Lippi accused of 'not doing enough' for Chinese national team

Marcello Lippi accused of neglect and delivering "a slap in the face". — Photo: AFP/FileSHANGHAI: Marcello Lippi was accused Friday of neglect and delivering "a slap in the face" amid grumblings that China's coach is not doing enough to justify one of the highest salaries in football management.Former Everton midfielder Li Tie will temporarily take charge of China's national team at an East Asian championships next month in South Korea instead of the 71-year-old Italian World Cup winner.Thursday's announcement by the Chinese Football Association was greeted with anger by sections of local media, which said that it had nevertheless been long known that Lippi had opted to remain home in Italy for the tournament."But this doesn't mean that this is not a problem," said a scathing commentary in the influential Oriental Sports Daily."However, shouldn't training the team be his job? Since he holds the salary of the position of the national football coach, he should do the work that the national football coach should do."The former Juventus and Italy boss Lippi, who quit as China's coach in January only to return in May, reportedly earns 180 million yuan ($25 million) a year.But suggesting that Lippi has little interest in the long-term development of Chinese football, Oriental Sports Daily added: "Lippi neglected his duties halfway."No matter whose face this slap lands on, one should follow up with a question -- who gave Lippi the qualification and power to do this?"Lippi is attempting to take China, ranked 69th in the FIFA world rankings, to only their second World Cup.He has won 16 of his 36 matches in charge over two spells but his reign will be judged on whether he can get the world's most populous country to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.Read more: Barcelona players ready to alter own contracts to buy star player NeymarOne report said that Lippi felt the South Korea trip was bad timing, coming at the end of the Chinese season, but Tencent Sports was unimpressed.After a World Cup qualifier against Syria in mid-November, Lippi will return to Italy and spend Christmas there, Tencent said."The holiday may last for four months.""Therefore it is no exaggeration for fans to say that Lippi's annual salary of 180 million yuan is too easy."Coaching the national football team carries huge pressure for any head coach, but it is almost impossible to see this in Lippi."China are second behind Syria in their qualifying group following a 0-0 draw at the Philippines in their previous game

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/338PTOL

Warner leads Australia to T20I clean-sweep over Sri Lanka

Australia's David Warner celebrates scoring 50 runs against Sri Lanka with teammate Ashton Turner (L), as Australia swept the Twenty20 series 3-0 (AFP Photo/WILLIAM WEST)MELBOURNE: Australia cruised past Sri Lanka to clean-sweep their three-match Twenty20 series Friday, with an in-form David Warner grinding out a third successive half-century in the seven wicket win.The home team have been dominant throughout, winning by 134 runs in Adelaide and by nine wickets with seven overs to spare in Brisbane ahead of the clash in Melbourne.Sri Lanka´s batting had been insipid until now, but they finally posted a competitive score of 142 for six, with Kusal Perera hitting 57.However their bowlers, led by Lasith Malinga, have been no match for a quality Australian batting line-up, spearheaded by Warner who has now scored 217 in three innings without losing his wicket."It was pretty clinical once we got into a routine," said Australia captain Aaron Finch. "The way the bowlers set it up for us over the last two games, it was outstanding. "Every game is a different challenge and a different surface, so it´s important to bring in your best, in terms of preparation and mental side of the game too."Openers Finch and Warner were both dropped early in the run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and they made the visitors pay, putting on 69 for the first wicket.Finch hit three big sixes before falling for 37, caught by Shehan Jayasuriya off Lahiru Kumara.That brought Steve Smith to the crease, but he only lasted nine balls, caught in the deep for 13.Warner, who scored an unbeaten 100 and 60 not out in the opening two games, was heard on the pitch microphone saying he was struggling with his rhythm. But he still produced the goods, bringing up his 50 off 44 balls to end the match unbeaten on 57, aided by Ashton Turner who chipped in with 22 as Australia reached 145 for three with 14 balls to spare.Australia have set a target of being the number one T20 side by the time the World Cup is played on home soil in a year´s time, and their whitewash of Sri Lanka is set to propel them above South Africa and into third place.An even bigger test starts on Sunday, when they face top-ranked Pakistan in the first of three T20s."We haven´t been up to our standards. We haven´t performed at our best and if we don´t, we will end up like this," said Sri Lanka opener Niroshan Dickwella. "We learnt a lot in this series, but we couldn´t even compete properly."Finch won the toss and put Sri Lanka into bat and it didn´t start well for the visitors.Dickwella, elevated to opener after Danushka Gunathilaka was dropped, was out first ball.Kusal Mendis and Perera showed some aggression, slapping a handful of boundaries, before Kane Richardson tempted Mendis into another big shot and he was caught at deep square for 13.Perera and Avishka Fernando pushed the score to 65 for two at the halfway mark, building a 43-run partnership, the team´s highest of the series, before Fernando was caught near the boundary off Pat Cummins for 20.Oshada Fernando followed soon after for six, but the aggressive Perera kept plugging away, bringing up his sixth T20 half-century off 38 balls.He fell for 57, top-edging a Cummins ball to Ashton Turner at mid-off.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2Wz32hN

