NEU » a beating from Kovalev -- to fellow Brit

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Test captain, has urged the cricketing world to embrace the concept of day-night Test quickly. Pakistan are set to play their first-ever pink-ball Test in Dubai against West Indies next month, from October 13 to 17. Pakistan have also agreed to a day-night Test against Australia in Brisbane in December.The debate around the pink ball and day-night Tests has been on for more than five years, and the PCB was perhaps the first board to show a keenness to host a day-night Test; it proposed to play one against Sri Lanka in the UAE in 2013. The proposal, however, was declined, citing lack of practice with the pink ball. Misbah said the only way to iron out all the issues with format was to play it more often.Future belongs to night Tests and this should be played frequently, Misbah said. Its a good thing that PCB increased the number of [first-class] day-night games in domestic cricket, and each team will be getting two games or so this season. If future is with day-night Tests, then we have to play it more often and we have to start embracing it quickly. Like we play one-day cricket with white ball, and this pattern had been adapted everywhere in domestic and even in club cricket...Meanwhile, there are problems, whether its a pink or orange ball, for batsmen and fielders so far. These issues can only sorted by playing more cricket under lights with pink balls. Since the game is played for the fans and for the audience, this night cricket is the future and its definitely good for cricket. The more frequently we play under lights, it will give more exposure and allow players to get used to it.The ICC permitted member boards to play day-night Tests from October 2012, but the onus remained on individual boards to decide on the feasibility of these matches in their bilateral agreements, and the precise brand, type and colour of ball to be used for the match. The PCB has been experimenting with day-night first-class cricket for the last six years, though it did not extend the experiment beyond a few games.In 2010-11, the final of the domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was played with an orange ball in Karachi, and the 2011-12 final was played with a pink ball. This years final, between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, who were led by Misbah, and United Bank, captained by Younis Khan, received mixed reactions relating to the visibility of the pink ball under floodlights. The PCB has also scheduled 10 day-night matches to be played with the pink ball in the forthcoming first-class season, which begins next week.Regarding Pakistans first day-night Test, Misbah said: We will have six to seven days before the first Test, so we have to train maximum under lights with pink ball, and try to understand the conditions. We have to adjust to the timing of the sessions, understand how the ball will travel under lights, how much the ball will swing under lights, and how much the dew factor will be affecting it. If you see, the major chunk of the Test is in night, so it basically isnt really a day-night Test. So we have to start working from scratch.Orlando Pace Rams Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cory Littleton Jersey . 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Kurt Warner Rams Jersey . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half.Nathan Cleverly expects Sergey Kovalev to beat Andre Ward on Saturday and wants a rematch with him next year.Cleverly (30-3, 16 KOs) is as excited as any fan about the fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas which will decide the light-heavyweight divisions No.1.But the Briton has a close personal interest, too, as he should have a chance to line up a 2017 bout against the winner of Florida-based Russian Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), who will defend his WBA super, WBO and IBF world titles, and American Ward (30-0, 15 KOs).Its a brilliant fight, probably the best in the whole of boxing at the moment, because its such a contrast of styles, Cleverly told ESPN.Ward is a masterclass technically as a fighter and then you have Kovalev, whose boxing skills are underrated but has brute force in both hands. Its intriguing.It will be so close, and go the distance, but Im going with Kovalev. I see why people are thinking Ward, but Kovalev keeps his distance and has good balance, he has got long punches -- and he is the bigger guy.Kovalevs the natural light-heavyweight and Ward has come up from super-middle. He [Kovalev] is experienced at fighting bigger guys and his power will be enough to put Ward into his shell. He will win the rounds on work rate and make Ward very defensive. I think he will win a close decision.Kovalev became world champion in 2013 when he dealt Cleverly his first defeat as a professional, in front of his fans in Wales.It was a brutal fourth-round lesson for the home fighter, which featured two knockdowns before it was stopped. But that hasnt put Cleveerly off a rematch with the Russian.ddddddddddddThe winner is my official mandatory defence, so will collide with me at some point in the not-so-distant future, he said. They will get their business done and I will get my business done and then it could happen.If its Kovalev, people will think Im crazy to get back in the ring with him, but Im a fighter and Im a risk-taker; if its there, I will do it. I took the fight too early last time -- next time will be different.Cleverly has suffered two points losses since taking a beating from Kovalev -- to fellow Briton Tony Bellew up at cruiserweight, and against Andrzej Fonfara. However, he revived his career last month when he won the WBAs regular version of the world title from Juergen Braehmer, who retired before the start of the seventh round with a shoulder injury.Provisionally, the rematch with Braehmer is my next fight, Cleverly said. I signed a rematch clause before the fight so Im expecting to fight him again in Germany.I won the [WBO] world title at 24, which is very young when you are against fully-grown men. I took a risk by fighting Kovalev aged 26; he was an unknown quantity then. He came over to the UK and I was a bit immature, he was a mature 30-year-old.He had too much for me. It was a devastating defeat at the time, but maybe it needed to happen. Mentally, Ive wised up, it has given me time to physically mature and get stronger, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. ' ' '