New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Australia’s left-arm fast-bowler Mitchell Starc said he was unhappy over being dropped for the Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eights match against Afghanistan last month, adding that fielding eventually led to the side’s surprise 21-run defeat at St Vincent.

Australia had replaced Starc with left-arm spin all-rounder Ashton Agar for the crucial game against Afghanistan to tie down their batters on a slow spin-aiding pitch. But that move didn’t yield desired results as Agar didn’t pick any wickets, with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran having an opening stand of 118 runs, their third century stand of the competition.

“No – two World Cups in a row. Just the match-up, they saw previous games on that ground in St Vincent with spin playing a part and obviously Ash and the left-armer enticing them to make a change I think Ash bowled pretty well in the power play.

“They probably played the spin quite well and batting first probably assessed the conditions a little bit better than we did, and had a couple of stumbles that in the end cost us the game. It was probably the fielding that cost us again that game. That meant we had to win against India and we fell short there as well,” said Starc to the Willow Talk podcast.

After a sloppy fielding show, Australia’s batting crumbled in face of captain Rashid Khan and seam bowling all-rounder Gulbadin Naib to lose the game, which jeopardised their semi-finals hopes. After that, Australia suffered a defeat to eventual champions India in their last Super Eight game at St Lucia, which confirmed their exit from the competition.

Starc, who won IPL 2024 with the Kolkata Knight Riders, was also displeased with the scheduling and pre-seeding arrangements in the tournament that saw Australia advance to the hectic Super Eights stage in the Group 1, a pre-determined move despite topping Group B.

“We finished ahead of England and end up where we were pre-seeded as the second side. All of a sudden, you’re in a different group. The argument was it was because it was so hard to get around the West Indies, so fans knew where your team was playing. So then why don’t you have the chock-a-block tournament at the front and then spread it out at the back end?

“We had the two night games and the third was a day game, so it wasn’t the best preparation. We had a delayed flight out of St Vincent, it was a 90-minute drive from the airport to the hotel in St Lucia, and then we had a 10 o’clock toss.

“I think that was probably maybe a misread (by organisers), the fact that the front half of the tournament was more spread out, and then you hit the super eights and travel around the West Indies is probably not the easiest thing to do, certainly not to travel home from,” concluded Starc.

–IANS

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Charlotte, July 11 (IANS) Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa bemoaned his team’s wastefulness after the Celeste were eliminated from the Copa America following a 1-0 semifinal defeat to Colombia.

Jefferson Lerma put Colombia ahead in the 39th minute but the Cafeteros were reduced to 10 men when Daniel Munoz was shown a red card on the stroke of halftime, reports Xinhua.

“We should have obtained an advantage but, with one more man, the game was distorted,” Bielsa said. “There were many interruptions, which made it difficult to maintain a fluid rhythm of play.”

Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez squandered two early scoring chances and it appeared only a matter of time before Bielsa’s men would find a way past Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.

Despite dominating possession, the Celeste managed only two shots on target from 11 attempts in total.

“We should have been able to swing the balance in our favor, both in the first half – due to our movement in attack – and in the second due to our numerical advantage,” Bielsa said. “In the last few minutes, Colombia could have extended the lead because their scoring chances were very clear.”

–IANS

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Washington, July 11 (IANS) The USA have sacked head coach Gregg Berhalter following their Copa America group-stage exit.

The 50-year-old rejoined the men’s national football team in 2023 for a second spell, having led USA to the last-16 of the 2022 World Cup, but defeats to Panama and Uruguay on home soil have brought an end to 14-match tenure.

“Gregg Berhalter has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, effective immediately,” US Soccer Federation said in a statement.

U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker will lead and has launched a search for Berhalter’s replacement.

“We are deeply grateful to Gregg for his commitment the past five years to the Men’s National Team and to U.S. Soccer. Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organization and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the program forward. We wish Gregg all the best in his future endeavors, and we know he will find success in his next coaching position,” said Crocker.

