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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, May 13, 2017
Faf du Plessis hints at retirement after 2019 World Cup FAF du Plessis, South Africa’s Test and T20I captain, has hinted at international retirement in two years’ time but has committed to playing all formats until then. In an interview in the May 2017 edition of GQ Magazine, du Plessis said himself and ‘”a number of senior players” hoped to make the 2019 World Cup their swansong. “I see myself heading towards the 2019 World Cup playing all formats of the game and then calling time on my career,” du Plessis said. Though du Plessis did not name which of his teammates
Faf du Plessis
are thinking along the same lines, AB de Villiers is certainly among them. de Villiers, the ODI captain, handed over the Test reins to du Plessis last
summer and embarked on a hiatus from the longest format in his aim to keep himself fit and firing for the World Cup. Although du Plessis admitted
South Africa miss de Villiers, he also explained that the team supports his decision. “I can’t sit and say he should be playing Test cricket because the guy has been doing it for 12 years and 106 Test matches. It translates to so much time away from home and people have to understand that there is a human side of the decision to consider,” du Plessis said. “ However, from a cricket point of view, I would obviously be the first to say that AB needs to play Tests for South Africa because he is one of the best batsmen in the world. For
him, it’s about spending more time at home and getting to the 2019 World Cup. He wants to ensure he remains mentally fresh and his body is still going strong. I fully respect AB’s decision but I don’t agree with it.” The interview also asked du Plessis his view on the talent exodus which had several recently-capped internationals, of which Kyle Abbott was the highest-profile, sign Kolpak deals and effectively end their South Africa careers. du Plessis put their decisions down to “job security” and urged his employers, Cricket South
Africa, to do more to guarantee players financially sound futures. “CSA needs to be proactive by paying more and offering longer contracts,” du Plessis said. “Stability is the key to success and you want to build a team that is going to take the country forward.” The latest round of central contracts has already made an attempt to grant du Plessis’ wish. Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada, two of the younger players to be contracted, were given two-year deals instead of one. (ESPNcricinfo)
Sangakkara believes it is an exciting time for cricket in USA SRI Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara believes that the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) can grow from strength to strength when the Florida leg of matches takes place on the weekend of August 5 and 6. The Jamaica Tallawahs star, who helped the franchise lift last year’s title for the second time, believes that the Hero CPL has delighted fans within the Caribbean, and beyond through the quality of the cricket coupled with the electric supporter experience. With crowds of over 30 000 attending the games in Central Broward Stadium, Lauderhill last year, Sangakkara believes that this year’s fifth edition of the biggest party in sport can satisfy the cricketing thirst and hunger of the vast Diaspora of Caribbean, sub-Continent, African and British communities living across North America.
Kumar Sangakkara
Since the launch of the Florida leg of tickets on sale last week, there has been strong interest in the weekend double-headers, which will see Sangakkara’s Jamaica Tallawahs face Barbados Tridents in back-to-back games, while Chris Gayle’s St Kitts & Nevis Patriots will square off against last year’s runners-up, Guyana Amazon Warriors. The management of the Hero CPL continues to push the envelope and pioneer
new venues, and it is hoped that the return of matches in Florida will see even greater interest across the USA, the Caribbean and beyond. An ICC World Twenty20 champion in 2014, Sangakkara is one of the most decorated players in the history of international cricket and is also one of a select number of players to have lifted the coveted title more than once, having previously helped the Tallawahs in their 2013 success. He said: “It was great to be a part of the USA leg in Florida. It was outstanding. The stadium was great, (there were) some high scoring games there and it is nice to see that the game is spreading beyond the confines of the usual traditional cricket playing nations. “India played the West Indies there as well in another high-scoring game, and a very exciting cricket match;
All systems are in place for Alness race meet tomorrow AFTER more than a year of inactivity, the racing committee of the Alness Turf Club (ATC) in Corentyne Berbice has put all systems in place for the staging of the club’s first horse race meet for the 2017 season, which is set for tomorrow. According to news coming out of the Ancient County, the club will be staging a seven-race meet which is expected to attract Guyana’s best stables. Over $3M in prize money will be up for grabs, and the feature race will be the Alness Open Classic, which has attracted horses from the Nand Persaud Rice Mill and Horse Stable, the Shariff Stable, Crawford and Chris Jagdeo stable, among others. Among the animals expected to be on show are: Settling Star who won the feature 1400-metre race at the Rising Sun Turf Club’s meet
last Sunday, Just Call Me Boss, It’s My Choice, Brave Sky, Red Jet, DeRock, Confusion, Ready To Romance, Red Rocket, Big Man Boss, Quiet Dancer and Campador. Apart from the Alness Open Classic event, there will also be races for G and Lower animals, one for H and Lower, another for `I’ and Lower and one each for `J’,
`K’ and `L’ and Lower horses. The top jockey, trainer and top stable will be rewarded. According Marcell Crawford Jr, organiser of the event, the facility was under repairs, and is in very good condition, both in terms of the track itself and accommodation for turfites. Race time is 13:00hrs.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday May 13, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPAMY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to Thursday’s quiz: (1) Hooper (998); Chanderpaul (986); Sobers (984); Haynes (928) (2) Royal Challengers Bangalore (2009/2011/2016) & King XI Punjab (2014) Today’s Quiz: Colin Croft once took eight for 29 in a Test innings against Pakistan. Who were the two batsmen he did not dismiss? Who is the last captain to lift the IPL trophy? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE
so that kind of excitement, that kind of marketing and that kind of build-up and hype are very important to hold the attention of the American
audience so hopefully we can play more cricket. “We had the ‘All-Stars’ with Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne a couple of
years ago and with a lot more tournaments and forages into the USA in the works, it will be an exciting time for all of us.”