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Unfazed Bavuma ready to 'make a big play', and soon

Published in Cricket
Saturday, 04 November 2023 05:18
Temba Bavuma is confident that, with South Africa's campaign at the World Cup entering a crucial stage, he will rediscover the touch that made him enter this tournament as South Africa's leading run-scorer in ODI cricket this year.
With 111 runs from five matches, Bavuma is the least profitable of South Africa's top six at the World Cup at the moment, and has also scored fewer runs than their No. 7, Marco Jansen, but the form of his team-mates means he does not have to feel the pressure yet. "You always want to be making contributions," he said in Kolkata ahead of South Africa's meeting with India. "The other batters are smashing it at the moment, and I take comfort in the fact that I've been involved in some partnerships with Quinton [de Kock] up front."
Bavuma and de Kock shared a 108-run stand against Australia in Lucknow, to which Bavuma contributed 35, but none of their other partnerships has topped 38. That 35 is Bavuma's top score. He has been dismissed by left-arm seamers twice but there isn't much more of a pattern to his (mis)fortunes other than the obvious - he has just been finding fielders. So, while the numbers say that Bavuma is struggling, some of the shots he has played - think the twin cover drives against New Zealand just before he edged Trent Boult to slip - and the ways in which he has got out suggest that things are not as bad as they may seem and de Kock agrees.

"Temba has been batting really well," de Kock told the media on Friday. "He has looked very solid up front. He has somehow found a way to keep getting out. He is still feeling good about his own game and is very confident. Temba always backs himself, which is a good thing and a good trait to have. He is not fazed. At least I hope he is not - it doesn't look like he is."

And 24 hours later, Bavuma confirmed that he is, indeed, unfazed. "From my side, maybe it's just one of those patches again where I am kind of scratching, but I think I've got to keep that belief that the opportunity will be there for me to make a big play within the team. That's where my head is," he said. "I take a lot of comfort in the fact that we've been getting starts in that first ten overs and obviously with the guys being in form, they've been able to exploit that and play the way that they've played."

But that does not mean there is no expectation of Bavuma and de Kock has predicts that one of the next few games - and South Africa have at least three matches left - will see the best of the captain. "I got a feeling one or two of these games - especially an important game - that's when he is going to come through for us. That's Temba Bavuma in a package," de Kock said.

Asked whether the backing of his team-mates is a balm during tough times, Bavuma appeared at his brightest in what could have otherwise been an intimidating press engagement. "I take a lot of confidence from that. That's something that I feel every day within the team," he said. "And I think it's probably due to the fact that there's a group of batters who've been with each other for the last three or four years. We've seen each other go through the little ups and the downs and we know that all of us mentally have what it takes to get over the little challenges that we face."

One of those challenges would have been the pre-match press conference. There were more journalists than at any of South Africa's other matches and one of them was direct in asking whether South Africa have faced their demons.

"Have you talked about not choking in this important match?" a reporter asked Bavuma, as there was some awkward shuffling in the room.

"I don't know how to answer that," Bavuma replied. "I think if we come unstuck tomorrow, I don't think it'll be a matter of choking. I doubt you would say that about India as well if they come unstuck that they would choke."

And that may have been the mic-drop. Bavuma is not a hostile or confrontational character but a soft-spoken, thoughtful and intellectual cricketer. And as this World Cup reaches the business end, he is proving to be one who has both internalised the challenges that he faces as the captain of a South African team, with all the history that comes with that role, and as an opening batter, albeit one who is due some runs.

"Mentally, I've obviously got to keep staying there. There's still got a lot of cricket to go within this tournament. And I believe that I'll have a part to play somewhere within the tournament."

