WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017 SPORTS

RUGBY ‘Express yourself’, coach Foster tells All Blacks

AUCKLAND: Assistant coach Ian Foster the forwards) and front-foot ball and was difficult to plan for. He conceded the definitely has that feel. The excitement make sure we do our basics really well,” has urged the All Blacks to express them- we’ve got to make sure we’re smart in All Blacks, while still controlling the game we had at training today backs that up,” he said. selves and use their brains in this week- using that.” The reigning world champi- for long periods, went into their shell he said. The 80-Test veteran said a row end’s Test series decider against the ons were convincing 30-15 winners in slightly after losing a man and did not “The Lions are a great side and there’s between Lions prop Kyle Sinckler and British and Irish Lions. While stung by a the first Test at Eden Park, where they pursue attacking opportunities with a lot of history between these two teams, some All Blacks after the siren in 24-21 loss to the Lions in Wellington, out-muscled the Lions forwards. their usual vigour. so being 1-1 it does have that feeling Wellington would not affect the hosts’ Foster said “it’s not all doom and gloom The Lions then hit back a week later “Probably our vision was a bit narrow,” about it.” attitude toward the match. for us” as the third Test looms in after Sonny Bill Williams’ sending off for a he said. “That’s a work-on for us, because Kaino said there was “an edge” to the “I don’t think it’s our style to drag Auckland on Saturday. shoulder charge reduced the hosts to 14 it’s not something that’s natural to us, New Zealanders ahead of the game and things off the field and carry it on. It “We’ve done some really good stuff in men for much of the match. but we allowed ourselves to get into that they wanted to impose themselves while just hinders what you want to do and the last two weeks but it’s pretty clear Neither encounter featured the All mode.” also maintaining discipline. how you want to improve,” he said. that there’s more in us,” he said. “We’ve Blacks’ trademark expansive game, with He was not concerned about a north- “There’s always going to be feeling got to focus on that and make sure that Lions coach Warren Gatland saying he CUP FEVER ern hemisphere referee-France’s Romain between these two team and when we in all circumstances-whether it’s wet and was yet to see them play “champagne Flanker Jerome Kaino said returning Poite-being in charge of the match. “We cross those white lines we throw it out cold or windy or whatever-we’re still able rugby”. Foster said the Wellington defeat to Eden Park for the winner-takes-all know how we can play physical and there, but once we leave I think we to express ourselves when we want to. hinged on the red card, a situation the third Test felt like the final of a World within the laws, so we’ll just let the ref should dump it and not bring it into “We’ve proven we can get parity (in All Blacks had not faced for 50 years and Cup-a tournament he has won twice. “It interpret how he wants to interpret and our preparation.” —AFP

CRICKET T20 and ODI Sarfraz to lead Pakistan in Tests

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board has the final. appointed Sarfraz Ahmed as Test captain Pakistan easily lost its opening group after the wicketkeeper-batsman led the game against India but made a strong national team to a surprise triumph at the comeback with fast bowler Hasan Ali and Champions Trophy tournament in England opening batsman Fakhar Zaman playing last month. pivotal roles. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan Ali took 13 in the tournament announced the decision yesterday during a and Zaman scored two half centuries and a ceremony to honor the winning team at century in the final. Pakistan went on to the prime minister’s residence in beat South Africa and Sri Lanka in the Islamabad. Ahmed already leads Pakistan in remaining two group matches before Twenty20s and ODIs. He has played 36 test humiliating title favorite England in the matches since making his debut in 2010, semifinals. scoring 2,089 runs at an average of 40.96 “I watched the whole match (final),” with three centuries and 13 half centuries. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told players Khan said he informed Ahmed about and officials at the reception. Khan said he the PCB’s decision just before yesterday’s would like to see India playing against ceremony. “I talked to him when we were Pakistan in a bilateral series. coming here and he said ‘I am ready to “We challenge you to come and play serve Pakistan,’” Khan said. (but) they don’t play against us because Pakistan, ranked No. 8 in the eight-team they are afraid of us,” Khan claimed. “I think Champions Trophy, routed archrival and bilateral cricket will be good for us and will defending champion India by 180 runs in benefit cricket.”— AP From left Ma Long Weibo, Fan Zhendong Weibo, Xu Xin Weibo

