LONDON: England great James Anderson will join the team’s backroom staff as a fast-bowling mentor when he retires from Test cricket following next week’s series opener against the West Indies at Lord’s.
The 41-year-old is the first seamer and only third bowler to have taken 700 Test wickets after spinners Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Anderson, however, has decided to end his Test career after England made it clear they wanted to move on ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes.
But England managing director Rob Key told reporters on Monday: “After the Lord’s Test, Jimmy will continue in our set-up, and he’ll help a bit more as a mentor.”
Key added: “He has got so much to offer English cricket. We don’t want to see that go.
“When we asked him, he was keen. He is going to have a lot of options. English cricket would be very lucky if he chooses to stay in the game.”
Anderson is currently playing for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship at Southport, but his first-class future remains uncertain.
“What he does with Lancashire will probably work out after the Lord’s Test,” said Key.
England have included three uncapped players in their squad for the first two matches of a three-Test series against the West Indies, with Jamie Smith selected to keep wicket ahead of both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes.
The 23-year-old Smith averages over 50 in the County Championship this season and celebrated his Test call-up by making exactly 100 for Surrey against Essex on Sunday.
He usually plays as a specialist batsman for Surrey with Foakes keeping wicket for the reigning county champions.
“Sometimes you’re selecting people for what they’re going to be as well, and where you think they can progress to,” said Key.
“It’s very much the start for Jamie Smith. We feel he’s going to be a fantastic international cricketer.”
Key, asked how Smith would cope with the demands of keeping wicket for 90 overs a day in a Test match when he is not a regular behind the stumps, said he had consulted several former England wicketkeepers in Chris Read, James Foster and Alec Stewart — Smith’s boss at Surrey.
“Some of the guys have been the best keepers in the country... We use them a lot really and we trust a lot of their opinions,” Key explained.
Key added Bairstow, 34, “needs to get back to what he was a couple of years ago,” when the Yorkshireman hit six Test centuries in 2022.
Bairstow, however, has struggled lately after nearly a year out of the game following a horrifying leg break in a freak accident on a golf course.
“Generally his form, in all formats, has just been going slightly in the wrong direction,” said 45-year-old former England batsman Key.
“It’s an arduous task being a keeper and you want someone who can back up series after series. We weren’t convinced that Jonny would be able to do that, especially at the stage of his career that he’s at.”
Key was speaking for the first time since defending champions England’s defeat by India in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.
England won just one of their four matches against fellow Test sides during a tournament in the Caribbean and the United States following a woeful defense of their 50-over World Cup title in India last year.
Those reverses have called into question the positions of England white-ball captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott.
But Key said he would take his time regarding their future ahead of England’s next white-ball series against Australia in September.
“I’m not going to rush anything on that,” he said.
“At times I thought we showed how good we were and at times we were inconsistent. We’ll let the dust settle on the World Cup and then move forward from there.”
James Anderson set to mentor England’s quicks after Test exit
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James Anderson set to mentor England’s quicks after Test exit
- The 41-year-old is the first seamer and only third bowler to have taken 700 Test wickets
- English great set to retire from Test cricket following next week’s series opener against the West Indies
Esports World Cup launches with much fanfare in Riyadh
- Unprecedented prize pool of $60m at stake from July 3 to Aug. 25
- Aim for sport to add $13bn to GDP, says federation’s Prince Faisal
RIYADH: The inaugural Esports World Cup was launched with much fanfare in Riyadh on Tuesday night ahead of the contest which begins today and ends on Aug. 25.
The event features a cross-game format of 22 competitions across 21 premier titles. There is a prize pool of $60 million at stake, the largest in the sport’s history.
At a press conference here on Tuesday, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, said the event would boost the sport in the country.
“As a gamer from as far back as I can remember, it gives me immense pride when people come to our country and realize fully just how gaming-passionate a nation Saudi Arabia is.
“The figure that 23.5 million people in Saudi Arabia — out of a population of 35 million — are gamers is an incredible number and proof of what gaming means to us as a nation.
“But it doesn’t tell you the full story. Gaming to this nation, gaming to me, means meeting a fellow gamer in person or online, and instantly having a connection. That is the power of gaming, and that is the power of the gaming community.”
He said the event aligns with the Kingdom’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to ensure the sector creates jobs and contributes $13 billion to the country’s gross domestic product.
