‘Never write Aussies off’
KIRSTEN: NEXT YEAR’S WORLD CUP LIKELY TO BE ANYBODY’S FOR THE TAKING
New Delhi
Australia may still be dealing with the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal but World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten has no doubts they will bounce back and be challenging for one-day cricket’s most coveted trophy next year.
The Cape Town scandal in March rocked cricket in Australia to its core and resulted, among other punishments, in lengthy suspensions for then skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner – both key limited overs batsmen.
They will have served their 12-month bans before the World Cup gets underway at the Oval on May 30 but many wonder if Australia, under an as yet unidentified captain, can successfully defend the title they won on home soil three years ago.
“You can never count Australia out of any big tournament,” Kirsten, who coached India to their 2011 World Cup triumph, told Reuters in an email interview.
“They are the most consistent team across big tournaments and I am sure they will be ready to compete at the next World Cup.”
Australia unveiled Justin Langer as the new coach this week, succeeding Darren Lehmann who stepped down despite being cleared by Cricket Australia of any wrongdoing in Cape Town.
Kirsten has also been impressed by the recent progress of Australia’s Ashes protagonists, England, whose white-ball resurgence was reflected by their rise to the top spot in ODI rankings.
“All the teams have got closer and it really is open for any team to win the big tournaments,” said Kirsten. “England are playing an aggressive and exciting brand of cricket and it has certainly put them in a great position to contend in all tournaments.”
The former Proteas opener reckoned the gap between top teams has been narrowing over the last decade and next year’s tournament could be one of the most open in World Cup history.
South Africa’s penchant to implode at World Cups has earned them the “chokers” tag, but Kirsten has no doubt that their talismanic batsman AB de Villiers will not be alone in his determination to end the barren run.
“South Africa has built a team where you have a number of match winners,” added Kirsten. – Reuters
Trevor Stevens
When you first hear about GolfSixes, you would be forgiven for thinking I’m talking about a double bogey six on a par four at your local club.
But on closer inspection the exciting new format, in its second year when 32 players tee it up today at Centurion Club in St Albans outside London, has all the ingredients to be a hit.
One of the major gripes about golf is the time it takes to play a round. The sport is desperate to find ways to shorten the time on the golf course, yet keep it exciting and relevant in the modern era by maintaining the same traditions and values that have served the game of golf so well for centuries.
GolfSixes is looking to address both, by not only introducing an exciting two-man team tournament that is enjoyable to watch, but also making it quick and innovative. So what’s GolfSixes? Sixteen two-man teams, including one from South Africa, will fight it out on the specially designed six-hole circuit.
The 16 teams will compete over six holes in a group stage today, with teams split into four groups of four, before the top two teams from each group progress to the knockout stages – the quarterfinals, the semifinals, a third/ fourth place play-off match and the final – tomorrow. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. So what’s the format? All the matches will be played in a greensomes match play format, which means both players select their best tee shot and then play alternate shots thereafter.
The format is expected to favour the big-hitters, so South Africa’s pairing of George Coetzee and Haydn Porteous are expected to do better than their compatriots, Brandon Stone and Darren Fichardt, who finished last in their group last year.
Today South Africa play Sweden, England women and England men.
The Danish pairing of Thorbjorn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard, who won the title last year, are expected to go far again as the format certainly suits their games.
One of the innovations that caught my eye was the return of the shot clock on hole No 4 – the 436-yard par four. Players only have 30 seconds to complete a shot – 10 seconds down from last year. I know a number of my mates that could do with a shot clock.
The theme of the tournament is “golf will never be the same”. With shot clocks, greensomes, music and big crowds, it certainly looks to be the case.