Hardik Pandya out of World Cup with ankle injury

Published in Cricket
Saturday, 04 November 2023 05:31

Pandya had injured himself last month when he appeared to twist his left ankle while trying to stop a shot in his follow-through during his first over against Bangladesh. He played no further part in that match and was taken for scans. ESPNcricinfo understands he suffered ligament damage and has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Prasidh, who has 29 wickets in 17 ODIs, last played for India in two ODIs against Australia during the series just before the World Cup. He took three wickets in those games and also took five wickets in as many matches for Karnataka in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Prasidh had marked his return from a long layoff due to a stress fracture of the back when India toured Ireland in August and was also part of the Asia Cup squad, though he was largely on the bench and only played one game against Bangladesh.

After Hardik got injured, India dropped Shardul Thakur from their XI and brought in Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami, choosing to go in with six specialist batters, one allrounder, and four specialist bowlers in their World Cup games against New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka. While Suryakumar has made only 63 runs at a strike-rate of 105 in three innings, Shami has been a gamechanger, picking up 14 wickets in 22 overs at an average of 6.71 and economy of 4.27.

With seven wins in seven games, India were the first team to qualify for the semi-finals following their 302-run win against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Their next match against South Africa - on Sunday in Kolkata - could decide which team finishes top of the points table, before they play their final league fixture against Netherlands in Bengaluru on November 12.

Brisbane Heat 124 for 4 (A Kerr 59) beat Hobart Hurricanes 120 for 8 (Villani 58*) by six wickets

Amelia Kerr wasted no time making an impression on the WBBL with a starring all-round performance to put Brisbane Heat back at the top of the table after they had briefly been over taken by Sydney Thunder.

Kerr, who Heat knew would have a delayed arrival when they took her as expected in the draft, guided the run chase after a miserly performance with the ball in her first appearance of the season.

Kerr had success in her second over when she removed Heather Graham lbw amid a stuttering Hobart Hurricanes batting display and later added Ruth Johnston with her final delivery.

Fellow spinner Charli Knott had struck early to claim the key wicket of Lizelle Lee with her first delivery of the game. When Hurricanes fell to 44 for 5 in the 10th over they had been left a mountain to climb although Elyse Villani held things together with an unbeaten half-century to give them something to bowl at.

When Grace Harris was lbw to Molly Strano's first ball - beaten by one which went on with the arm - there was belief in the Hurricanes camp and Shabnim Ismail removed Georgia Redmayne to leave them 26 for 2.

However, from there Kerr had things under control with a 38-ball half-century, adding 57 for the third wicket with Mignon du Preez before Knott helped finish the chase.

Ismail was again impressive with the ball, sending down 13 dots in her four overs.

Sources: Cards rookie QB Tune expected to start

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 04 November 2023 07:26

Arizona Cardinals rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune is expected to make his first NFL start Sunday at Cleveland, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

On Monday, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said either Tune or Kyler Murray would start against the Browns. The Cardinals traded Joshua Dobbs -- their starter for the first eight weeks of the season -- to the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday and signed Jeff Driskel to the practice squad Wednesday.

Gannon has said for months that the Cardinals will make an organizational decision on Murray's return from an ACL tear. On Friday, he clarified that includes general manager Monti Ossenfort and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing along with Gannon and Murray. They also will keep owner Michael Bidwill in the loop, Gannon said.

All three Cardinals quarterbacks had a good week of practice, Gannon said. But the coach wanted to see how Murray and Tune looked in Friday's practice before making a decision, he said, while noting nothing will immediately change his mind.

Tune, 24, has played just one snap all season and it came on a fake punt in Seattle in Week 7. He completed his only pass for 4 yards. That's all Arizona has seen out of him outside of practice.

From the preseason -- when Tune completed 34 of 59 passes for 353 yards with a touchdown and an interception -- to now, Tune has noticed the NFL is "a little faster." He could tell it means more in the regular season, which has led to players being "more fired up." As a result, Tune said he'll need to make quick and smart decisions.

Tune said on Wednesday he's always been cool, calm and collected on the field. It's a persona instilled in him by former coaches, who stressed to Tune that it was important for his teammates to not see him too high or too low.

Information from ESPN's Josh Weinfuss was used in this report.

