WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014 SPORTS Amla the reluctant takes the reins

JOHANNESBURG: , who was appointed as ’s new Test captain yes- terday, has had an uneasy relationship with lead- ership roles in . Amla, 31, will have a tough captaincy baptism when he leads the side on a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka next month. South Africa lost both Tests on their previous tour of Sri Lanka in 2006. They have not been beaten in an away series since then. The 2006 tour was notable for the absence of long-serving captain, , who was injured. The quiet-spoken Amla has the considerable task of taking over from Smith, who led South Africa in a world record 109 Tests, stamping his strong personality on a team which was ranked number one in when he announced his retirement in March this year. An annual review of the rankings has seen South Africa slip to number two behind Australia and it may prove difficult for the Proteas to regain the summit after a season during which Smith and long-term stalwart quit the Test arena. Amla was a schoolboy prodigy at High School, whose old boys include former Test captain Trevor Goddard and legend Barry Richards. He played for South African Schools in 2000 and toured New Zealand as a 17-year-old with the South African Under-19 team in 2000/01, emerging as the side’s leading batsman despite being one of the youngest players in the side. A year later he returned to New Zealand as captain at the Under-19 World Cup and led South Africa to the final, where they were beaten by Australia. PARIS: Japanese Kyudo ‘grand master’ Usami takes part in a demonstration of Kyudo, Amla quickly made a name for himself at first- a Japanese martial art form of archery, in Paris ahead of the Kyudo World class level and at the age of 21 was selected for Championship which will be held in Paris on July 19 and 20. — AFP South Africa’s tour of India in November 2004, making his Test debut and scoring 24 and 2 in the second Test at Kolkata. He played in two CEO leaves De La Hoya’s home Tests against in the same season but was dropped after struggling against the Golden Boy in shakeup England pace bowlers. A looping backlift was widely criticised and there were doubts about whether his talent NEW YORK: Oscar De La Hoya’s main part- fighters. But Schaefer said he would never could overcome his technical deficiencies. ner in Golden Boy Promotions is leaving work with Arum or have fights between Still only 21, he had been appointed captain the company because of a dispute that Golden Boy and the rival company. of the KwaZulu-Natal franchise and led involves rival promoter Bob Arum and Schaefer, who was a banker before join- the side to the final of the domestic first-class Floyd Mayweather Jr. ing with De La Hoya, has largely Golden competition, scoring 249 in the drawn final Richard Schaefer, who has served more Boy in recent years while De La Hoya bat- against the Eagles in Bloemfontein. than a decade as chief executive officer of tled drug and alcohol addictions. De La But he gave up the captaincy after one sea- the boxing company, issued a statement Hoya went into rehab for a second time last son in order to concentrate on his batting in an Monday saying it is time to move on to oth- September on the eve of Mayweather’s attempt to win back his Test place. er opportunities. fight against Canelo Alvarez, and said Having made what he described as a relative- “This decision has required a great deal recently that he was planning to regain ly minor adjustment to his backlift, Amla of personal reflection, but ultimately I con- control of the company now that he is returned to the Test team in April 2006 and hit cluded that I have no choice but to leave,” sober. “I have my vision and I have my 149 against New Zealand in Cape Town. He has Schaefer said. “I have succeeded in banking plans,” De La Hoya said last month, just been a fixture in the side since then and has and I have succeeded in boxing, and I look hours before Mayweather fought Marcos built up an impressive Test record, scoring 6214 forward to the next opportunity.” Maidana. “Nobody is going to stop me from CHITTAGONG: A Saturday, March 29, 2014 file photo shows South Africa’s Hashim Amla play- runs at an average of 51.35, most of them scored Schaefer’s exit comes after months of doing this. ing a shot during their ICC Cricket World Cup match against England. — AP in the key number three position. speculation over a battle raging with De La The company isn’t called Golden Boy for His 21 Test centuries include a South African Hoya over the future of Golden Boy. nothing.” A spokesman for De La Hoya said record 311 against England at Schaefer has served as the de facto pro- the fighter was unavailable Monday to in 2012 and 253 not out against India in Nagpur Immigrants fueling moter for Mayweather for several years, comment on Schaefer’s departure. in 2009/10. He averages above 50 against and is widely expected to be involved in In his statement, Schaefer noted that he Australia, England and India, arguably South future Mayweather fights in some capacity. still remains a shareholder in the Los Africa’s toughest opponents during his career. a US boom in cricket De La Hoya said last month he had rec- Angeles company and has a strong interest Amla was again elevated to a leadership role onciled with Arum, who promoted him in its continued success. Golden Boy and when he was named vice-captain of the South most of his career, and wouldn’t rule out Top Rank are by far the two biggest pro- EAST ISLIP: Cricket, the international game of have taken initiatives to organize youth African one-day and bats and balls that isn’t baseball, is enjoying a leagues and build cricket facilities. The United future fights between Golden Boy boxers moters in boxing, with Golden Boy aligned teams following the appointment of Gary and Arum’s Top Rank roster. Mayweather with the Showtime cable network and Top surge of popularity in America, with the debut States Youth Cricket Association has donated Kirsten as coach in 2011. He was thrust into the of a national league this spring and higher 1,500 sets of cricket equipment - bats, balls has consistently refused to fight Manny Rank with HBO. De La Hoya started Golden captaincy almost immediately when De Villiers Pacquiao, partly because he is promoted by Boy while he was still fighting and quickly demand to build “pitches” across the country. and - to community youth programs was injured and he led South Africa in two Areas such as New York City, California’s around the country. “We’re hoping that as kids Arum, who was also Mayweather’s former built a strong stable of fighters. But it is Twenty20 internationals and three one-day promoter. Schaefer