ICC declares Williamson's bowling action to be legal

The ICC gives the Kiwi captain the all clear. Photo: AFPThe International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed that New Zealand captain Kane Williamson's bowling action has been found to be legal and he can continue bowling in international cricket, as per the ICC press release.Williamson, who bowls off-spin, had been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during the first Test against Sri Lanka played in Galle from 14 to 18 August.He subsequently underwent a bowling assessment in Loughborough on 11 October, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations.Details of the ICC regulations for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal bowling actions can be found here.Williamson had earlier been suspended from bowling in international cricket in July 2014. He was allowed to resume bowling in December 2014 following remedial work and reassessment.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2PAbNGD

Home ground will give Pakistan upper hand against India: Hameed-ul-Haq

Pakistan's top tennis star Aisam ul Haq Qureshi. Photo: File Pakistan’s chances to win the Davis Cup tie against India have doubled as the new Indian squad without their key players would not be able to put up a tough fight, former Davis Cup captain Hameed-ul-Haq said while speaking to ‘The News’ on Thursday.The tie is scheduled from November 29-30 in Islamabad. India’s non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi and star doubles player Rohan Bopanna have refused to travel to Pakistan. Besides, top singles players Ramkumar Ramanathan, Sumit Nagal and Sasi Kumar Mukund have also expressed their reluctance to travel to Islamabad.Moreover, India’s highest-ranked singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran will be unavailable for the tie as he is getting married on November 29.Hameed said the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-I tie would be played on the grass courts of Pakistan Sports Complex which give the home team an extra advantage.The former Davis Cup captain recalled last year's home match in which Pakistan defeated a strong Korea team 4-0 which proved that the team can do the same again with good tactical planning.Read more: India sends team list to PTF for Davis Cup tieHameed suggested the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) to allow the players to practice on home ground. “In order to reap the home court advantage, the team should be allowed to practise on the match court before the arrival of the ITF Referee," he said. “Because once the referee arrives the practice timing on the match court is distributed equally between the teams, nullifying our home court advantage.” In addition to this he said that the winning bonus received from the ITF should not be diverted to other projects as it is meant for the players and PTF should distribute it among the players.The Indian team will be led by Leander Paes. The list submitted by the Indian tennis authorities to Pakistan for visa processing has the following names: Saketh Myneni, Arjun Kadhe, Vijay Sundar Prashanth, N Sriram Balaji, Siddharth Rawat and Manish Suresh Kumar.The support staff consists of coach Syed Zeeshan Ali, manager Sunder Narayan Iyer and physiotherapist Anand Kumar.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2C0Dy3d