The College Football Playoff selection committee's first rankings released this week were hardly a surprise in terms of the top five teams.

Perhaps the rankings order confused some, since Georgia has been No. 1 for the entire year in the AP poll but debuted at No. 2 in the CFP rankings. Ohio State earned the top spot, followed by Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Washington, all unbeaten.

But while those schools and others in the top 25 battle for a spot in the national semifinals, some teams are battling to reach the six-win threshold required to make a bowl game.

Here's what to watch this weekend.

Can Week 10 help these teams become bowl eligible?

Clemson (4-4) (vs. No. 15 Notre Dame): It was just after Clemson wrapped a 39-10 stomping of North Carolina in last year's ACC championship game that Dabo Swinney admitted to something he'd spent the bulk of the 2022 season denying. He'd been pondering a QB change.

The admission came after Cade Klubnik came on in relief of DJ Uiagalelei and torched the Tar Heels, completing 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown, and officially locked down the starting job for the foreseeable future. But that all came a full month after Swinney was expecting Klubnik to land the gig.

"He's worked his butt off all year to get ready," Swinney said of Klubnik. "Thought he might take [the starting job] against Notre Dame, but it didn't work out."

Instead, Klubnik entered the game against Notre Dame late in the third quarter with Clemson trailing 14-0, and on his first pass, he threw an ugly interception to Benjamin Morrison that the Irish quickly turned into a game-securing touchdown. Swinney admitted later that he had put Klubnik into a tough situation. Clemson lost -- arguably its most lopsided regular-season defeat in eight years -- and Klubnik's ascendancy was put on hold.

A year later, Clemson and Notre Dame face off again Saturday (noon ET, ABC), and in some ways, the Tigers are still waiting on Klubnik. He has started every game this season, and there have been more than a few highlights. There have also been some brutal moments -- from a poorly timed slide against Duke to a woeful pick-six against Charleston Southern to a bad read at the line of scrimmage that ended Clemson's hopes against Miami to the pick-six that ultimately decided the game against NC State last week.

In all, Klubnik has been solid if unspectacular, completing 64% of his throws for 1,947 yards, with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. For a Clemson team sitting at 4-4, mired in its worst season since 2010, beleaguered after three one-possession losses, every mistake is magnified.

Beyond the wins and losses, however, Swinney looks back on last year's Notre Dame game and sees just how far his QB has come.

"It's night and day," Swinney said. "He's just more prepared. He's way more knowledgeable. He's bigger and stronger, but he's got some work still to do there. He's progressed. He's got some levels to go, but he's way ahead of where he was last year."

That might be the hardest pill for Clemson fans to swallow at the moment. After seeing Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence flourish as true freshmen, many expected Klubnik to blossom into a star last year. Certainly, as a sophomore, he'd make the leap. But in reality, Klubnik has gotten better but has yet to look the part of the next Tigers superstar at QB.

Clemson desperately needs a win, and Klubnik desperately wants his marquee moment. On Saturday against Notre Dame, the chance is there for both to happen. -- David Hale


Colorado (4-4) (vs. No. 16 Oregon State): When Colorado was 3-0, it was all but assumed the Buffaloes would reach a bowl game -- and for good reason. Since 2010, 91% of FBS teams that started 3-0 played in a bowl game. The thing about college football, though -- especially in this era -- is that nonconference wins can be incredibly deceiving. It was one thing when the Buffs beat "national runner-up TCU." The context is quite different in the wake of TCU's embarrassing 41-3 loss to Kansas State. ESPN's Football Power Index now gives Colorado just a 28.7% chance of reaching a bowl game. It requires two wins from the following four: No. 16 Oregon State; Arizona; at Washington State; at No. 18 Utah. The Buffs will probably be the betting underdog in each game.

