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Paris (AFP) – Ashleigh Barty’s retirement in March when she was women’s tennis number one and just 25 years old is a “weird one to explain”, South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has told AFP in an interview before they team up for a golf event.
Barty’s relatively short career contrasts with that of the 38-year-old de Villiers, who, after well over a decade at the top, only retired from all formats of international cricket in 2018 and from the game entirely last year.
De Villiers first met avid cricket fan Barty when he was playing in Australia’s Big Bash League in 2019 and they will meet again when they team up in the inaugural Icons Series golf event in Jersey City from June 30 to July 1.
A Freddie Couples-captained Team USA will compete against a Rest of the World team — skippered by ‘The Big Easy’ Ernie Els, one of de Villier’s sporting idols — with 14 sporting stars in each line-up.
While Barty and keen golfer de Villiers are in the Rest of the World Team, swimming legend Michael Phelps and boxing great Oscar de la Hoya are among those in Team USA.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Barty — who de Villiers describes as having become a friend — has already taken one break from tennis, playing cricket&nbsp;instead for Brisbane Heat during the 2015-16 Women’s Big Bash.&nbsp;
But this time around, the exit appears to be final.
“It is a weird one to explain,” de Villiers told AFP in a phone interview.
“I think the best answer is that every person has their own way of manoeuvring through their career, some as long as possible.
“The whole world respects her decision. I would like to think stepping away can be a relief but it is an incredible age to retire at.”&nbsp;&nbsp;
De Villiers was one of those rare birds who averaged over 50 in both Test and one-day international formats.
He says he has not had second thoughts since bringing down the curtain on his stellar career which saw him captain South Africa in all three formats.
“I feel relief sitting here,” he said.
“I am feeling quite happy I made the right decision even if I miss the game and will be forever grateful to the sport.
“But similar to Ash there is a peace of mind where I am at.
“I am really happy to look back on my career with fond memories.
“There are no regrets. Yes, I made mistakes but no regrets.”

– Kohli struggles –

De Villiers — variously known as ‘Mr 360’ for his strokeplay and ‘Superman’ for his astonishingly agile fielding — says he was fortunate not to have had too many bad runs with the bat during his career.
However, he sympathises with his close friend, Indian superstar Virat Kohli, who he played with at Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.
‘King Kohli’ had been going through a rough patch including two successive golden ducks before he hit 58 on Saturday. He has also failed to score a century in over 100 matches in all formats.
“As a batsman you are only one or two bad knocks away from bad form,” said de Villiers.
“If it keeps coming at you it is difficult to bounce back from it.”
De Villiers says he has not been in touch with Kohli, but says the struggle becomes largely one of the mind.&nbsp;
“I cannot put a percentage to it but it is the mind and power of the mind which is the main battle,” he said.
“You do not become a bad player overnight. Virat would know it and I know it. I think it’s the way you think and set your mind.
“You need a clear mind and fresh energy whenever you play and then you can find a way out of a hole.”
While de Villiers made plenty of money from the T20 format he is a staunch defender of the Test game. In 114 Tests between 2004 and 2018, he piled up 8,765 runs for South Africa, averaging just over 50.
“Test cricket is my number one format,” he said.
“I think most players feel that way. There is nothing more rewarding than standing out there for five days with your team.
“It is the ultimate challenge. I do not know why anyone would say they do not want that challenge in the hardest of formats.
“I will stop watching cricket if Test cricket were to be no more.”

De Villiers hopes grass is greener for golf team-mate Barty - World Soccer Talk

De Villiers hopes grass is greener for golf team-mate Barty

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London (AFP) – England could be without their two leading bowlers for the second Test against India at Lord’s starting on Thursday after James Anderson joined Stuart Broad in missing Wednesday’s final pre-match practice session.
Broad suffered a calf problem after pulling up during Tuesday’s warm-up and a thigh injury prevented Anderson taking part in Wednesday’s net session.
The veteran new-ball duo, who both featured in last week’s drawn series opener at Trent Bridge, are England’s two most successful Test bowlers of all time with a combined 1,145 wickets from 312 matches.
England have not played a Test without either one of the pair since October 2016.
Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood was added to the squad on Wednesday fresh from playing in the Hundred for the Oval Invincibles.
Anderson and Broad’s injuries are bound to leave the England and Wales Cricket Board facing fresh questions over a domestic fixture schedule which left both bowlers short of match practice heading into a showpiece series in the absence of red-ball county cricket.&nbsp;
Mahmood, 24, is uncapped at Test level but was named man of the series during the recent one-day internationals against Pakistan after taking nine wickets in three games.
He is the second additional call-up to the England squad following the inclusion of off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali.
Mahmood now joins Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Craig Overton and all-rounder Sam Curran in vying for a place in England’s pace attack.
England could make several changes for to a side that was largely outplayed in a rain-affected clash in Nottingham — the first of a five-match series.
Nottinghamshire batsman Haseeb Hameed could force his way into a top three where both Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley have been struggling.

