Relieved Froome says ready to focus on Tour de France

Porte plots place on podium

LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, France, July 5, (Agencies): Defending champion Chris Froome said he was relieved to be able to pursue a fifth Tour de France title after being cleared by cycling’s governing body of any wrongdoing in a doping case.

On Monday, the case was dropped by UCI following an investigation after excessive levels of asthma drug Salbutamol was found in Froome’s urine sample during last September’s Vuelta a Espana.

Froome won the Giro d’Italia in May while the investigation was still going on, and the Tour organisers had sought to block his registration prior to the long-awaited verdict.

“Now I just want to draw a line in the sand and move on,” the 33-year-old told a news conference. “My aim is to win and go for a Tour-Giro double.

“Doing the Tour de France and the Vuelta (a Espana) last year taught me an amazing amount about how to manage my training... But really I can’t make a prediction about how it’s going to go.”

Froome believes he has nothing to fear from the French public, after UCI president David Lappartient called for a safe environment for the British rider during the race.

“I just raced the Giro in May with the Salbutamol thing hanging over me, and nothing happened there,” Froome added.

“In terms of safety I obviously would encourage fans of the sport to come watch the race, and if you are not

Porte

necessarily a Chris Froome fan or a Sky fan, come to the race and put a jersey on of another team you do support. That would be my advice.”

Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford praised Froome’s strength of character during the doping investigation.

“Chris has shown great strength and integrity while also maintaining his form. He won the Giro under those conditions,” he said.

“This is not the first time where there has been this feeling (against the team). We have to focus on our race.”

The 105th edition of the Tour begins in Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile on Saturday.

Australia’s Richie Porte knows the clock is ticking down on his cycling career but is confident he and his BMC team can deliver at least one podium spot on the 2018 Tour de France.

As lieutenant at Sky for both Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome in the past, Porte, 33 and with just a fifth placed Tour finish to his name, is hoping to get a head-start on his rivals for a result his fans believe he deserves.

“We have the horsepower to get us through the first week,” said Porte in reference to the expected windswept Western France section of the Tour that starts Saturday and needs the stronger, bigger riders.

“In the team time-trial on stage three we have Stefan Kung to lead us out and we can take time off our rivals there,” said Porte, who may find he or a teammate in the coveted leader’s yellow jersey at that stage. If so, he intends to hold on to it.

“I don’t think however that there is one, single clear favourite this year,” he said.

“With the bat, the ball and in the field we were a bit sloppy. We definitely expect more from ourselves.”

Pakistan had lost Haris Sohail for a golden duck after being put in to bat on a chilly midwinter morning in Harare, but Zaman and Hussain Talat wrested back control back with a rapid 72-run stand.

Talat cracked three fours and a six before playing one shot too many to be bowled by Glenn Maxwell’s offspin.

Zaman continued to middle his aggressive strokes and went to a 33-ball 50, his third for Pakistan in this format, with a slog sweep for six, while another big hit off Tye’s seamers took the batsman past his previous best of 61.

An edged four took Pakistan beyond 130, and Zaman into the 70s, in the 15th over, but he pulled the next ball he faced straight to Maxwell on the edge of the circle at midwicket.

The quick dismissal of captain Sarfraz Ahmed, edging a Tye legcutter into the hands of wick-

Pakistan batsman Asif Ali plays a shot during the fifth T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia of a T20

tri-series including host nation Zimbabwe at The Harare Sports Club in Harare on July 5. (AFP)

etkeeper Alex Carey, put a further dent in Pakistan’s batting, but the experienced Shoaib Malik ensured that the runs kept flowing.

He hit 15 off the 17th over, bowled by Marcus Stoinis, boosting Pakistan beyond 150. After he fell, Asif Ali struck three fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 37 to keep the pressure on Australia right to the end of the innings.

“We didn’t execute our plans very well,” said Tye.

“We probably set our fields a bit wrong at times as well. They knew what we were going to come out and do and they attacked us pretty hard at the start. Once they got away, we found it hard to bring it back.”

Pakistan kept up the pressure with the ball, with Afridi taking the vital early wicket of Aaron Finch when the Australian captain had made just 16.

Bowling from the Golf Course End, Afridi swung and seamed the ball prodigiously to trouble

Australia bowler Billy Stanlake delivers the ball during the fifth T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, one of a T20 TriSeries including host nation Zimbabwe, at The Harare Sports

Club in Harare on July 5. (AFP)

the batsmen.

He trapped Glenn Maxwell lbw, and then rattled D’Arcy Short’s stumps as Australia slipped to 75 for 5.

“Since yesterday I’ve been planning on getting (Finch and Maxwell’s) wickets, and trying to work out how to get them early,” Afridi said after his second international match for Pakistan.

“I think (Australia’s bowlers) didn’t take advantage of the pitch. The ball was seaming around a lot, and that’s why we pitched it up when we bowled.”

Australia’s chase never recovered from the early losses, with the rest of Pakistan’s attack chipping in with wickets in a muchimproved performance.

The two teams will meet again in Sunday’s final, and Afridi lined up Finch as a key wicket in that game.

“Finch is their main batsman and he’s playing really well, so I’ll focus particularly on trying to get him early on Sunday,” he said.