Stokes rules himself out of England's T20 World Cup title defence

LONDON - Test captain Ben Stokes has ruled himself out of England's T20 World Cup title defence in the United States and the West Indies, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Tuesday.

The 32-year-old said he was missing the showpiece tournament in order to make sure he could be a fully-fledged all-rounder in Test cricket.

"Opting out of the IPL (Indian Premier League) and the (T20) World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future," Stokes said in an ECB statement.

It is understood Stokes has not suffered any setbacks after briefly returning to bowling last month during a Test tour of India where England lost a five-match series 4-1.

There is no lingering discomfort in his left knee following surgery in November.

But although he has long been one of England's leading multi-format cricketers, Stokes has decided to prioritise his role as Test captain, in the hope of being able to play a full role with both bat and ball during six Tests -- three against the West Indies and three against Sri Lanka -- in the upcoming home season.

The first Test against the West Indies at Lord's starts on July 10, less than two weeks after the June 29 T20 World Cup final in Barbados.

That congested Test schedule has prompted Stokes to follow up his withdrawal from the lucrative IPL T20 franchise tournament by also pulling out of the T20 World Cup in a major blow for England white-ball captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott.

"I'm working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket," Stokes said.

"Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future."

He added: "The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. I'm looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer.

"I wish Jos, Motty and all the team the best of luck in defending our title."jdg/ea Stokes rules himself out of England's T20 World Cup title defence

Read More........ → April 03, 2024

8-year-old Boy Becomes Youngest Player to Beat a Chess Grandmaster: ‘I felt amazing’

credit Carleton Lim/Singapore Chess Federation

At the tender age of eight years, six months, and 11 days, Singaporean Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in classical tournament chess.

He beat out the previous record holder by 4 months after defeating Poland’s Jacek Stopa, 37, in round four of the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.

CNN describes his parents seeing the “inevitability” of their son spending more time than they did growing up looking at screens, and explained they tried to get out ahead of the habit by introducing the boy to the ancient board game through ChessKid.com.

Then as the pandemic arrived and Singaporean authorities instituted strict lockdowns, Kaushik had all the time in the world to practice.

“I feel proud of my game and how I played. I felt amazing, just unbelievable,” Ashwath told CNN Sport in the wake of his victory.

“I practice a lot each day,” Ashwath says. “A lot of children have a natural talent, so I think I’ve got a natural talent at chess.”

Born in India, Ashwath has been living with his family in Singapore for 6 years. In the Bergdorfer Open, he finished in 12th place after beating Stopa, and losing to International Master Harry Grieve. He is set to pick up 84 rating points, settling him at 1894—extremely close to the highest rating of any player under 8.

His parents aren’t pushing him, they merely allow him the time and space to pursue chess as far as he wishes. He currently enjoys the personal coaching of Chess GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming, CEO of the Singapore Chess Foundation, and recently completed GM Jacob Aagaard’s entire Grandmaster series without using a board, something which Ashwath’s father attributes to his “photographic memory.”

The coaches say his tactical nouse is very developed, but that he needs to work on his strategy.His next stop? A 2,000 rating, and then world champion, the youth says. 8-year-old Boy Becomes Youngest Player to Beat a Chess Grandmaster: ‘I felt amazing

Read More........ → March 30, 2024

Hosts France get kind Olympic draw as Mbappe uncertainty lingers

PARIS - Thierry Henry's France side are firm favourites to progress following a kind group draw for men's football at the 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday, as the hosts wait to see if Kylian Mbappe will be made available. "Nothing is easy," said Henry after the draw, but his side, already amongst the favourites for the gold medal on home turf, avoided potential pitfalls in not drawing Morocco and Egypt. Les Bleus are in Group A of the 16-team tournament with New Zealand, USA and the winners of the AFC-CAF play-off, as they seek to win a second Olympic gold after success in 1984. "It's never easy to win a home tournament, I think Brazil and Spain did it (in 2016 and 1992, respectively) but it doesn't happen often," said Henry. "We will try to make it happen, but it'll be a long journey." It is understood that Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe is also very keen to represent his country at the Olympics, but he would likely have little time to rest after Euro 2024. Football's world governing body FIFA does not oblige clubs to release players for the Olympics, which could complicate Mbappe's situation even more. Spain, the silver medallists in Tokyo, will feature in Group C against Egypt, Dominican Republic and the second qualifier from the AFC. Group D will include Paraguay, Israel, Mali and the first qualifier from the AFC. Men's football at the 2024 Olympics is primarily restricted to players born after January 1, 2001, but each side is allowed to select three players over the age of 23 for their squad. The men's tournament will begin on July 24, two days before the Games opening ceremony, and conclude with the final in Paris on August 9.The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. Hosts France get kind Olympic draw as Mbappe uncertainty lingers

Read More........ → March 22, 2024