“The Esports World Cup, a global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom, will connect the global gaming community like never, with its focal point right here in Riyadh. Let the games begin,” he said.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, said the event was a “historic culmination of two universal languages, gaming and sports, to unite the global community across games, leapfrog the esports industry, and drive growth across the entire ecosystem.
“I’m immensely proud that we’ve created new possibilities for our sport, and I am very excited to watch elite esports clubs and players compete across the world’s best games for life-changing prizes and to be crowned the first Esports World Cup Club Champion.”
In an interview with Arab News, Faisal bin Homran, chief product officer of the Esports World Cup Foundation, said the event would have a “local, regional, and international impact from a club’s perspective, players’ perspective, and also publishers’ perspective.
“Those publishers today are coming to the Kingdom to invest more and do more studio gaming ideas, collaborate with the local market, getting more players and teams, from an academic perspective, to join the Saudi gaming community. We expect a lot of those numbers to increase in the next few weeks.”
The competition spans a diverse array of titles, including “Apex Legends” and “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.” There is a prize pool of $20 million in the club championship contest.
The event will feature community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, and international music acts. Partnerships have been signed with leading sports, beverage, technology and social media companies.
Brazil held by Colombia in Copa America, to face Uruguay in quarterfinal
- The result means Colombia advance to the knockout rounds as winners of Group D, where they will face Group C runners-up Panama in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday
- In Tuesday’s other Group D game Costa Rica defeated Paraguay 2-1 in Austin to finish in third place
SANTA CLARA, California: Colombia came from behind to grab a 1-1 draw with Brazil on Tuesday, ensuring their qualification to the Copa America quarterfinals as group winners.
An equalizer from Daniel Munoz in first half stoppage time was enough to earn Colombia a share of the spoils after Raphinha had fired Brazil into the lead with a sublime 12th-minute free-kick at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The result means Colombia advance to the knockout rounds as winners of Group D, where they will face Group C runners-up Panama in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday.
But Tuesday’s draw means Brazil will face a titanic showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday against arch-rivals Uruguay, winners of Group D with a perfect record.
Brazil goalscorer Raphinha insisted the five-time world champions would be unfazed at the prospect of playing Uruguay.
“Our team is evolving with each game, with each training session and we think we’re on the right track,” Raphinha said.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t the result we wanted, and it wasn’t the position that we wanted to qualify for the quarter-finals in.
“But whoever wants to be champion shouldn’t be worrying about who they play in the next round; we have to be prepared for anyone.
“If we want to win this competition we have to be prepared to play our best.”
Brazil will head into the quarter-finals without Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament for a reckless early foul on James Rodriguez on Tuesday.
Colombia playmaker Rodriguez had alarm bells ringing among Brazil fans from the ensuing free-kick, just clipping the top of the bar with goalkeeper Alisson beaten.
But although Colombia made the smoother start it was Brazil who took the lead after 12 minutes, with Raphinha curling a sensational free-kick into the top corner to make it 1-0.
Colombia however continued to threaten, Rodriguez volleying over the bar on the turn after 16 minutes.
Rodriguez thought he had set up Colombia’s equalizer three minutes later, supplying a pinpoint cross from a free-kick on the right for Davinson Sanchez to home.
The goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Tempers threatened to boil over midway through the first half, and Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela issued three yellow cards in quick succession to Colombia’s Deiver Machado and Jefferson Lerma along with Brazil’s Joao Gomes.
Colombia looked the more assured side throughout the first half and in stoppage time their slick play got its reward, with Crystal Palace wing back Munoz blasting home after being released by a superb pass from veteran forward Jhon Cordoba.
Colombia — who have now gone 26 international games unbeaten since a defeat to Argentina in early 2022 — looked comfortable through the second half and should have wrapped up victory in the final minutes only for substitute Rafael Borre to shoot over from eight yards with the goal gaping.
In Tuesday’s other Group D game Costa Rica defeated Paraguay 2-1 in Austin to finish in third place.
Bahamas top Finland 96-85 in Olympic qualifying tournament opener, Slovenia fall to Croatia
- The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four that started on Tuesday to determine the last four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics
- Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and four games with Olympic berths on the line set for Sunday
LONDON: Buddy Hield and the Bahamas are a step closer to the Paris Olympics. Luka Doncic and Slovenia are now facing an uphill battle to get there.
Hield scored 24 points, Valdez Edgecombe Jr. added 20 and the Bahamas beat Finland 96-85 on Tuesday in the first game of the Olympic qualifying tournament at Valencia, Spain.
