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France may opt for 'no Messi, no Argentina' strategy for Saturday's clash

Agencies
June 30, 2018

Kazan/Russia, Jun 30: Didier Deschamps may be tempted to execute a "no Messi, no Argentina" strategy when preparing for Saturday`s round of 16 clash but the France manager must also be mindful of getting the most out of his own marquee players.

France`s smooth advance to the knockout rounds with two wins and a draw has made them favourites to beat an Argentina side who were thrashed by Croatia and needed a late winner against Nigeria to book their place.

It also glossed over a clutch of underwhelming group phase performances by Les Bleus, whose galaxy of young stars have yet to truly shine on the biggest stage.

Messi, his World Cup legacy and Argentina`s over-reliance on the Barcelona forward, however, have dominated the narrative leading into Saturday`s clash at Kazan Arena.

At his news conference on Friday, Deschamps was asked repeatedly how France would stop Messi, and he answered patiently until a fourth such query triggered a small sigh of exasperation. "This player is outstanding so we have to take a number of precautions," the former World Cup-winning captain said.

Starving Messi of the ball by winning the midfield battle would seem the obvious starting point for Deschamps` precaution-taking.

Croatia managed to blanket Messi by having Ivan Strinic and Marcelo Brozovica screen behind midfielders Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, and take turns at running with the Argentine danger man.

N`Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi may be pressed into similar stopping roles, and Deschamps could elect to revert to a more conservative 4-2-3-1 formation with Matuidi covering the left wing rather than a more attacking option such as Messi`s Barcelona team mate Ousmane Dembele.

Concentrating too much on Messi, however, could also prove stifling for France`s attack which has shown itself to be a collection of expensive moving parts yet to move in synch.

Deschamps sacrificed a golden chance for them to gel by shaking up his side for the 0-0 draw against Denmark, which secured qualification but did little to improve team cohesion.

Another shake-up looms for the Argentina match, with Deschamps unlikely to have teenage juggernaut Kylian Mbappe starting on the bench again or to rest Paul Pogba.

Antoine Griezmann`s form is another concern and Deschamps has yet to find a combination that can get the best from the striker.

With no clear sense of direction being set by Deschamps` selections, it may be up to the players to find their own way to deal with Messi.

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News Network
February 10,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 10: India's under-19 cricket team manager Anil Patel says the ICC has taken a serious view of the aggressive celebrations by Bangladesh players after their World Cup triumph and will be reviewing the footage of the final game's "last few minutes".

Some Bangladeshi players got carried away while celebrating their historic three-wicket win over India in the final on Sunday. While their captain Akbar Ali apologised for the "unfortunate incident", his Indian counterpart Priyam Garg said their reaction was "dirty".

"We don't know what actually happened," Patel told 'ESPNCricinfo' on Sunday.

"Everybody was in a shock, absolutely, but we don't know what happened exactly. The ICC officials are going to watch the footage of the last few minutes and they are going to let us know," he said.

Even when the match was on, the Bangladesh players were overly aggressive while fielding and their lead pacer Shoriful Islam sledged the Indian batsmen after every delivery.

As soon as the match ended, it became tense with Bangladeshi players rushing to the ground and displaying aggressive body language. The two teams nearly came to blows before the situation was defused by the coaching staff and on-field officials.

Patel claimed that match referee Graeme Labrooy met him and expressed regret at what transpired on the field.

"The referee came to me. He was sorry about the incident. He clarified the ICC is going to take very seriously what has happened during the match and the last session. They are going to witness the footage and they will tell us in the morning (Monday)."

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Agencies
August 4,2020

New Delhi, Aug 4: Former India women's team captain Anjum Chopra firmly believes that the BCCI has a plan for women's cricket but she wants the Board to communicate its ideas more specifically.

Speaking to news agency, Chopra, who is now a successful broadcaster, said the BCCI is thinking in earnest about the progress of women's cricket.

"It's not that the BCCI is not thinking about women's cricket. I only think they need to be more specific in communication about women's cricket," Chopra said.

"I firmly believe that they must be thinking about women's cricket but the communication all this while has been very specific to men's cricket."

The latest trigger for criticism of BCCI was India's withdrawal from a tour of England in September owing to logistical issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chopra concedes it was "not nice" but Indian players' participation in the women's IPL, in November, will still be useful preparation for next year's ODI World Cup.

"It is heartening to see women's cricket making headlines. They should have been a part of that England tour and it did not feel nice initially but the women's IPL, irrespective of the format, will be helpful for World Cup preparations. Any form of cricket is good preparation," Chopra said.

"Missing out on a tournament is not nice, but logistically there may have been issues. And you can't send an under-prepared team."

"If you see in isolation we may have missed out on an opportunity to play in England. The more the girls play the better it is, before playing a tournament of the stature of World Cup. The assurance from the president is a very good thing."

Chopra welcomed the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI's decision to hold the women's event in the UAE alongside the IPL, which will run from September 19 to November 10. The women's IPL will coincide with the business end of the men's league.

"I am definitely happy, it's always nice to be part of any cricket anywhere across the world.

"They should have been nearing the final stages of the preparation for the World Cup by now, but because of the pandemic things did not go as planned," she added.

Chopra had a successful international career spanning over 17 years, during which she represented India in a record six World Cups and became the first woman cricketer to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She also felt that the pandemic would not have much impact on the women's game that has gained momentum in recent times.

"...Cricket was on pause button...Once cricket resumes and players are back on the park, everything is going to get picked up. It might take some time to get started as everything starts from zero...

"The awareness the women's game has created, I hope it stays. They will just restart, not start after the pandemic."

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Agencies
March 6,2020

Mumbai, Mar 6: Former India batsman Virender Sehwag expressed excitement over the upcoming Road Safety World Series and said he is looking forward to playing with Sachin Tendulkar again.

"I am very excited about this tournament because I will get another chance to play with Sachin. We have played many international matches together and there was a gap and then we played an All-Star match and now again getting a chance. I am looking forward to playing with Tendulkar," Sehwag told media persons.

In the opening match of the Road Safety World Series, India Legends will play against West Indies Legends on March 7. The main aim of the Series is to create awareness about road safety and change people's mindset towards their behaviour on the roads.

Sehwag hailed the initiative of Road Safety World Series and said: "I think it is a very good initiative by the government that they are working towards creating awareness regarding road safety. Awareness regarding road safety is important for everyone."

Road Safety World Series, a five-nation T20 cricket tournament, will showcase some of the biggest names in cricket from India, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and South Africa.

Players who will feature in this series include Tendulkar, Sehwag, Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brett Lee, Brad Hodge, Jonty Rhodes, Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis and many more. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is the Commissioner of the Series.

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