England greats Anderson, Broad doubtful for second India Test - World Soccer Talk

England greats Anderson, Broad doubtful for second India Test

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London (AFP) – Lancashire fast bowler Saqib Mahmood has been added to England’s squad for this week’s second Test against India at Lord’s as cover for the injured Stuart Broad, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Wednesday.
Mahmood’s call-up came with veteran paceman Broad facing a scan on a calf injury which threatens to rule him out of the second of a five-match series starting on Thursday.&nbsp;
Broad missed Tuesday’s net session at Lord’s after discomfort in his calf during the warm-ups and will be assessed by medics before a decision is made over his availability for what would be his 150th Test.
Mahmood, 24, is uncapped at Test level but was named man of the series during the recent one-day internationals against Pakistan.
He is the second additional call-up to the England squad following the inclusion of off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali.
England and India are all square at 0-0 after last week’s rain-marred first Test at Trent Bridge ended in a draw.

England add Mahmood to Test squad after Broad injury scare - World Soccer Talk

England add Mahmood to Test squad after Broad injury scare

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Cape Town (AFP) – The British and Irish Lions announced six changes on Tuesday to their starting team for the decisive third Test against South Africa at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, bringing in Welshmen Liam Williams and Josh Adams.
Williams and Adams will play at full-back and right wing respectively, with Stuart Hogg and Anthony Watson dropped from the match 23 as head coach Warren Gatland makes four changes in the backs and two in the forwards after a 27-9 hammering by the Springboks at the same venue last Saturday.
Bundee Aki will team up with fellow Irishman Robbie Henshaw at centre, with Chris Harris, who started last Saturday, left out of the squad.
Scotland scrum-half Ali Price, who started in the first Test and was a replacement last Saturday, will change roles again with Ireland’s Conor Murray, who drops to the bench from a starting role.
Both forward changes are in the front row, with Welshmen Wyn Jones and Ken Owens coming in at loosehead prop and hooker respectively.&nbsp;
Three players who have not yet appeared in the series, forwards Adam Beard and Sam Simmonds and fly-half Finn Russell are among the replacements.
Prop Kyle Sinckler was named as a replacement subject to the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.
“The matchday 23 have an incredibly special opportunity in front of them — to seal a Lions series victory in South Africa,” said Gatland.&nbsp;
“It does not get much bigger than this and we’re excited by the challenge that faces us on Saturday.
“We’ve no excuses from last week, the Springboks put us under pressure in the second half and deserved the win. We have to be much better than that second half performance, and I believe we will be.”
Team (15-1)
British and Irish Lions: Liam Williams; Josh Adams, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Dan Biggar, Ali Price; Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes; Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Maro Itoje; Tadhg Furlong, Ken Owens, Wyn Jones
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Kyle Sinckler (subject to outcome of disciplinary hearing),&nbsp;Adam Beard, Sam Simmonds, Conor Murray, Finn Russell, Elliot Daly
Coach: Warren Gatland (NZL)

Lions make six changes for decisive third Test against Springboks - World Soccer Talk

