WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014 SPORTS

SPAIN: Spanish matador Manuel Diaz ‘El Cordobes’ performs a pass on a bull during a bullfight at La Linea de la Concepcion’s bullring. — AFP England’s keeper Prior to take break from S Africa aim to end

LONDON: England wicketkeeper Matt can’t do my job to the level I expect of Prior is taking a break from the game for myself.” the rest of the domestic season following Prior has played 79 tests since making series jinx the 95-run defeat by India in the second his debut in 2007, scoring more than test at Lord’s on Monday, he told the 4,000 runs including seven centuries at an England and Wales Cricket Board website. average of 40.18. COLOMBO: An upbeat South Africa will look to Prior, under pressure for his place after His absence will be another blow for carry their winning momentum in the second a poor run of form with the gloves and a struggling England team who have Test against Sri Lanka beginning tomorrow, and the bat, has not retired from international not won in their last 10 tests following break a 21-year-old jinx on the island. cricket but at the age of 32 and with the retirement of off-spinner Graeme The Proteas, the current world number two, ongoing injury problems his future must Swann, the axing of leading batsman have not won a Test series in Sri Lanka since be in serious doubt. Kevin Pietersen and the unavailability 1993 when they first toured the country and “I’m not doing justice to myself and of Jonathan Trott due to a stress-relat- beat the hosts 1-0. more importantly the team and that is ed illness. On their next three tours, they won one Test what matters first and foremost,” Prior Alastair Cook is under while losing two series and drawing one. But a said. “I tore my quad before the first test enormous pressure but after the new dawn seems to be beckoning for the visi- and my right hand has been beaten to a defeat by India in the second test left tors after they won the first Test in Galle on pulp, but the main issue is the Achilles. England 1-0 down in the five-match Sunday by 153 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two- “Now we have the time, I want to be series, he said he would not be stand- Test series, and hand Hashim Amla a winning pro-active about how we deal with it so I ing down from the job. England one- start to his captaincy. imagine that I’ll have an operation. “I’ve day wicketkeeper Jos Buttler is likely “Not many teams have come here and won a always said as long as I can do my job I to be drafted into the squad for the Test series so it’s obviously on the back of our will manage the pain and get on with it, third test starting in Southampton on minds,” said Amla, the first non-white player to but it has now got to the point where I Sunday. — Reuters lead South Africa in a full-time capacity. Amla, 31, was named captain last month fol- lowing the retirement of Graeme Smith who led the Proteas in a record 109 Tests. Five alive thanks Amla’s debut leadership was unconventional and daring, evident in the way he declared the innings at tea on the fourth day rather than take to Lee withdrawal the safer option of batting out the last session. SRI LANKA: South African cricket captain Hashim Amla (left) and Sri Lanka cricket captain It meant the hosts needed to score 370 runs Angelo Mathews look on in this file photo. — AFP in four sessions to win the match. At one point, it GLASGOW: England’s Rajiv Ouseph now that Lee’s out, after that anything can Steyn, was the middle order that has failed to The last time South Africa played a Test series appeared the game was slipping away from believes there are as many as five potential happen. “We’re all at a fairly similar level so click, even in the preceding one-dayers which in Sri Lanka in 2006, they lost 2-0, but only three South Africa but fast bowlers Dale Steyn and winners of the men’s badminton singles at it will just come down to who plays well on South Africa won 2-1, their first ODI series win in players from that tour are part of the current Morne Morkel ripped through the top order on the Commonwealth Games following the the day, deals with the pressure the best.” Sri Lanka. side. the fifth morning to ensure a well-deserved win. withdrawal of Malaysia’s world number one The women’s event will also be without its “Right from the ODI series, our middle-order Steyn will again be crucial at Colombo’s Lee Chong Wei. top player and reigning champion after batting has not been delivering,” the Sri Lankan Squads: Sinhalese Sports Club ground, where South Lee, winner of four gold medals at the India’s Saina Nehwal pulled out the week skipper said. “We have seven batters in the side Sri Lanka (from): Angelo Mathews (captain), Africa won by an innings and 208 runs in 1993 last two Games, aggravated a thigh prob- before the tournament due to leg blisters. and to expect only one player to deliver all the Lahiru Thirimanne, Upul Tharanga, Kaushal Silva, thanks to fast bowlers Allan Donald and Brett lem at the start of the month and was It leaves India’s 19-year-old PV Sindhu as time is wrong.” Kumar Sangakkara, , Dinesh Schultz. forced