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Schedule delay leaves World Cup without buzz five months out

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With the match schedule still under wraps and the main title contenders preoccupied with test cricket, there is a distinct lack of buzz around the 50-overs World Cup five months out from its expected start in October.

The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) has said the dates and venues for the 13th edition of the showpiece tournament would be out in “due course” and the host Indian board maintains the same.

“The discussion with the ICC is going on and we’ll soon announce the dates and venues,” a senior official at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

That would come only after the Indian Premier League (IPL) concludes on May 28, according to media reports in India.

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While the lack of information, which is unusual for a major sporting event, might be annoying for fans planning to travel to India it is unlikely to impact too match on the preparations of the eight teams already qualified.

England, who hold both white-ball World Cups, are the dominant force in short-format cricket even if their immediate focus is on reclaiming the Ashes from Australia in the test series beginning next month.

Jofra Archer is a doubt for that series because of a nagging elbow injury and white-ball captain Jos Buttler will be hoping the speedster is back to full fitness before the World Cup.

The reigning champions have also left the door open for Ben Stokes to return to the one-day fold if the all-rounder, the hero of the 2019 final, reconsiders his shock ODI retirement.

England’s laboured 2-1 ODI series win in Bangladesh in March was followed by a shock 3-0 submission in the Twenty20 leg of that tour, which will have erased any trace of complacency.

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India won the World Cup last time they hosted the tournament in 2011 but Rohit Sharma’s side do not have a settled look.

Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been sidelined since September last year with a back injury and is missing the IPL as well as next month’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.

Stumper-batsman Rishabh Pant is likely to miss the World Cup as he continues to recover from multiple injuries sustained in a horrific car crash last December.

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Five-time champions Australia are also preoccupied with the WTC final at the Oval, which will be followed quickly by the Ashes.

Pat Cummins and his men toured India earlier this year, losing the test series but prevailing in the one-dayers.

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With 14 Australian cricketers, including several frontline players, involved in the IPL, at least the conditions will look familiar when they return for the World Cup.

Among the other hopefuls, New Zealand, who lost the 2019 final on boundary count, are almost certain to be without Kane Williamson after the skipper suffered a serious knee injury in the ongoing IPL.

Williamson’s absence would make it the first ODI World Cup where not a single team returns with the same captain as they had in the previous edition.

While their best batsman may still travel as a team mentor, Tom Latham is likely to lead New Zealand ahead of test skipper Tim Southee.

“That’s something that still needs to be worked out,” coach Gary Stead said on Tuesday.

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“Tim’s captain in the test team as well, but Tom’s had a lot of white-ball experience for us in the past.”

Former champions Pakistan have grounds for optimism after their top order and pace attack fired them to a 4-1 series victory over a weakened New Zealand earlier this month.

Pakistan briefly held the number one ODI ranking during the series and skipper Babar Azam currently leads the batting rankings with team mates Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq also in the top four.

“Winning the series is great and so is achieving number one ranking that has set us in a good position for the World Cup,” Babar said.

South Africa claimed the last direct qualification spot but former champions West Indies and Sri Lanka will compete with eight other teams for the remaining two slots for the tournament in India.

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World champion Brecel excited by new ‘golden ball’ format

World champion Brecel excited by new ‘golden ball’ format

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World champion Brecel excited by new 'golden ball' format

World champion Luca Brecel is excited to be among those looking to complete the first ever 167 break after the new golden ball was introduced at Saudi Arabia’s first professional snooker event this week.

The opening season of the Riyadh World Masters of Snooker offers players the chance to win a prize of $500,000 if they can complete a maximum 147 and then pot the golden ball.

The golden ball, worth 20 points, sits on the top cushion during the frame for as long as a player can still complete a maximum and is removed when the chance is gone.

The event, which runs until Wednesday, features players such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams and Ding Junhui.

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“Yeah, it’s exciting the golden ball. Obviously it’s a big prize and well, it’s going to be very difficult. It’s a nice challenge and I’d love to have a go at it. Even if I don’t make it I would just like to have a try,” Brecel told Reuters on Tuesday.

