Soccer

Strikers fail to capture NASL Championship.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were held to a 0-0 draw by the newly crowned North American Soccer League (NASL) Champions, NSC Minnesota Stars when they played at the Lockhart Stadium on October 29. The Strikers could not overcome the 3-1 aggregate lead that the Stars held coming into the second leg of the final.

In front of over six thousand home supporters, the Strikers gave a spirited performance, but could not breach a solid Stars defensive line. Stars came with a game plan and a 'keep what we have' philosophy. The stars stuck to that plan until the end, employing 11 players behind the ball and breaking on the counterattack when it presented itself.

The Strikers who held majority of the ball possession, lacked the creativity needed to overcome this well organized Stars team. They did not carve out any real goal scoring opportunities for the entire 90 minutes.

They should not be faulted however, but commended for the effort, especially playing in wet conditions caused by a rainstorm, which made the turf heavy, slippery and also made ball control difficult. The team could not move the ball quickly enough on the surface to cause the Stars any real problem.

Strikers fans should look forward to next season and lend their support to the team. With a few new attacking acquisitions they should go one step further.

Congratulation to the NSC Minnesota Stars, on their first hold on the NASL Championship Trophy.

 Cricket:

West Indies defeat Bangladesh and claim a 1-0 series victory.

Seventh ranked West Indies defeated ninth ranked Bangladesh by 229 runs in the second and final test match of their two match series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh.

The West Indies won the toss and elected to bat, making a respectable 355 runs, then bowled steadily to restrict Bangladesh to 231. The West Indies then complied 383 runs and took a strangle hold of the game, setting Bangladesh a victory target of 508 runs. Bangladesh once against found the going rough and were bowled out for 278 runs.

It was good to see West Indies scoring over 300 runs in each innings and taking 20 wickets in a game despite the opposition. Batsman, Kirk Edwards was awarded "Man of the Match" for his performance and batsman Darren Bravo recorded his first test century.

Bowlers Fidel Edwards, took his first innings five wickets haul, and Devendra Bishoo, took his second innings five wickets haul for a total match haul of eight wickets. Bishoo was also voted ICC young cricketer of the year, and continues to be a bright spot in this underachieving West Indies team.

From a Bangladesh viewpoint, the team should be proud of the bat and ball performance of Shakib Al Hasan, which earned him "The Man of The Series" award.

 Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness bats for cricket:

Realizing the economic potential of Central Broward Regional Park and Stadium and its exclusive cricket facility, Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness has formed a Cricket Advisory Committee to promote and market the second most popular sport in the world, estimated by support of fans.

Members of the Broward County District 9 Commissioner Holness' Cricket Committee are some of the best in the cricket sports business. The committee will be chaired by, vice president of operations of Cricket Council USA, Jeff Miller. Other committee members include former West Indies players Lance Gibbs and Lawrence Rowe; General Manager of United States of America Cricket Association, Manaf Mohamed; radio personality John T. Hodgson, business executive, Daniel Williams and former Jamaica youth player Gregory Brown.

The role of the committee will be to seek teams and sponsors who will assist in bringing cricket to Broward County and to work closely with the USA Cricket Board and other organizations to ensure that Central Broward Regional attracts tournaments.

"I have been closely involved with the staff and officials at the Central Broward Regional Park and Stadium from its inception and have been impressed with the level of professionalism. I am looking forward to playing a part in bringing international cricket to the county, and offering any advice I can to ensure matches at the Central Broward Regional Park, one of the best cricket facilities in North America," said committee member Lance Gibbs.

Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world by estimated number of fans. The game is played throughout the Indian subcontinent, which has a population of 1.5 billion, which is more than one fifth of the world's population. It is also played in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the West Indies. Cricket is also among the top three most popular sports in Australia, England, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Mauritius.