“We grinded it out. Grinded out a win today,” Hield said. “Staying together, figuring it out. Game of basketball is a game of runs. First half, we didn’t quite figure it out.”
The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four that started on Tuesday to determine the last four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are being held in Latvia and Puerto Rico, both of them also starting on Tuesday. Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and four games with Olympic berths on the line set for Sunday.
The Bahamas closed the game on a 44-21 run over the final 17 minutes, erasing what was a 12-point second-half deficit.
But for Slovenia, there was no comeback. At Piraeus, Greece, Croatia led by as many as 29 points and rolled to a 108-92 win. Doncic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, while Croatia had a its own triple-double — 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — from Dario Saric, along with 21 points from Goran Filipovic and 18 points in 19 minutes from Ivica Zubac.
Croatia can qualify for the semifinals on Wednesday with a win over New Zealand. Slovenia must beat New Zealand on Thursday to have any chance of keeping their Olympic hopes alive.
“Croatia played great,” Doncic said. “They outplayed us. ... I’ve got to play way better than this and we’ve got to play with way better energy.”
Doncic was dealing with injuries during the NBA Finals when Dallas lost to Boston, and he was clearly laboring at times on Tuesday as well. But he insisted he would keep going.
“It’s an honor for me to play for my country,” Doncic said. “A lot of times, there’s going to be injuries. But I just see a big honor for me to play for my country. We’re 2 million people and to represent my country, it means everything to me.”
Deandre Ayton scored 19 and Eric Gordon added 16 for the Bahamas, who can advance to the qualifier’s knockout round by beating Poland on Wednesday. It is an interesting mix for the Bahamas; three starters are NBA players, but the starting point guard is Lourawls Nairn — a former Michigan State player and now the associate head coach at Bowling Green.
“He’s a coaches’ dream and I think the players love playing with him,” Bahamas coach Chris DeMarco said. “He definitely belongs and he could be doing this for a living, but he pursued a different career.”
Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni each scored 20 for Finland, which faces Poland on Thursday.
Spain 104 Lebanon 59
At Valencia, host Spain rolled behind 17 points from Santi Aldama, 15 from Usman Garuba and 14 from Jaime Pradilla. Spain can wrap up a spot in the semifinals with a win over Angola on Wednesday.
Youssef Khayat scored 20 for Lebanon, which faces Angola on Thursday.
Brazil 81 Montenegro 72
At Riga, Latvia, Brazil trailed for most of the game but outscored Montenegro 29-16 in the fourth quarter to pull off the comeback.
Bruno Caboclo had 25 points and nine rebounds for Brazil, while Marcelinho Huertas added 17 points.
Nikola Vucevic led Montenegro with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Montenegro must beat Cameroon on Wednesday to keep hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. Brazil faces Cameroon on Thursday.
Latvia 83 Georgia 55
At Riga, host Latvia outscored Georgia 28-11 in the second quarter to take complete control and rolled to the opening win.
Arturs Strautins scored 18 points on 5-for-5 shooting to lead a balanced Latvian scoring attack, while Mareks Mejeris scored 11 (also shooting 5-for-5) and Rolands Smits finished with 10.
Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 14 points.
Latvia can clinch a semifinal spot by beating the Philippines on Wednesday. Georgia and the Philippines play on Thursday to close the group round.
Dominican Republic 90 Egypt 77
At Piraeus, Jean Montero scored 17 points, and the Dominican Republic used a 14-0 run spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to pull away.
Chris Duarte scored 14 points, Victor Liz had 12 and Angel Nunez finished with 11 for the Dominican Republic.
Ahmed Metwaly led Egypt with 24 points.
The Dominican Republic can clinch a semifinal spot if they beat Greece on Wednesday. Egypt play Greece on Thursday and must win to have any hope of advancing to the semifinals.
Italy 114, Bahrain 53
At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolo Melli each scored 14 points and Italy finished with seven players in double figures.
Ahmed Hajji scored 12 points to lead Bahrain, which gave up the game’s final 19 points.
Bahrain must beat Puerto Rico on Wednesday to have any shot at the semifinals. Italy play Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Pakistan qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 despite poor show in 2024 edition
- Pakistan qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 based on their number seven T20I ranking, says ICC
- The next World Cup will also be a 55-match affair to be played in India and Sri Lanka
ISLAMABAD: Despite a humiliating first-round exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan cricket team have qualified for the next edition of the tournament to be held in 2026, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday.
Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2024 held last month in the United States and West Indies after successive losses to the United States and India. The green shirts’ victories over Group A teams Canada and Ireland were not enough to take it to the Super Eights stage of the tournament.