TABLE TENNIS ‘Chengdu Three’ mount rare Chinese revolt

SHANGHAI: China’s table tennis stars usually ment”, Liu was removed as overall head coach accident while driving without a licence. demolish their rivals but they may be fighting a and named as a vice-president of the Chinese Ning Zetao, another of China’s top swimmers, losing battle after mounting a rare challenge Table Tennis Association, the body said. was kicked off the national team in February for against more formidable opposition-their own signing sponsorship deals without official con- sports system. ‘COUNTRY-FIRST’ CULTURE sent. Badminton great Lin Dan risked the wrath In a rare show of dissent, Ma Long, Fan The problems affecting Chinese table tennis of his handlers by dating team-mate Xie Zhendong and Xu Xin-the world’s top three come after a shake-up in badminton, where Li Xingfang-now his wife-despite such relation- men’s players-downed paddles at last month’s Yongbo quit after 24 years as head coach in ships being forbidden. China Open in Chengdu, saying they were too April, following a prolonged slump in form. heartbroken to play after the removal of head But public revolts are rare, mainly because of GRAND SLAM WINS coach Liu Guoliang. the strength of China’s sports system and the The biggest name to break free of the system It is highly unusual for Chinese athletes to culture of putting the country before the indi- is Li Na, who won Asia’s first two Grand Slam ten- Sarfraz Ahmed publicly break ranks with the state sports sys- vidual, experts say. nis singles titles before she retired in 2014. tem, and follows apparent attempts to censor “It’s so institutionalised and it’s ‘country-first’ The outspoken Li hit success late in her career online comment, according to a website which and all about China and not the individual,” said after she made the tough decision to go it alone Broad backs new skipper monitors social media in China. Mark Dreyer, founder of China Sports Insider, with her own coaching set-up and organising China’s athletes are often groomed from which analyses the country’s sports business. her own sponsorship. “It still staggers me, given childhood in an intense training environment, “At the Olympic level people have been criti- how successful she was, why they have not Root to go to ‘next level’ bringing success particularly in medal-heavy cised for thanking their parents before they allowed it more and why they persist with the Olympic sports like badminton, diving and gym- thank their country,” he said, adding that fear of losing control and earnings,” said Dreyer. LONDON: England fast bowler Stuart way he plays, so I think the team will take nastics-and especially table tennis, where China Chinese officials often want to “piggy-back” on Given China’s success in table tennis, top Broad believes captaincy will take star bats- that sort of shape,” added Broad. “He was has won all but four gold medals since it joined an outstanding sportsman’s success. players are household names and the “Chengdu man Joe Root’s game to the “next level”. announced a long time ago and now he the Games programme in 1988. “Individualism, putting yourself above the Three” have sparked much debate and specula- Root was named was named as the succes- has the chance to put things into place.” After failing to appear for their second-round country and the team is frowned upon, so when tion, trending on social media for several days. sor to as long ago as Meanwhile Broad, a veteran of 102 Tests, singles matches at the China Open, the people become big stars and start getting indi- “Only China’s sports administration can beat the February, but Thursday’s series opener insisted he was fully fit for the first of a four- “Chengdu Three” posted messages on social vidual endorsements for example-rather than Chinese table tennis team,” quipped one user on against South Africa at Lord’s will be the match series against South Africa after his media saying they were too saddened by Liu’s team endorsements-that causes a lot of prob- China’s Twitter-style Weibo, in a comment that Yorkshireman’s first match as England Test participation was called into question by a axing to play on. They quickly apologised, along lems with the old style of thinking.” was later deleted. captain. foor injury. However, he played in with Liu-but the all-conquering men’s team was While open rebellion by sports stars is seldom Reflecting the level of interest, the state- Test captaincy appears to have boosted Nottinghamshire’s One-Day Cup final win then pulled from this week’s Australian Open seen, one of the best known cases also came