For a team that started the season with such fanfare and managed to become culturally relevant beyond college football, this potential collapse looms as a massive missed opportunity. But it hasn't been missed yet. If the Buffs can turn the tide and finish the year on the upswing, it bodes well for how seriously they should be taken going into next season. It always figured to be too much of an uphill battle for a complete turnaround this year, but a bowl game would stand as a key milestone.-- Kyle Bonagura


TCU (4-4) (at Texas Tech, Thursday): Sonny Dykes' Year 2 after a dream season in his first year at TCU started with a nightmare in a season-opening upset loss to Colorado and continued with an injury to starting QB Chandler Morris, who could return later this season. It has been a roller-coaster ride since, with wins over a solid SMU team, blowouts of Houston and BYU, but losses to West Virginia and Iowa State. Then, Kansas State dominated the Horned Frogs 41-3 on Oct. 21 before a bye week. The Frogs still get a struggling Baylor team at home on Nov. 18, but have a fraught road ahead, beginning with Thursday night's game at Texas Tech in front of a rowdy Lubbock crowd being nearly a 50-50 toss-up according to ESPN's FPI. Caesars Sportsbook favors the Red Raiders by 3 as both teams will be going with backup quarterbacks. Lose, and TCU faces an uphill climb with No. 7 Texas (Nov. 11 at home) and No. 11 Oklahoma (Nov. 24 in Norman) still remaining. -- Dave Wilson


Mississippi State (4-4) (vs. Kentucky): It's been a struggle to score points for Mississippi State without quarterback Will Rogers the past two weeks. There's still no word on whether Rogers will return from a shoulder injury this week. But whether he does or doesn't, Mississippi State has to find a spark in its passing game. Mike Wright, a transfer from Vanderbilt, has started the past two games. He completed just 50% of his passes last week in a 27-13 loss to Auburn, a week after the Bulldogs managed 85 yards passing in a 7-3 win over Arkansas. Coach Zach Arnett has been tight-lipped on what the plan at quarterback would be this week. He was asked Monday about freshman Chris Parson starting and wouldn't rule it out. Looking at the rest of Mississippi State's schedule, this is a game the Bulldogs really need if they're going to make a run at the postseason, particularly being able to protect their home turf. Three of Mississippi State's last four games are at home. Kentucky has not won in Starkville since 2008, and this is an equally big game for the Wildcats, who've lost their past three. Quarterback Devin Leary had his best game of the season last week against Tennessee, but the Wildcats (5-3) couldn't stop the Vols' running game. Kentucky has given up 122 points in its past three games. The schedule doesn't get much easier for Kentucky with games remaining against nationally ranked foes Alabama and Louisville. -- Chris Low


Maryland (5-3) (vs. No. 11 Penn State): A three-game losing streak after the program's first 5-0 start since 2001 has Maryland staggering a bit. The road to bowl eligibility resumes with Penn State coming to College Park on Saturday. The Terrapins squandered early 14-7 first-half advantages in the losses to Illinois and Northwestern the past two weeks as they found themselves trailing by double digits in the second half. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa paces an offense that is third overall in the Big Ten (418.4 YPG) and averaged 38.6 points during the five-game winning streak to start the season. Mike Locksley's team, which has won bowl games the past two years, will go as far as Tagovailoa and a trio of talented receivers (Jeshaun Jones, Kaden Prather and Tai Felton) take them. Five turnovers combined in the three losses (two each against Ohio State and Northwestern) is an area that's going to have to be rectified in the season's last four games, a stretch that includes a home game with Michigan on Nov. 18. A stout Nittany Lions defense that's tied for fourth in FBS in passing defense (160.3 YPG) and third in scoring defense (11.5 PPG) looms first, providing an interesting chess match for Tagovailoa -- the Big Ten's leader in passing yards and touchdown passes -- & Co. to navigate. -- Blake Baumgartner


Wide receiver spotlight

play
0:33
Keon Coleman only needs 1 hand for the TD catch

Jordan Travis lobs one into the end zone to Keon Coleman, who makes a one-handed touchdown catch.

