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Croatia’s legendary football coach Miroslav Blazevic dies at 87

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Croatia's legendary football coach Miroslav Blazevic dies at 87

 Croatia’s famed football coach Miroslav Blazevic — who led the country to a third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup — died on Wednesday, the national football federation said. He was 87.

“The whole football family has lost ‘the coach of all coaches’ today,” the federation wrote on social media.

Blazevic died in the capital Zagreb after a long fight with cancer, spurring a flood of condolences.

Croatia’s national team coach Zlatko Dalic paid his respects, saying he mourned his “football father… a true inspiration for everything I achieved in my coaching career”.

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“Ciro was unique — an unsurpassed motivator and speaker… a man with great style and an even bigger soul and that’s why we all loved and respected him,” Dalic said in a statement, referring to Blazevic by his popular nickname.

Born on February 10, 1935, Blazevic started his playing career in his hometown of Travnik in neighbouring Bosnia.

In the early 1960s, he began coaching in Switzerland and moved in 1979 to Croatia, which was then part of the former Yugoslavia.

In Croatia, he coached Rijeka and later Dinamo Zagreb, where he led the club to their first Yugoslav championship in 24 years.

After winning the title, Blazevic’s popularity soared at home where he was known for wearing fashionable white scarves in public.

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“Dinamo’s 1982 win was the crown of my coaching career,” Blazevic told local media in 2021.

From 1994 to 2000, Blazevic took the helm of the national team and racked up a number of impressive wins, including a third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup in France.

The finish provided a much-needed boost to the weary nation following years of fighting during Croatia’s 1991-1995 independence war amid the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia.

During the 1998 World Cup, Blazevic was famed for wearing a French gendarme’s hat during games, as a symbol of solidarity with a security officer who was seriously injured by German football hooligans during the tournament.

‘Coach of all coaches’

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Eloquent, charismatic and well regarded for his motivational skills, Blazevic remained popular throughout the former Yugoslavia long after he retired in 2015.

As he battled cancer back in Zagreb, Dalic dedicated the team’s win in Croatia’s third-place match at the World Cup in Qatar in December to Blazevic.

“This is for you, boss. I can win five medals but you will always remain the ‘coach of all coaches’,” Dalic said after beating Morocco.

Blazevic, however, proved less successful at the ballot box, where he finished with less than one percent of the vote when he ran for the Croatian presidency in 2005. 

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PCB meeting on June 12 will discuss new domestic cricket structure

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PCB meeting on June 12 will discuss new domestic cricket structure

The management committee of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called a meeting on June 12 to discuss the new domestic cricket structure. The role of the departments in the domestic cricket structure will also be discussed.

The important meeting is aimed at gathering key stakeholders and brief them with a comprehensive overview of the proposed reforms.

According to media reports, the committee is actively seeking the participation of individuals and organizations interested in development of cricket within Pakistan. The briefing will cover a range of important topics, with the goal of strengthening the domestic system. It will highlight key agenda points for discussion and reform.

The areas to be addressed include the domestic First Class cricket framework, the National One Day Cup, the Pakistan T20 Cup, and the role of departments in the new structure.
PCB is expected to introduce innovative measures to nurture talent, ensure transparency in national team selection, and elevate the competitiveness of domestic cricket.

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In the meeting, the procedure regarding the departments will also be decided while this year the domestic cricket structure will include regional teams along with departmental teams.

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Afghanistan bowled out for 116 after Chameera takes four

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Afghanistan bowled out for 116 after Chameera takes four

Dushmantha Chameera took four wickets in two fiery spells to help dismiss Afghanistan for just 116 runs inside 23 overs in Wednesday’s deciding third ODI against Sri Lanka.

Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga polished off the Afghan tail with 3-7 in Hambantota.The fast bowler Chameera, returning after ankle surgery that sidelined him for seven months, finished with figures of 4-63.

He was ably assisted by two wickets from fellow quick Lahiru Kumara, who withdrew from the first ODI with a hamstring strain. Mohammad Nabi’s 23 was the top score of the Afghan innings as the tourists failed to post a decent partnership, with Sri Lanka taking wickets at regular intervals.

Afghanistan, who had opted to bat first, won the first ODI by six wickets. Sri Lanka bounced back to win the second game by 132 runs.

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Sri Lanka will be heading to Zimbabwe straight after this series for World Cup qualifiers in a bid to secure one of the two remaining slots for the format’s showpiece event. Afghanistan are already through to the World Cup, to be held in India from October.

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England’s Moeen to come out of test retirement for Ashes

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England's Moeen to come out of test retirement for Ashes

England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who retired from test cricket in September 2021, has been added to the Ashes squad for the first two tests, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Wednesday, after spinner Jack Leach was ruled out of the series.

The 35-year-old stepped away from the game’s longest format to focus on limited-overs cricket but reversed his decision following discussions with test captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum and ECB men’s managing director Rob Key.

Moeen made his test debut in 2014 and played his last test against India at the Oval in September 2021. He scored 2,914 runs in 64 tests at an average of 28.29, and picked up 195 wickets with his off-spin.

“We reached out to ‘Mo’ early this week about returning to test cricket. Having had a couple of days to reflect, Mo is excited to join the squad and play test cricket again,” Key said.

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“His vast experience, along with his all-round ability, will benefit our Ashes campaign.” Leach, who took four wickets in England’s win over Ireland in their warm-up test, has been ruled out of the five-test series against Australia due to a stress fracture in his back.

His injury is the latest setback to England’s bowling department in the build-up to the series, with fast bowler Jofra Archer also ruled out. The Ashes gets under way at Edgbaston on June 16.

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