has built a close rela- Schaefer who most in boxing credit with Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., Dallas and grow up, they will create pressure on school internationals against Australia, sharing the first Chicago have become cricket hotbeds, fueled systems to think of cricket,” said Jamie tionship with Mayweather and Al Haymon, keeping the company strong while in con- series and losing the one-dayers 2-1. who manages Mayweather and several top trol of the day-to-day operations. — AP by an influx of mostly South Asian immigrants, Harrison, CEO of the American Cricket His own form was mediocre and he admitted some of whom arrived as part of the high-tech Federation. he was happy to hand the captaincy back to De boom. In the immigrant-rich New York area, Cricket is wildly popular in former countries Villiers. Although he remained the official vice- cricket has become so popular that lotteries of the British Empire. The game is played on a captain, Amla turned down the captaincy when are being held for the chance to play in pitch- field known as a pitch, but the pitcher is called De Villiers was suspended because of a slow over es at some parks. New York City schools still a bowler. The bowler hurls the ball to the rate in the first match of a series against New have the only varsity cricket league in the opposing team’s batsman, who attempts to hit Zealand early last year. country, but it has doubled in size in just seven it with a flattened bat. Depending on how well Selection convener said years, with 30 teams now competing for the the ball travels, a hit can result in one or more Amla told the selectors he wanted to concen- title. A national traveling league, the American runs. In the most traditional forms, a team trate on his batting. took over as Cricket Champions League, began this spring bowls until 10 opposing batsmen are out, captain while De Villiers was absent and Amla and has 17 teams from Boston to Los Angeles meaning matches can run for days. In other gave up the vice-captaincy. It was therefore a vying a for a six-team playoff tournament. forms, the game is limited by the number of surprise when it was revealed that Amla had For 17-year-old Akash Chowdhury, who “overs,” a series of six throws. New York City informed the selectors that he was available to arrived in New York City four years ago from schools play a limited “over” form that lasts be Test captain. Until then, De Villiers was Bangladesh and plays in the city schools two to three hours. favourite for the role despite a patchy record as league, cricket has helped smooth the transi- John Aaron, executive secretary of the one-day captain. De Villiers will be vice-captain tion to his new home. American Cricket Federation, grew up playing of the Test team. His Brooklyn International High School the game in his native Guyana. He compares As a Muslim of Indian origin, Amla is the first “player of colour” to be appointed formally as team, outfitted with crisp, white uniforms and cricket in the U.S. to where soccer was just a captain and in race-conscious South Africa it will batting helmets like the stars they follow on few decades ago. be hailed as a sign that cricket is serious about cable television, often play their games in the “When soccer first started here, people said racial transformation. Amla’s cricket record has outfields of idle baseball diamonds. “Playing it’s not going to go anywhere - American foot- earned him enough respect to overcome any cricket in America helps me remember my ball is the thing,” Aaron said. “Soccer has not suggestions of tokenism - but he will need to back country,” Chowdhury said. replaced American football, but it has certainly prove that he can commit fully to the captaincy “But I really don’t miss it like that, because I taken off now, hasn’t it? It’s attracting interna- without old anxieties about his own batting can play here.” In the past several years, com- tional teams coming here to play. Cricket can De La Hoya resurfacing. — AFP munities in states from Maryland to Indiana do the same thing.”— AP Wiggins and Froome to ride in different Tour warm-up races

YORKSHIRE: Team Sky have announced that pal Dave Brailsford said on the team website Sky are aiming for a fourth consecutive Tour de France champion Chris Froome and (www.teamsky.com). Dauphine title. Kenya-born Froome suggest- 2012 winner Bradley Wiggins will race in dif- “Bradley heads to Switzerland with a ed on Monday that he would prefer ferent warm-up events ahead of this year’s strong team after a great win in California Australian Porte as his number two as he race, which begins in Yorkshire next month. and we’ve got the right group for the seeks to defend his Tour de France yellow jer- The pair have a frosty relationship, and Dauphine, especially considering the nature sey. recent speculation has suggested that of the course.” “Talking about a Plan B, that’s a decision Wiggins, who was unable to defend his Froome will be supported by Richie Porte, the team needs to come to, and Bradley has crown last year due to injury, may fail to Vasil Kiryienka, David Lopez, Mikel Nieve, been talking about playing a support role, make Sky’s Tour de France squad despite the Danny Pate, Geraint Thomas and Xabier not being our Plan B as such,” Froome, 29, 34-year-old saying he was happy to play sec- Zandio in a squad that is expected to be told the Daily Mirror newspaper. “Richie is ond-fiddle. strong in the mountains, while Wiggins will looking pretty good at the moment and has Froome will defend his title at the team up with Joe Dombrowski, Christian the potential to be riding for a place on the Criterium du Dauphine, which starts on Knees, Luke Rowe, Dario Cataldo, Philip podium. “As far as Bradley is concerned, the Sunday and is seen as a major marker ahead Deignan, Ben Swift and Pete Kennaugh. final nine riders selected to start the race in of the Tour de France, while Wiggins, who “Both of these races will form part of our Yorkshire is a hot topic. won the Tour of California last month, will selection for the Tour” Brailsford added. “We “That’s going to come down to what is start the Tour de Suisse which begins six days have to name 13 riders in a long list during best for the team, who is best for each role later. June and we’ll do that from across the squad, and the team dynamics.” Porte, 29, played a “Both the Criterium du Dauphine and Tour including riders at the Route du Sud, not only key support role in Froome’s Tour de France de Suisse are WorldTour events and we are those in the Dauphine and Tour de Suisse victory, acting as his main climbing deputy in looking to perform in both races,” Sky princi- groups.” the major mountain stages. — Reuters Bradley Wiggins