Wednesday 5th May, 2010 13 Japan to bid only for Taylor feeling ‘irie’ as she 2022 World Cup TOKYO (AP) - The Japan tournaments but has opted Football Association says it to only bid for the 2022 will focus on winning the World Cup following meet- right to host the 2022 World ings with FIFA. gets ready for World T20 Cup instead of bidding for JFA president Motoaki both the 2018 and 2022 tour- Inukai told Tuesday’s naments. Sports Hochi newspaper it Stafanie Taylor ... key member of the West Indies women’s cricket team Japan initially put itself appeared FIFA is set on forward as a candidate to staging the 2018 World Cup Stafanie Taylor is having the The 18-year-old who identified fitness is making a difference with dent in Jamaica and recognises stage either the 2018 or 2022 in Europe. kind of year that cricketers dream Chris Gayle as her most admired my batting performances.” that her studies are just as impor- about. player, does not feel that she is Full-time student tant as the sport she loves. She She is one of the top five ICC O- under too much pressure as she is Taylor is also a full-time stu- travels on cricket tours with her day International allrounders, in focused on doing her job with the school books. “I am having to bal- the Top 10 among batsmen; she was bat at the top of the order. She is ance playing with studying and nominated for ICC Women Player- also a clever off-spin bowler. Her sometimes it gets hard but I am of-the-Year award last September statistics in T20 Internationals are getting better at this - when I am and is the current Jamaica Cricket quite impressive. She has played 12 on the field I am a cricketer and Association’s player-of-the-year. matches with 423 runs at a healthy once I have free time I spend it Her achievements on the field average of 47 per innings and a studying.” are just as important as the ones superb strike rate of 122.25. Her She has made an outreach to she is striving to attain off the field topscore is 90 against Ireland back her community and the region by - she’s a full-time student, as well in 2008, which came off just 49 signing on to be Thinkwise as an International Cricket Council balls. She has managed 12 wickets Ambassadors. Thinkwise is the Thinkwise Ambassador. However, at 16.33 each at an economy rate International Cricket Council’s right now she is concentrating on of 5.6 per over. partnership with UNAIDS, helping the Windies girls make it “I am fitter than I have UNICEF and the Global Media all the way to the top spot in the ever been. I spent much of AIDS Initiative. This is another upcoming ICC World T20 the off-season working on avenue for the young Taylor to rep- Tournament, due to bowl off on my all-round fitness. I am resent the Caribbean in a positive May 5. also spending a lot of time light and she is willing to do what- “Right now I am feeling irie!” in the nets and I feel my improved ever she can to help those in need. the upbeat Windies Number 7 said. She is part of radio and televi- “In fact the whole team is very con- sion commercial across the region fident that we can do this ... win urging listeners to “protect your this for the region, especially after wicket in cricket and in life.” The the way we performed against other West Indian cricketer signed England in the series last up as a Thinkwise Ambassador is November (Windies girls beat the batting star Ramnaresh Sarwan. world champs 2-1 in St Kitts). We The women’s event opens on have worked really hard and once May 5 and all the first round we put our minds to it, we believe matches will be played at Warner we can do it.” Park in St Kitts. West Indies are “We know how much this drawn in Group A, with England, tournament means to the peo- Australia, and South Africa. Group ple of the region. Fans come up B includes: Sri Lanka New to me and tell me how proud Zealand, India and Pakistan. The they are of me and semis will be played at how they Beausejour in St want me to do Lucia and the final at well. With the Kensington Oval in fans on our side we Barbados on May 16. will do well.” (Jamaica Gleaner) Impressive statistics Stafanie Taylor CHICAGO (AP) - The Alonso warns of problems Chicago Bulls fired coach Vinny Del Negro on Monday after a late-season altercation for McLaren’s Button and with executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and another first-round Hamilton playoff exit. General manager Gar Forman was scheduled to dis- cuss the firing at a news con- ference on Tuesday morning. He did not return messages seeking comment, nor did Paxson or Del Negro. The Bulls went 41-41 and made the postseason in each of their two seasons under Del Negro, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games after This March 27, 2010 file photo pushing Boston to seven games shows Chicago Bulls head coach last year. Vinny Del Negro looking on in the Del Negro reportedly met first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Jersey Nets with the organization’s hierar- in Chicago. (AP) Eye to eye: Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa (left) and Fernando Del Negro out as Bulls coach Alonso in discussion before a grand prix. By Tom Cary all is well at Ferrari. “Felipe and I chy over the past few days, three-year deal he signed when Fernando Alonso has forecast are complementary,” said Alonso, including chairman Jerry he was hired. “problems” between Jenson who added he would “definitely” Reinsdorf, and made an argu- If the Bulls are looking to Button and Lewis Hamilton at repeat the pit-lane pass if the ment to keep his job. He could hire an experienced coach this McLaren, while at the same time opportunity arose again. point to Derrick Rose’s develop- time, Doug Collins, Byron Scott, dismissing suggestions of a grow- “Sometimes I am missing ment from Rookie of the Year Lawrence Frank, Kevin ing rift between himself and his something in the corners he has, to an All-Star this season and McHale, Maurice Cheeks would Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa. sometimes I am faster in some Joakim Noah’s improvement, fit that description. The two-times world champion sections. Learning from each but it was not enough. Along with getting to work raised eyebrows with an unortho- other is a secret. Who could create He was given a tepid with Rose, the new coach will dox and highly aggressive over- problems? Button and Hamilton.” endorsement from Forman be joining a team armed with taking manoeuvre on Massa at the Alonso, who signed for Ferrari amid widespread speculation in enough salary-cap space to offer entrance to the pit-lane in last winter, also said he was December that he would be a maximum contract in a star- Shanghai two weeks ago, which relieved to be settling in without fired following a slow start, but studded free-agent class that cost the Brazilian a few places as the imposing shadow of Michael the Bulls made a run to the could include LeBron James, he then had to wait while Alonso’s Schumacher hanging over him. playoffs despite struggling late Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. tyres were changed. The German, who won five of his in the season. Del Negro was a fallback That move came after two frus- seven world titles with Ferrari, They lost 10 straight at one choice when he was hired out of trating races in which Alonso had quit his consultant’s role with the point with Noah sidelined by a Phoenix’s front office, and got stuck behind his team-mate’s Italian team to make a comeback foot injury. The team’s han- never seemed to have the back- slower car without managing to with Mercedes this year at the age dling of that injury fueled a ing of management even before find a way past. of 41. physical confrontation between his run-in with Paxson. Although both drivers have “Now, maybe, we’re a little the coach and Paxson that Considering he had no bitten their tongues, Alonso has a freer,” Alonso said of life at became public late in the sea- coaching experience, Del Negro track record of expecting prefer- Ferrari. son. was an odd fit when he was ential treatment at his teams. It Button, meanwhile, will on Forman confirmed there hired before the 2008-09 season. was one of the reasons he fell out Tuesday receive the freedom of was a dispute and said there He got the job after a prolonged with the management at McLaren his hometown of Frome in would be no disciplinary action search in which negotiations during his ill-fated season there Somerset. until after the season. Del with high-profile candidates alongside Hamilton in 2007. © The Telegraph Group, Negro had a year left and was Mike D’Antoni and Collins fell The Spaniard, though, insists London, 2010 owed about $2 million on the through..