Lions make six changes for decisive third Test against Springboks

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Editor’s note: Since we’re in the dog days of summer with no European soccer kicking off for a few weeks and no more Women’s World Cup, Copa America or Gold Cup, we thought we’d bring you a guide to watching Sunday’s Cricket World Cup final as a change of pace for any of you who are intrigued by the sport.
Either England or New Zealand will win their first ever Cricket World Cup when they meet in&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.espncricinfo.com/series/_/id/8039/season/2019/icc-cricket-world-cup">Sunday’s final (beginning at 5:30 AM eastern, and continuing throughout the day), live from London’s legendary Lord’s Cricket Ground</a>. But if you know more about the Cricket in Times Square than about this summer’s 50-over cricket championship, then, well, that’s by design.
Cricket’s overlords have gone to great lengths to ensure that the sport stays a well-kept secret in America. Instead of making sure that this niche sport gets exposed to as many people as possible, Sunday’s 50-over final is only available to stream in the US via two expensive services,&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/us.hotstar.com/">Hotstar</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.willow.tv/">Willow TV</a>.
Hotstar is available for $100 a year or $20 a month and is currently offering a 50% discount with the offer code “PM50.” For that money, you’ll get heaps of Indian TV shows and movies. But the only sports Hotstar offers are cricket and&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-9eTjuXymY">Kabaddi</a>&nbsp;– a fun game that’s essentially schoolyard tag but with NBA-worthy acrobatics and NFL-worthy tackling. Willow TV is cheaper than Hotstar, at $60 a year or <a href="http:\/\/www.anrdoezrs.net/links/5531305/type/dlg/https:\/\/www.sling.com/international/desi-tv/cricket" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$10 a month</a>, because it only offers cricket.
It’s not even possible to listen to the games&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/bbciplayerabroad.co.uk/how-to-listen-to-the-cricket-world-cup-2019-live-radio/">on BBC radio because of idiotic geographic restrictions</a>. Thankfully, the irreverent folks at Guerilla cricket will provide&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.guerillacricket.com/">live audio commentary at their site</a>. And the&nbsp;Guardian&nbsp;will be doing an entertaining&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.theguardian.com/sport/over-by-over-reports">over-by-over report</a>.
It used to be much easier to enjoy foreign imports like cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and Aussie rules football. Fox Sports offered Aussie rules and Australia’s National Rugby League on its cable channels and on its streaming service at no extra charge for cable subscribers. But now, the vast majority of AFL and NRL matches are only available&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.foxsoccermatchpass.com/en/onboarding/plans">on Fox Soccer Match Pass for $20 a month or $140 a year</a>.
ESPN streamed the 2011 Cricket World Cup on its WatchESPN service at no extra charge for cable subscribers. And so SportsCenter started showing cricket highlights while ESPN dispatched Wright Thompson to&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/509803.html">write an overwrought Sachin Tendulkar profile</a>. Cricket’s appearance in the American mainstream probably peaked with 2014’s Twenty20 final.&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/04/08/live-cricket-match-on-espn2-scores-impressive-viewing-audience-number/">217,000 people watched Sri Lanka beat India</a>&nbsp;early on a Sunday morning on ESPN2.
But then, in a precursor to ESPN+, ESPN sold the 2015 World Cup as a&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/money.cnn.com/2015/01/30/media/espn-cricket-world-cup/">$99 streaming package to American fans</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, the&nbsp;International Cricket Council sold the rights for all of its international tournaments through 2023 to Star Sports, which is a Disney subsidiary primarily focused on India. Star Sports then sublicensed the Cricket World Cup to companies like Willow and Hotstar in America and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
Of course, more and more soccer matches are moving behind paywalls.&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2019/07/09/nbc-makes-big-changes-nbc-sports-gold-premier-league-packages/">As World Soccer Talk recently reported</a>, NBC Sports Gold will now cost $65 a season. The majority of ESPN’s soccer properties, like Serie A or Copa America or the NWSL, are on its $5 a month / $50 a year ESPN+ service.
But soccer built the fanbase to support paid streaming through&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2016/08/01/brief-history-world-cup-european-championship-copa-america-us-tv/">decades of exposure</a>&nbsp;on over-the-air networks like Fox, NBC, and ABC and mainstream cable channels like FS1 and ESPN. For sports like cricket, there’s been no foundation built here that would to inspire casual fans to pony up stratospheric sums to watch.
The same goes for rugby. NBC will be offering access to this&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com/gold/rugby-world-cup">September’s Rugby World Cup</a> at a price that will likely be similar to the&nbsp;<a href="https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com/gold/rugby">$70 a year it charges now for club rugby and the Six Nations tournament</a>. Who, aside from expats and the relatively small amount of hardcore rugby fans, will shell out for that?
It’s a shame, because between football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, car racing, golf, and tennis, Americans watch a greater variety of sports than anyone on Earth. So it’s likely that there’s more room in the pool, that there’s an appetite to watch exciting yet overlooked sports like cricket. If you enjoy baseball for its athletic fielding, one-on-one battles between a pitcher and batter, and the way tension builds with every delivery in the 9th inning, then you’d enjoy cricket. Even more so in some ways, because there is no parade of tomato can relievers marching in after an ace exits in the 6th. Imagine Jacob deGrom or Clayton Kershaw pitching in the bottom of the 9th.
Sunday’s final features one of the best one-day bowlers in the world, New Zealand’s Trent Boult, going up against one of the best one-day batsmen in the world, England’s Joe Root. It’ll be a beautiful battle. And Lord’s will be a beautiful backdrop. So it’ll be a beautiful advertisement for cricket. In recognition of this, Sky Sports is making the final available free over-the-air in the UK. Sky knows that by maximizing the final’s audience they’ll attract new customers to pay for Sky’s cricket content. No such luck here in America.