Keon Coleman, Florida State: Coleman, a Michigan State transfer, made his presence felt in the season opener against LSU with three touchdown catches and has not looked back. Coleman leads the ACC and ranks fifth nationally in receiving touchdowns with nine -- and has routinely made the difficult catches look routine, hurdling defenders, catching the game-winning touchdown against Clemson and the time he went sky high to catch a pass out of the air against Syracuse. That catch prompted Syracuse coach Dino Babers to say, "God was showing off when he made him." With fellow receiver Johnny Wilson out several games this season, Coleman has stepped up his game even more despite facing double-teams and has become the most dependable receiver on the team, leading the Seminoles with 38 catches and 538 receiving yards. In addition, Coleman added punt return responsibilities for the first time in his career and ranks third in the ACC, averaging 9.9 yards per return. -- Andrea Adelson

Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State: Harrison is a game-changer for the Ohio State offense, and he made a statement in the Buckeyes' win over Penn State. Harrison had 162 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions in the 20-12 win. He followed that up with 123 yards and two touchdowns against Wisconsin and is second in the conference in total touchdowns with eight, behind Michigan's Roman Wilson (10). While Wilson has more touchdown receptions with fewer catches, Harrison changes the way defenses have to game-plan and can disrupt the entire secondary with his skills. -- Tom VanHaaren

Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., LSU: It's a good thing Terrion Arnold has developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the country, providing balance opposite star corner Kool-Aid McKinstry. Because on Saturday, Alabama is going to need both of them to stop an LSU offense that arguably has two No. 1-caliber receivers in Nabers and Thomas. They're the only teammates to rank in the top 20 in receiving yards nationally, and together they've combined for 20 touchdowns and only five drops. Nabers, in particular, is a threat in the open field, having caused 15 missed tackles. -- Alex Scarborough

Adonai Mitchell, Texas: Mitchell already had a big-play reputation before he arrived in Austin after transferring from Georgia, where he had four playoff TDs (of his seven total TDs) in two years. He caught a 40-yard TD in the fourth quarter of Georgia's national championship win over Alabama after the 2021 season then caught the game winner against Ohio State in last year's semifinal game. At Texas, he's second in the Big 12 in TDs (seven) after adding two more against BYU as a key target for new QB Maalik Murphy. He had 10 catches for 141 yards and a TD against Kansas. He's been a huge addition for Texas to take pressure off Xavier Worthy, and the entire offense has benefited as a result. -- Wilson

Troy Franklin, Oregon: Only two Power 5 receivers have more touchdown receptions than Franklin (nine), who has caught at least four passes in each game this season and has topped the 100-yard mark five times. Franklin ranks No. 7 nationally in receiving yards (867) is nearly assured to be a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and is jockeying for All-American honors. If QB Bo Nix stays in the Heisman race, Franklin will have a lot to do with it. -- Bonagura


Quotes of the week

play
0:30
Sarkisian on Texas CFP case: We have best win in the country

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian cites his team's win over Alabama as part of his case for the Longhorns ahead of the first CFP rankings.

"I hear so much about how tough the SEC is, but I haven't seen any of those teams go in Alabama and win, either, so I feel pretty good about our team." -- Steve Sarkisian, making a case for his 7-1 Longhorns in the College Football Playoff race after a win over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa earlier this season.

"This is the Rose Bowl. They said the granddaddy of 'em all, right? I'm sure granddaddy had some money. Grandpa should have some money to give these kids." -- Deion Sanders, who wants Colorado players reimbursed for jewelry that was allegedly stolen from their locker room in Saturday game against UCLA.

"I can talk about the football game this Saturday. I can talk about the vibes in that preparation and where that stands today. It doesn't seem like you're interested in that." -- Jim Harbaugh, deflecting questions about his contract status or Michigan's sign-stealing controversy.

"We obviously are aware of a picture floating around with the sign-stealer guy. ... We were totally unaware of it. I certainly don't condone it in any way, shape or form. I do know that his name was on none of the passes that were [given] out." -- Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain, on images that appear to show alleged Michigan sign-stealer Connor Stalions wearing CMU gear on the Chippewas' sideline in a game against Michigan State.