Berhalter compiled a 44 wins, 17 losses and 13 draws record in 74 matches as USMNT head coach and 29 wins, 9 losses and 7 draws record in official competitions during his tenure, leading the USMNT to a successful 2022 World Cup qualification campaign.

“Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximize our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, and we have already begun our search process,” Crocker added.

Berhalte’s first stint as head coach ended in 2022 with an investigation into his past conduct. He was four years into the role when he admitted kicking his wife when they were teenagers.

In 2022, he became the first former national team player to coach the US at a World Cup, leading the youngest team on the field in the tournament to a second-place finish in Group B with five points after draws against Wales and England and a win against Iran, before falling to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

Under his guidance, the USMNT won the 2021 Gold Cup and two Concacaf Nations League titles.

–IANS

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Harare, July 11 (IANS) Zimbabwe Cricket announced that the second edition of the Zim Afro T10 tournament will commence on September 21, with the final scheduled for September 29 in Harare.

The dates for the player draft and the fixtures will be announced soon, Zimbabwe Cricket said.

The T10 tournament, which is the first of its kind in Africa, will see all the games being played at the iconic Harare Sports Club, much like the inaugural season. In the first year, Zim Afro T10 rewrote the history books as it became the first tournament to be played under floodlights at Harare Sports Club.

Speaking ahead of the second edition, Zimbabwe Cricket Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said: “We are delighted to be opening our doors again for the Zim Afro T10 tournament.

“The first season was nothing short of a festival and a celebration of the sport for us, and we expect more of that this year as well. The high standards of cricket in the T10 league have definitely helped us in our white-ball game and I am sure it will continue to make a big, positive impact on our ecosystem,” he added.

Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, T Ten Global Sports Founder and Chairman, said “We can’t wait for the second chapter of the cricketing extravaganza in Zimbabwe to kick off. After a fabulous inaugural season, we have a duty to ensure that the cricket on display is of the highest quality, so that the fans get their due and the cricketing family of the country also benefits from the Zim Afro T10. We are delighted to be back and we promise to entertain and impress everyone in Zimbabwe, and light up the evenings at the Harare Sports Club.”

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Gautam Adani, the Chairman of Adani Group, was in awe of Spain’s teenage football sensation Lamine Yamal as the 16-year-old winger etched his name in the history books by becoming the youngest scorer in Euro’s history.

During the Euro 2024 semifinal against France when Spain were trailing 0-1, Yamal drew level with a glorious curling finish to become the youngest goalscorer in the history of the continental tournament.

Yamal picked up a loose ball more than 25 metres from the goal to score an equaliser for his side from a difficult position. With a drop of the shoulder, he steals space from Adrien Rabiot before unleashing his wondrous strike, sending the ball arcing into the top-right corner of Mike Maignan’s goal. The xG (a statistical measurement of the quality of goalscoring chances) of the shot was just 0.023.

“The world of soccer stood still at 20:16 yesterday. Logic defying magic goal from 20 yards by the 16 year old Lamine Yamal. Coincidence? Maybe. Talent? Undeniable!” Gautam Adani posted on X.

“What an inspiring story for all youngsters – humble and difficult beginnings, talks to his mother daily, carries school textbooks with him and yet this teenage sensation has made history, becoming the youngest ever to play – and score – for both FC Barcelona and Spain.

“Congratulations to @FCBarcelona for scouting out Yamal at six years of age! Amazing. The power of youth is blazing bright! Congrats to Spain and Yamal! Bring it on, #EURO2024,” the post further read.

Yamal, who turns 17 on Saturday, has already been marked by significant achievements with Barcelona. Having won La Liga with the club in the 2022-23 season, the striker is now on the brink of winning his second major trophy and his first with the Spanish national team.

He will be in action against England in the Euro 2024 final at Olympiastadion Berlin on Monday.

–IANS

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