Sharma to take over India's T20I reins in Kohli's absence

“I got this opportunity to lead the team, and it’s a great honour," he said. Photo: AP NEW DELHI: Captaining India is such an honour for Rohit Sharma that he would not fuss whether it’s full time or sporadic, the stylish opener said on Thursday.Virat Kohli leads India across formats but former players including Yuvraj Singh see merit in split captaincy with limited-overs stalwart Rohit as the white-ball leader.Rohit captained India to Asia Cup victory last year and, with Kohli resting, will lead the side again in the three-match Twenty20 series against Bangladesh starting in New Delhi on Sunday.Rohit has also polished his leadership credentials by leading Mumbai Indians to four Indian Premier League titles but was not too hung up on permanent captaincy in the shorter formats.“Look, these are beyond our controls,” Rohit, the only batsman with three 200-plus scores in one-day internationals, told reporters on Thursday.“Captaining India is a massive honour, be it for one match, 10 matches or 100 matches. When we were younger, the dream we had was of playing for India, not of leading India.“I got this opportunity to lead the team, and it’s a great honour. I have captained team in the past and it was a good experience.“I never think ‘why did they make me captain for just one series or two series. Why not for a full year?’“I don’t think or even talk about these things. Whenever I get these opportunities, I happily shoulder the responsibility and try to set an example.”The 32-year-old Mumbai player has revived his stop-start long-format career by reinventing himself as a test opener in the 3-0 rout of South Africa earlier this month.Rohit, who was adjudged man of the series after finishing as the top scorer, will face a new challenge in the two-test series against Bangladesh, which will include a day-night test in Kolkata.“It will be very exciting, it being our first test in pink ball,” he said.“I can’t talk about others but I played a Duleep Trophy match with pink balls and it was a good experience.“We have been waiting to play a test with pink balls and finally the opportunity is here. We will try to do well and get all 60 points (under World Test Championship).”

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/336xaU2

Sana Mir dedicates Game Changers Award to players, PCB, ground staff

The former Pakistan captain said that the award is dedicated to her supporters. Photo: Reporter Former Pakistan women’s cricket captain Sana Mir has said the Asia Game Changers Award was the result of all the support she received from people on and off the field.  Mir dedicated the award to the women’s cricket fraternity, coaches, ground staff as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and said that the achievement would have not been possible without their contribution."The award is huge for me because this goes beyond Pakistan. My journey has been very long but it was not my own," she said."In this journey, I have been accompanied by PCB, team players, coaches and ground staff. That's why I think it's not my only award — it's everyone's award.” The 33-year-old added her activism regarding climate change, women and children of war-stricken countries helped elevate herself from the rest of panel of notable women.Read more: Asia Society honours cricket star Sana Mir with Game Changers Award"My own team has notable women such as Bismah Maroof, Nida Dar and Javeria Khan but I think it was because of my role in activism that I was given the award." she said. Mir gave new hope and added that she along with the PCB are in the works of easing the otherwise constraint system of women’s cricket"Now I will try to make the path easier for the newcomers so that they can avoid the difficulties that we had encountered. We are in always pitching in ideas to the PCB and make suggests as to how they can improve.""England and Australia are at the peak of their development and it is because of the fact that their senior players have done so much for their development, we have to do the same and play our part," she stressed. Mir was presented the award in a glittering ceremony in New York in October. The award is conferred to Asian individuals who have made a transformative impact in Asia and beyond.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2WGUDsJ

England cruise to seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in T20I opener

A three-wicket haul from spinner Mitchell Santner was not enough to rescue the Black Caps.CHRISTCHURCH: England cruised to a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening T20I in Christchurch on Friday.James Vincent top-scored for the tourists with 59, notching his maiden T20 half century as England chased down New Zealand's 154-run target in 18.3 overs.A three-wicket haul from spinner Mitchell Santner was not enough to rescue the Black Caps, whose batting line-up failed to fire after England won the toss and opted to bowl.Eoin Morgan predicted the Hagley Oval pitch would become harder to play as the match wore on."The wicket looks extremely good for this time of year but the winds tends to get up here and it can be difficult to defend at time in the second innings," he said.Morgan named three debutants in the team, Worcestershire seamer Pat Brown, Somerset all-rounder Lewis Gregory and Surrey all-rounder Sam Curran."It's exciting for these guys to get this opportunity on a tour where we´re missing about seven of our top players," he said."It's a chance for them to stake their claim."Tim Southee, who is captaining the Kiwi side after regular skipper Kane Williamson was sidelined with a hip injury, said his team was looking forward to playing on home soil after a recent tour of Sri Lanka."We're coming back to conditions that we´re familiar with and the guys know pretty well," he said.It is the first time the sides have met since the one-day World Cup final in July, which ended with scores tied but England claiming victory because they had scored more boundaries.However, both teams insist their focus for the five-match series is on preparing for the T20 World Cup being held in Australia next year.England are ranked second in the world in T20s, while New Zealand are sixth.The second fixture in the five-match series takes place in Wellington on Sunday.

from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2C3P0v8