"You're part of the problem. The expectation is greater than the appreciation. That's the problem. We've won 12 10-plus-win seasons in a row. That's happened three times in 150 years. Clemson ain't sniffed a national championship for 35 years; we've won two in seven years. And there's only two other teams that can say that: Georgia and Alabama. ... Listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want, and you can apply for the job. And good luck to you." -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, responding to a fan who called into his coaches' radio show and groused about Clemson's record vs. Swinney's salary.

How to master a horizontal jumps run-up

Published in Athletics
Saturday, 04 November 2023 07:06
We break down the fundamental elements required for the first section of your long or triple jump

The run-up is the must-do sprint for the horizontal jumper. The ability to accelerate then hit and hold maximum velocity must be married to rhythm and accuracy. 

Not training the run-up systematically is a common mistake. It has to be a deliberate phasing of acceleration and optimised speed usage if the jumper is to produce a step pattern which enables the  take-off board to be hit time after time.

Acceleration phase

The first steps are crucial push too hard and the run-up will not build as it should. The same applies if you dont push enough or push untidily.

I believe its best to use a standing start as this enables the athlete to be more deliberate and therefore accurate. The pressure sent through the track on the first six to eight steps must be controlled. Similar mechanics to a sprint start should be used, although torso inclination angles will not be so great.

Alignment phase 

The next six to eight steps are all about smoothly coming into an upright position, usually high knee sprinting. Hips and chest should also be elevated, but the direction of effort must be forward this might sound obvious but many jumpers dont transfer their momentum toward the board sufficiently.

The real and imagined sensation of going forwards down the run-up will facilitate setting up the take-off and getting the right combination of horizontal and vertical take-off velocity. 

The hips must therefore travel in the direction of the take-off. From a coaching perspective this is all to do with heel recovery and the dynamic movement of the foot from the back of the body to the front near to/over knee height. Above all, there must be relaxation.

Yulimar Rojas (Diamond League AG)

Attack phase

As the jumper approaches the last six or so steps of their run-up, they need to be nearing optimum take-off speed. Additionally, specific positioning of the last three steps for both long and triple jumps is required. It is not enough to just sprint through those steps to hit the board and make the take-off. 

Lets look at the two horizontal jumps and their attack phases.

Long jump

The last three steps are a bit of a long jump dark art. Very basically these steps are active, the jumper should push from the first step out into the penultimate which should be instructed to be flat footed (in reality the heel will lead into the contact) and transition equally quickly into the take-off step. The three steps should have a da da-da rhythm. 

The specific set-up will encourage the hips to move through the take-off better and enable the free (swing) leg to move forward of the hip at take-off to achieve the crucial held post-board take-off drive.

Ivana Vuleta (Mark Shearman)

Triple jump

The triple jumper needs to impart less vertical velocity at take-off compared to the long jumper. They need to preserve speed for their following phases. 

Most triple jumpers run through the take-off with less setting on the penultimate step, however some do lower their centre of mass more akin to the long jumper. Pablo Pichardo uses greater hop vertical velocity compared to other jumpers and thus the set on the penultimate step enables that trajectory. 

Pedro Pablo Pichardo (Getty)

Training methods

Do run-ups to the pit with take-off. There are numerous vital reasons for this:

 1  Spatial awareness. Judging distance at speed is a skill and therefore doing it with a pit in view makes this very, very specific. Id recommend that jumpers sight the board early on and only lift their eyes during the attack phase.

 2  The need to make a take-off will introduce correct step mechanics for the last three steps.

Make sure to use boards (real or marked with tape) that are at the correct distance from the pit. For the long jump, some tracks use 2m and even 3m boards from the sandpit. If you are used to the more common 1m board then going to a pit with a greater board to pit distance can create issues. Practise and therefore be specifically ready.

Break the run-up down into its phases and repeat those. Practise the acceleration phase on its own, then the acceleration and alignment phase and then the complete run-up. 