“The 147 in itself is really difficult but now you need to be perfect on the black as well to go to the golden ball which is even more difficult.” Former world champion Judd Trump is also enjoying the challenge.

“It’s something cool. I think it’s always good to kind of push new ideas and I think the challenge of making a different break, a 167 here, would be very special,” Trump said.

“I think the 167 is just that little bit harder now and with that comes a bigger prize. So, I think that 167 is very special for the first time.”

Following the announcement last month of the creation of a Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which will become the ‘fourth major’, Brecel said it was good to see the sport expanding into new countries.

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“(It’s) very good for us and for snooker. It’s nice to be able to come to these countries and hopefully maybe Qatar and Dubai will follow and in the future maybe go up to the U.S. as well and make snooker really, really big in all the countries in the world,” he said.

With a 10-year deal agreed, the tournament’s first edition will take place in Riyadh from Aug. 31 to Sept. 7. It will be a ranking event open to all tour players, plus six local wild cards. 

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Scaled-back opening ceremony for Paris Olympics to offer 326,000 tickets

Scaled-back opening ceremony for Paris Olympics to offer 326,000 tickets

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Scaled-back opening ceremony for Paris Olympics to offer 326,000 tickets

A total of 326,000 tickets are set to be sold or given away for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on the River Seine, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Tuesday, giving the exact number for the first time. Security fears have seen the size of the waterborne parade dramatically reduced.

“We will have 104,000 spectators on the lower bank who have paid for a ticket,” Darmanin told a hearing in the Sénat. “Then you have 222,000 people on the higher banks (with free tickets).”

Darmanin estimated that another 200,000 people would watch the event along the river from buildings that overlook the Seine, with an additional 50,000 in fan-zones in the capital.

Resistance from French security services and worries about potential terror attacks saw the number of spectators downgraded from as many as two million people.

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However the event is still set to break records in terms of its size, with all previous opening ceremonies taking place in an athletics’ stadium.

The open-air ceremony on boats is in keeping with promises to make the Paris Olympics “iconic”, with the local organising committee keen to break from past traditions in the way it stages the world’s biggest sporting event.

A total of 180 boats are set to sail around six kilometres down the Seine, of which 94 will contain athletes, the top security official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, told the same hearing.

Darmanin added: “No country has informed us that they do not want to take part … They have confidence in our organisation.”

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The executive in charge of planning and risk management at the Paris organising committee told AFP last week that special security measures would be considered for high-risk delegations such as those from the US or Israel.

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“Every delegation has its own unique circumstances, and we’ll look at solutions that are adapted to the risk,” Lambis Konstantinidis said.

The Olympics have been targeted with attacks in the past, notably Munich in 1972 and Atlanta in 1996.

France was placed on its highest alert for terror attacks in October after a suspected Islamist burst into a school in northern France and stabbed a teacher to death.

The country has been consistently targeted by Islamic extremists over the last decade, particularly from the Islamic State group, while Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is seen as exacerbating domestic tensions.

Around a million people are set to be screened in advance by French security forces for possible security risks, including the athletes, journalists, private security guards and people who live close to key infrastructure. 

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Sinisterra signs long-term deal with Bournemouth

Sinisterra signs long-term deal with Bournemouth

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Sinisterra signs long-term deal with Bournemouth

Luis Sinisterra has made his move to AFC Bournemouth from Leeds United permanent, signing a long-term deal with the Premier League team on Friday.

Bournemouth reportedly agreed to a £20 million fee with Championship (second-tier) side Leeds.

The 24-year-old Colombian had been impressive since joining Bournemouth in September on a loan spell from Leeds United, with three goals and three assists in his 17 appearances.

“I’m really happy to make this move. I’m excited to play for Bournemouth for the long term,” Sinisterra said. “I feel really comfortable here and the fans are really nice. When I meet them in the streets, they show the love.”

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Andoni Iraola’s team are 12th in the table on 27 points, but are winless in their last four games. They play Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday. 

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