The 2026 edition in Sri Lanka and India will once again be a 55-match affair, with the tournament to be played in the same format, with four groups of five, before two Super Eights groups, semifinals and a final to crown the next champion.
“Despite missing out on the Super Eights, Babar Azam’s men meanwhile secured their place at the next edition thanks to their T20I ranking (7th), alongside New Zealand (6th) and Ireland (11th),” the ICC said on its website.
The global cricket governing body said Sri Lanka and India take up the first two spots for the next World Cup since they are hosts of the tournament. The next 10 spots were determined by Super Eight qualifiers at the 2024 edition, and ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings at the 30 June cut-off date.
Thanks to their strong first-round play and entry to the Super Eights, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies all secured 2026 T20 World Cup spots, ICC said.
The USA, who defeated Pakistan in a shock upset in the World Cup to steal a second-round spot in Group A, have also qualified for the next World Cup.
“The final eight teams for the 2026 edition will be decided by regional qualifiers, in a similar pathway to that of 2024 qualifying,” the ICC said.
The number of qualification spots per region is to be confirmed, though.
Wimbledon rookie takes aim at Djokovic after beating Alcaraz and Sinner
- Fearnley won his first Grand Slam match on debut on Tuesday; it was also his first win of any kind on the main tour
- Djokovic admitted he knows absolutely nothing about Fearnley
LONDON: Not many players can boast victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner but British rookie Jacob Fearnley has notched up that impressive double and now looks for a third in the shape of Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Fearnley’s wins over reigning Wimbledon champion Alcaraz and world No. 1 Sinner came in his junior days.
Since then, their career paths have taken radically different directions — Alcaraz and Sinner are winning Grand Slams and banking millions of dollars while Fearnley headed to university in the US.
“I played Alcaraz when he was maybe 14, I was 17. Sinner, I played him maybe when we were 15,” said 22-year-old Fearnley on Tuesday.
“Obviously the strides they’ve taken in their games have been a lot more than myself. The way they’re playing, it’s unbelievable.
“I don’t think I can really take anything from those victories.”
Fearnley won his first Grand Slam match on debut on Tuesday; it was also his first win of any kind on the main tour.
Before seeing off Spain’s Alejandro Moro Canas 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (14/12), his only professional match on the ATP tour came in Eastbourne last week where he was a first-round loser.
The week before, however, he illustrated his prowess on grass courts by coming out of qualifying to win a second-tier Challenger event in Nottingham.
“It’s a bit crazy,” said Fearnley, the world No. 277.
He was referring to a month which also saw him help Texas Christian University win the national championships in the US at the end of his five-year college career.
Fearnley has already faced one Wimbledon giant in his time — at the 2018 tournament, he was drafted in as a hitting partner for Roger Federer.
“That was really cool. He’s a super nice guy. Obviously a really, really special player. I learned a lot of things from those brief practice sessions,” he said.
Now he faces comfortably one of the most daunting tasks in the sport — trying to defeat seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic in the second round on Thursday.
“I have no idea,” said Fearnley when asked how he planned to author a seismic victory over a man who has won 24 Grand Slam titles.
“I’ve watched so many videos of him. It doesn’t look like there’s many flaws in his game. I’m going to just try and enjoy it, put my game out on the court and see what happens.”
Djokovic admitted he knows absolutely nothing about Fearnley.
“I haven’t seen him hit. So I’ll have to do my homework,” said the Serb.
Earlier Tuesday, Djokovic started his bid to capture a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men’s title with a straight-sets win over Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva in his first match since undergoing knee surgery.
Djokovic eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory in a shade under two hours on Center Court against his 123rd-ranked rival.
The 37-year-old did not face a break point in the entire match, which he sealed with three aces.
Djokovic, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, wore a grey support on his right knee after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus, which had forced him to withdraw from the French Open after the fourth round last month.
“It was very good. I was very pleased with the way I moved on the court today,” said Djokovic after taking his Wimbledon first-round record to 19-0.
“Obviously coming into Wimbledon this year, it was a little bit of a different circumstance for me because of the knee.
“I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold on the court really.
“Practice sessions are quite different to official match play, so I’m just extremely glad about the way I played and the way I felt today.”
Djokovic added that his grey knee support had passed the All England Club’s stringent rules over all-white playing gear.
“Of course, we did check in the days prior if we have a permission. We’re trying to find a white one, trust me,” he explained.