Do 3-4 of each. Doing this will create rhythm, accuracy and replicability.

Time the phases/run-up where possible. Knowing the optimum speeds generated can help develop consistency and correct distribution of effort. You want optimum speed to be two to three steps out. What you dont want is max run-up velocity 10m or so from the board, it needs to be around 6m out at least. You will need a specific timing system to identify this. 

England can look forward to an exciting future after beating perennial rivals New Zealand to win WXV1, according to captain Marlie Packer and interim head coach Louis Deacon.

The Red Roses clinched top spot at the inaugural tournament with a 33-12 win over the world champions in Auckland.

Packer was also named as World Rugby Women's Player of the Year.

"The future is bright. There is still a long way to go but we are building on very strong foundations," said Deacon.

Ex-England international Deacon will now hand full control to incoming head coach John Mitchell, who has been with the team during the tournament in New Zealand after finishing his role as defence coach with the Japan men's side.

"I have been really proud to coach them, I have enjoyed and loved it," Deacon added. "It is so exciting how far this group can go."

England's WXV win came just under a year after they lost a Rugby World Cup final to the Black Ferns, but Packer insisted that her team-mates - many of whom featured in that 34-31 loss - only had winning WXV1 in mind.

"We didn't focus on that [last year] at all," said the Saracens flanker. "The target was to be hitting our best performance this week. We had personal bests in the gym and in speed to really start believing in what we were doing over the last 11 weeks.

"A couple of times behind the sticks today, there were players who were there last year and some of those emotions were starting to be felt, but we stuck to our process and what we are good at.

"Full credit to everyone for riding out that emotion, but it is about being present in the moment and enjoying that moment.

"Sometimes losing makes you a better player and a better person and you learn from it. Beating New Zealand in their own back yard, there is no better feeling, but you have to grow and hopefully that is what the squad will learn from tonight."

England's next assignment is defending their Six Nations title, starting in March, while the longer-term aim is to build towards a home Rugby World Cup in 2025.

That preparation could feature another game against New Zealand, with talks held between the two nations about a standalone international at Twickenham in 2024.

"We keep saying that as the Red Roses we want to keep being world-leading, so to play a standalone game at Twickenham against New Zealand would be unreal," England captain Packer added.

"We got a record crowd there for the Six Nations [against France in April], so what better way than to beat that at HQ?

"We have a lot of games until then, we will focus on the Six Nations but when that comes around, all the girls will be up for it."

PCB chief Zaka Ashraf gets extension till end of World Cup

Published in Cricket
Saturday, 04 November 2023 04:26
Zaka Ashraf's tenure as the head of the PCB is set to continue until at least the end of the ongoing World Cup. The extension was confirmed by the patron of the board and current interim prime minister of Pakistan Anwar ul Haq Kakar in a TV interview on Friday.
The current interim management committee running the board, headed by Ashraf, was due to end on November 5. The future of the administration has been under intense scrutiny and the subject of considerable speculation in recent days after a series of high-profile missteps, including a press release which appeared to shift the blame on captain Babar Azam and selector Inzamam-ul-Haq (who has since resigned) and a controversy around a leaked Whatsapp conversation between Babar and a senior PCB official.
Ashraf's leadership has been criticised by members of the management committee including Zulfiqar Malik and Mustafa Ramday for its decision-making and lack of movement over conducting board elections, which was the mandate it came in with in July. Malik sent an email to Ashraf, other members of the committee as well as the prime minister in October, laying out his criticism of PCB operations. In a separate communication, Ramday has also outlined his concerns with the way the board has been run.

The options for the patron coming into this weekend were to either appoint a new committee or give an extension to the existing one over the weekend and the latter option has been chosen.

"At this time, you know there is a tournament going on," Kakar told Dawn News TV in an interview. "We'll look after this tournament what needs doing, what doesn't need doing. At this moment, I don't think we are going to make a big decision. The reason for that is that at times you have to work according to the doctrine of necessity. Once we are past the World Cup, then we'll see."