to pull out of the Glasgow games. the top seed, while Scotland’s Kirsty Mathews can rely on at least one player to Chandimal, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Rangana Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews conced- His absence leaves fellow Malaysian Wei Gilmour is the second-highest ranked play- come good with the bat in the decider-Mahela Herath, Dilruwan Perera, , ed that Steyn would be a big factor in Colombo. Feng Chong, India’s Kashyap Parupalli and er in the tournament. Jayawardene has scored 10 hundreds at , Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika “Steyn is an unbelievable bowler, any captain Ouseph, 20th, 22nd and 26th respectively, Despite Nehwal’s absence, Gilmour will Colombo-the most by any batsman at a single Prasad, Chanaka Welegedara. South Africa would love to have a guy like him in his side,” he as the top-ranked players in the tourna- still be happy with a medal of any descrip- venue. Jayawardene, 37, is due to retire next (from): Hashim Amla (captain) Alviro Petersen, said. “On that flat (in Galle), he came out ment. tion and is wary of the challenge of Michelle month after a two-Test series at home against Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, JP really hard and bowled fast. Not too many fast Ouseph, who lost to Lee in the singles Li of Canada and Malaysia’s Tee Jing Yi. Pakistan. A victory at Colombo will see Amla’s Duminy, Stiaan van Zyl, Vernon Philander, Morne bowlers end up with nine-wicket hauls in Galle.” final in New Delhi four years ago, thinks the “I’ve lost three times to (Nehwal) this sea- men reclaim the number one ranking they lost Morkel, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Kyle Abbott, The other concern for Mathews, apart from absence of the world number one will make son and I’ve played Sindhu once and beat- to Australia recently after two years at the top. Quinton de Kock, Dane Piedt. — AFP it a far more competitive tournament. en her once so I’ve got a decent record He told AFP: “It definitely opens it up for there,” she told AFP. everyone else. It’s a massive loss to the tour- “The competition is so strong. You never Nicol confident of doubles sweep nament not having the world number one rule out the Malaysians and Singapore have here and it’s nice to put yourself up against another couple of good players so I would GLASGOW: World number one Nicol David is the best in the world. be happy with a medal of any colour. sure she can deliver Malaysia’s first women’s “But there are probably four or five sin- “In the past I’ve used crowds to my doubles gold medal as well as another singles gles players here who are thinking this is advantage and I’m hoping they will help me title at the Commonwealth Games. their chance to go out and win and I’m one rather than hinder me. To win a medal in David, 30, the world’s top-ranked player of those. front of my home crowd would be the high- since 2006 is looking to retain the singles title “Getting a medal is the first priority but, light of my career.” — AFP she won in New Delhi four years ago in Glasgow, where five of the world’s top seven will be competing. She claims she is full of confidence after overcoming England’s world number two Laura Massaro at the British Open in May. But David maintains the doubles, where she and world number seven Low Wee Wern are seeded fourth, is also a major priority ahead of her fourth Commonwealth Games. “Winning the British Open was a great feeling because of its prestige. I really wanted to get the title back and it was tough as Laura was playing superb squash,” she told the Malaysia Star. “It is going to be very similar in terms of intensity in Glasgow. I believe everyone will be gunning for the gold too. “It is tougher in the doubles. We have to adjust our playing style as the court is wider. At the end of the day, it’s down to us to do what needs to be done. “I think Wee Wern is a good partner because Nicol David she is solid and she just keeps going. She will do the strong favourite to take gold the men’s “I obviously hope to still win gold but there’s her part well and I just need to reduce the mis- event. no way that I can be the favourite having not takes I make.” The reigning world champion and world played for this amount of time,” Matthew said. In singles, David comes up against Vanessa number two underwent knee surgery in June “If they want to consider me the favourite Florens of Mauritius in the first round, while the but will be ready to compete in Glasgow. that’s up to them, but I certainly won’t be in my men’s top seed Nick Matthew faces another The 33-year-old claims his recent injury wor- own mind, so that will take the pressure off. Mauritian, Xavier Koenig. ries mean he should not be considered a cer- “This is my third Games, I’m on to the experi- England’s Matthew, winner of the men’s sin- tainty for gold but feels his experience at three enced end of things now. I’ve got a lot of experi- Injured Lee Chong Wei withdraws from Commonwealth Games. gles and men’s doubles titles four years ago, is previous Commonwealth Games will be crucial. ence and it’s about time I used it.”— AFP