previously criticised the Australian team for 'worrying about being liked'. However, Paine believes successful Test campaigns in the Ashes and against Pakistan and New Zealand show that the team has hit the right balance.

"What you say on the field is irrelevant 99 per cent of the time," Paine said.

"Sometimes you can get a little inside someone's head, but if you're not batting well and not bowling well, all the talk in the world doesn't mean anything."

"As we've seen in the last 12 or 18 months, we still stick up for each other, we still fight as hard as any Australian team. But we've just had to move with the times and I've been really proud of the way we've played our cricket."

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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

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It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

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In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

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Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
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5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

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Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)

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