As prime minister, albeit interim, Kakar is also a patron of the PCB and in charge of the appointment of the board head. The doctrine of necessity that Kakar cited is remembered in Pakistan, infamously, as a judgment in 1954 by the Supreme Court chief justice that validated the use of extra-constitutional emergency powers, as well as a 1977 decision that validated a military coup.

Kakar's comments came a day before Pakistan's crucial World Cup game against New Zealand in Bengaluru where a loss would confirm Pakistan's exit from the tournament. They still have one more group-stage game to play against England next week in Kolkata.

They came after a meeting between the prime minister and Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain and allrounder, who had publicly criticised Ashraf on a TV show earlier in the week. That meeting then led to one on Friday between Afridi and Ashraf at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The PCB released a statement after that meeting saying that Afridi had expressed an interest in working with younger cricketers.

"Shahid Afridi expressed his interest in grooming young cricketers into future stars and positively shaping them into well-rounded representatives of Pakistan cricket," the statement said. "He also admired and appreciated Mr Zaka Ashraf's efforts and contributions for Pakistan cricket."

US Open champion Coco Gauff beat Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova to reach the semi-finals of the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.

The 19-year-old won 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 against the Czech and will now play fellow American and doubles partner Jessica Pegula in the last four.

Poland's Iga Swiatek beat Ons Jabeur 6-1 6-2 to book her semi-final spot.

She will now play top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2 3-6 6-3 to secure her progress.

Gauff's win against Vondrousova made her the first teenager to make the final four of the championships since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.

"In the wind, it's tough to be as aggressive as you want, because the bounces are weird and the ball was moving," Gauff said.

"So I'm glad I made that adjustment and didn't get too frustrated when I missed. You pay the price for hopefully a good reward."

The defeats for Vondrousova and Tunisian world number seven Jabeur meant they were eliminated following the final round of matches in their group.

Swiatek could usurp Sabalenka at the top of the women's rankings if she beats the Belarusian and goes on to win the event.

"We'll see what the conditions are going to be," Swiatek said. "Against Aryna it's never easy. I'm just going to do my best and focus on myself and what I want to do on court.

"We usually have these matches that are really exciting and really tough, both mentally and physically."

Sabalenka led 6-2 3-5 against Rybakina when play was suspended at 23:40 local time on Thursday because of stormy weather.

The Kazakh levelled the tie within two minutes of play being resumed, but Sabalenka eventually claimed a 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory.

"I didn't really think a lot about this match," she told Tennis Channel.

"I was just like, whatever. I'm going to go out there and do everything I can and if I win, I win and if I lose, I go home on vacation.

"I was just trying to play as good as I can."

The Belarusian, who is set to retain her world number one ranking if she reaches the final, joined group winner Pegula in the semi-finals.

Rybakina and eighth-seeded Greek Maria Sakkari were eliminated from their group.

World number one Novak Djokovic held off Holger Rune to reach the semi-finals of the Paris Masters.

Despite missing a match point in the second set this time, Djokovic clinched a 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 win to leave Rune's place at the ATP Finals in doubt.

Djokovic will play Andrey Rublev for a place in his ninth Paris Masters final after the Russian beat Australia's Alex de Minaur 4-6 6-3 6-1.

Victory for Rune would have secured his spot for this month's ATP Finals in Turin, which features the world's top eight players, but the Dane - ranked seventh in the world - is still well placed to make his debut at the end-of-season event.

However, Poland's Hubert Hurkacz faces missing out on the showpiece in Italy after a 6-1 4-6 6-4 defeat by Grigor Dimitrov that means he cannot break into the top eight.

Dimitrov will play Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals on Saturday following the Greek seventh seed's straight-set victory against Russia's Karen Khachanov.

Tsitsipas, who secured his place in Turin on Thursday and is yet to drop a set in Paris, won 6-3 6-4 to claim his 300th career singles win.

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