SYDNEY: Australia captain Pat Cummins said Friday he is targeting the Indian Premier League to make his return from a niggling injury that sidelined him from the Champions Trophy.
The 31-year-old quick has been struggling with a long-standing left ankle issue that flared during the Test series win over India in December-January.
He missed the dominant two-Test victory in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, where a Steve Smith-led Australia open their account against England on Saturday.
Cummins told cricket.com.au he aimed to honor his contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad when the IPL starts on March 22.
“The ankle is starting to come good,” he said. “It’s a funny one — it’s not like a hamstring where you need six weeks (to recover).
“It’s one of those ones where it really just needs a bit (more) rest to settle down.
“So we just ran out of time for Pakistan.”
Cummins said the injury was not new or an issue that would affect him long term.
“It’s just one of those ones you’ve got to manage. A bit of a break now, hopefully it sets it up for the next year or so,” he said.
Following the IPL, Australia play the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s on June 11 before a three-Test tour of the West Indies that runs into July.
Cummins said the intensity of the IPL would be adequate preparation to resume red-ball cricket.
“Physically it’s quite a nice build-up for the World Test Championship final, and then the Test matches after that,” he said.
“That’s the aim at this stage — start bowling over the next week or so, building up, and should be right for IPL.”
Australia’s Cummins targets IPL return after injury rules him out of Champions Trophy
https://arab.news/c4e3a
Australia’s Cummins targets IPL return after injury rules him out of Champions Trophy
- The 31-year-old quick has been struggling with a long-standing left ankle issue
- Steve Smith-led Australia will face England in Champions Trophy on Saturday
The world needs to respect African football, Mali coach Saintfiet says
- “I think the world needs to respect African football” Saintfiet told Reuters
- “Football is not only played in England, or not only played in Germany or in Italy”
BAMAKO: African football deserves greater respect, Mali coach Tom Saintfiet said, after FIFA’s surprise decision to delay the release of players to their national teams ahead of this month’s Africa Cup of Nations.
With less than three weeks until the tournament in Morocco, FIFA announced on Wednesday that clubs needed to release players only from December 15, a week later than the standard international window.
The 35th edition of the biennial tournament, which runs from December 21 to January 18, was originally scheduled for the northern summer to avoid clashing with the European club season, but was later moved to winter.
“I think the world needs to respect African football” Saintfiet told Reuters in a Zoom interview on Wednesday.
Asked about the most suitable timing for the competition, he said: “There is never a perfect solution. If you talk, it’s in the middle of the season, then you think about the west European countries, the majority of them, but they are not ruling the world of football.
“Players who play in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Russia, they are at the end of the season, they have finished the season. So football is not only played in England, or not only played in Germany or in Italy.
“I think Africa has to do what they feel is the best. It has to do with climate... and I think the rest of the world has to start respecting Africa... there are rules (about) two weeks before the tournament and it’s never perfect.
“I mean if there’s a World Cup in June, July, there are other leagues who have to stop. Norway is in the middle of the league, Japan is in the middle of the league, Russia is in the middle of the league, or they are not playing World Cup,” he added.
FRIENDLIES CANCELLED
FIFA’s decision forced Mali to cancel planned friendlies before facing Zambia on December 22, followed by hosts Morocco and Comoros in Group A.
“We will see our players six days before the tournament. We have a different situation... All our players are foreign-based players, so it’s a big consequence for us,” said Saintfiet.
The 52-year-old Belgian coach, who also holds a Gambian passport, will participate in the tournament for the third time, having led Gambia to the quarter-finals in 2021 before they made an early exit in 2023.
He hopes Mali can go far, despite facing Morocco, who reached the 2022 World Cup semifinals, with two teams qualifying from each group.
“Morocco is the big favorite. Fantastic team, good development, fourth in the World Cup and now the host... we are not afraid of Morocco,” added Saintfiet.
“We really look forward to that game. But first we need to face Zambia and we need to be also focused in the last game against Comoros. So every game will be tough.”
The coach aims to restore the success of a team who finished second in 1972 and won bronze medals in 2012 and 2013.
“The aim is to go to the semifinal. We said that when I signed the contract. We are not scared to say that. We know there are many teams in Africa who can reach the semifinal,” said Saintfiet.
“We have to show Africa that we have very good players. And I think we have really good players. I hope everyone will be available. And I think I added as a coach also some tactical discipline and hopefully it’s good enough to reach our goal to play a minimum of the semifinal.”
Mali is the seventh African team Saintfiet has coached, after Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo and Gambia. When asked why he preferred Africa, he said he had chosen it willingly.
“Many European coaches come to Africa because they have no chances in Europe and they are having bad performances or no future anymore. For me, coming to Africa was a real choice. To make a career in Africa and because I love Africa.”