in aligned Global Times newspaper published a the performances of such leading current over Surrey at Lord’s last Saturday, bowling because of “tiredness”. Nothing more has been table tennis-He Zhili, who later became the lengthy analysis of the table tennis row. “While batsmen as India’s , Australia’s none overs with no adverse reaction. heard since. Japanese national champion Chire Koyama. the recent protest exposed discontent with the and New Zealand’s Kane “I got through the Lord’s final with no The row has its roots in the suspension of She was a star in China but did the unthink- nationalised sports system, there is no denying Williamson, with Broad confident it will problems and bowled Wednesday and women’s head coach Kong Linghui, the former able and defected to arch-rival Japan, claiming that in ping pong at least, that system has an inspire Root to greater heights rather be Friday before that with no pain,” said Broad. Olympic champion known as the “Ping Pong that she had resisted an order to lose a 1987 undeniable record of success,” said the article, too heavy a burden for the 26-year-old. “I pulled up really well and I’ll train again Prince” who is being sued over a gambling debt world title clash to a Chinese team-mate. praising it as “a well-oiled machine”. But it also “Joe’s not had a huge amount of cap- this afternoon and tomorrow, but I feel to a Singapore casino, according to reports. Swimmer Sun Yang fell out with authorities conceded there was “unprecedented outcry and taincy experience because he played for confident,” the 31-year-old son of former After an internal investigation found “several over his relationship with an air hostess, and he anger towards the nationalised sports system England from a young age but he’s learned England batsman turned match referee deep-seated problems in the (team’s) manage- was also banned after his involvement in a car that places collectivism first”. — AFP the game at the top level,” Broad told Sky Chris Broad, added. “I’ve been playing Sports News at Lord’s yesterday. county cricket since early April, so I’ve got “I think it will take his game to the next quite a lot of red ball and white ball cricket level, if he can go any higher. He’ll really in. It was great to have the intensity of a Australia train despite tour boycott threat thrive off the extra responsibility. “He’s an Lord’s final, to play in it but also to put my attacking cricketer, quite aggressive in the body to the test.”— AFP BRISBANE: Players turned up for training yes- arrangement of giving cricketers a fixed share of MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for the terday ahead of the Australia A tour of South revenues, in favour of dividing surpluses among next 12 months to allow negotiations to, let’s say Africa, despite the threat to boycott the trip elite players and offering a pay rise. Former the word continue, but sort negotiations out,” he because of a bitter pay dispute. After months of Australian captain Michael Clarke urged the par- said in Sydney. “The players want to play, they negotiations the players and Cricket Australia ties to extend the existing deal for 12 months to want to play for their country, there’s no doubt (CA) have failed to reach agreement on a new allow for more negotiations. “Just keep the same about it.” —AFP pay deal, leaving 230 players unemployed since the end of June when their contracts expired. The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) executive Alistair Nicholson said a “significant breakthrough” in the stand-off was needed by Friday for the South Africa tour to proceed. Nevertheless, players were sticking to their schedule and reported for training with coach Jason Gillespie in Brisbane for the tour which is due to start on July 12. “As a coach, I’ll help the players prepare as well as we can,” Australia A coach Gillespie told reporters. “We have to have the attitude as if we are going to be travelling.” The pay row also threat- ens to derail upcoming Australia tours to and India as well as this year’s pres- tige home Ashes series against England. Cricket Australia’s national talent manager Greg Chappell told reporters that he remained opti- mistic that a swift solution could be found. “I’m expecting that we will see a positive resolution in the not too distant future and we will get back to focusing on the cricket,” he said yesterday. CA and the players’ union hit an impasse after BRISBANE: Australia ‘A’ tour squad captain takes part in a cricket training ses- Joe Root the board attempted to scrap a 20-year-old sion at Allan Border Field in Brisbane yesterday. — AFP