Sports
Fifa drops Visit Saudi sponsorship for 2023 Women’s World Cup
Fifa has dropped plans for Saudi Arabia to sponsor the 2023 Women’s World Cup, says Fifa president Gianni Infantino.It follows a backlash from co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, players and sponsors about the proposed deal. Infantino said talks had taken place with Visit Saudi, the gulf country’s tourism arm, about sponsoring the tournament.
“At the end this discussion didn’t lead into a contract,” he said, calling the affair “a storm in a teacup.”
The Swiss official, who has been re-elected unopposed as Fifa president, also said Fifa is aiming to have equal prize money for the men’s and women’s World Cup by 2027.
Infantino said he would not have seen an issue with Saudi Arabia sponsoring a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as “Fifa is an organisation of 211 countries, for us they are all the same,” and given that there is $1.5bn worth of trade between Australia and Saudi Arabia every year.
“This doesn’t seem to be a problem,” he said. “But between a global organisation like Fifa and Visit Saudi this would have been an issue. There is a double standard here, which I really don’t understand.
“There is no issue and no contract. There are discussions and of course we want to see how we can involve Saudi sponsors in women’s football generally, how we can involve Saudi sponsors in men football, or we can involve Qatari sponsors in women’s football and men’s football, and all other sponsors from all over the world.”
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said: “We welcome clarification from Fifa regarding Visit Saudi.
“Equality, diversity and inclusion are really deep commitments for Football Australia and we’ll continue to work hard with Fifa to ensure the Women’s World Cup is shaped in this light, and it is a historic event for our nation, showcasing the world’s greatest female players and advancing the game globally.”
The question of prize money was brought up by Infantino as part of a three-step plan for the women’s game.Women’s World Cup prize money is rising to £126m for this year’s tournament, from £25m in 2019. However, at the men’s World Cup last year in Qatar the prize money on offer totalled £365m.
The money for the 2027 Women’s World Cup would match the 2026 men’s tournament in Canada, United States and Mexico, Infantino said.
Along with prize money in the three-step plan announced by Infantino on Thursday, another will be equal conditions and services, such as accommodation and flights, for all men and women playing at World Cups.
Step three is to have pay parity by the next men’s and women’s World Cup in 2026 and 2027, which Infantino said will be the “most complicated”, as he also criticised broadcasters and sponsors for offering much less financially for the women’s tournament compared to the men’s.
World players’ union Fifpro welcomed Infantino’s comments on equal pay, saying: “The progress announced today demonstrates the intent of the players and Fifa to work proactively towards greater equity and equality for the industry.”
The 2023 Women’s World Cup, which will be the first to feature 32 teams, runs from 20 July to 20 August.
(BBC Sports)
Sri Lanka Cricket is laying the groundwork for a new chapter in the island’s cricketing history, with plans to stage day-night Test matches at the historic Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
The installation of floodlights at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) has now been completed and SLC Treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda said the project goes well beyond the immediate demands of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
SLC funded the floodlight project at a cost of Rs. 1.8 billion, with SSC set to host five matches of the showpiece event. The other venues for the tournament will be the Pallekele International Stadium and the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Speaking to journalists during a media tour to unveil the project, Godaliyadda said the long-term vision was for SSC to one day host day-night Test matches. While pink-ball Tests have gained traction globally in recent years, Sri Lanka are yet to stage one at home and the indication is that SSC will be the venue for the country’s first-ever day-night Test.
SSC ground will be leased for a certain amount of days a year to SLC for conducting training and games. It is part of the agreement that the board undertook to develop the ground.
Beyond the floodlights, the first phase of development also included upgraded dressing rooms and a new VIP viewing area. A second phase, scheduled to begin after the World Cup, will focus on expanding the venue’s capacity. SLC plans to upgrade SSC into a 30,000-seat stadium, a move the board believes will strengthen Sri Lanka’s case when bidding for future ICC events, including women’s and Under-19 tournaments.
SSC celebrated its 125th anniversary last year and has been the stage for many of Sri Lankan cricket’s defining moments. The ground hosted matches during the 1996 World Cup and was the scene of the world-record partnership of 624 runs between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene against South Africa in 2006.
Alongside SSC, the Colombo Cricket Club Ground, just across the road and the P. Sara Oval are also undergoing upgrades.
SLC is meanwhile pressing ahead with plans to build a new international-standard cricket ground in Jaffna and has identified several other locations for future venues, as demand for international facilities continues to grow.
With the T20 World Cup around the corner, Sri Lanka are getting their act together with some last moment preparations. A three-match home series against Pakistan next week in Dambulla is an opportunity to find answers to some nagging questions.
Over the past 24 months, Sri Lanka have been on a steady upward curve, rebuilding brick by brick. The only loose tile has been the T20 format. A home World Cup, though, offers the perfect chance to paper over the cracks.
At present, too much seems to rest on the broad shoulders of Pathum Nissanka. The opener has been motoring smoothly across formats and last September added another feather to his cap by becoming only the fourth Sri Lankan to score a T20I hundred. That it came against world champions India spoke volumes, a knock that virtually fast-tracked him to an IPL deal. When Nissanka fires, Sri Lanka purr; when he doesn’t, the engine splutters.
Kusal Mendis has struck up a productive opening partnership with Nissanka, giving Sri Lanka brisk starts. It is the middle order, however, that has repeatedly failed to carry the baton. Kusal Janith Perera, with a truckload of experience, remains the lynchpin. His recent dismissals have tested patience, but he is still the side’s leading batter and in a couple of overs can flip a game on its head.
Charith Asalanka endured a lean patch in T20 cricket, despite being prolific in the 50-over format. Relieved of captaincy duties, he now has the luxury of focusing solely on his batting.
Dasun Shanaka has been handed the captaincy and he has to justify his place in the side as a player. Batting where he does, Shanaka’s brief is clear: less about compiling scores and more about providing the late-innings punch, the kind of death-overs fireworks that can swing momentum in a hurry.
The selectors have also rolled the dice by drafting in Dhananjaya de Silva, hoping he can bat through the innings. Slotted in at number three, a role previously trialled, his adaptability will be closely watched. His off-spin adds another string to the bow, though Sri Lanka are hardly short of part-time options in that department.
Bowling, whether pace or spin, has largely held firm. It is the batting that has repeatedly let the side down, leaving bowlers to defend modest totals with little margin for error.
This three-match series, then, is Sri Lanka’s chance to shuffle the pack, experiment with combinations and get their balance right. The squad has had a handful of warm-up games in Colombo before heading to Dambulla on Friday evening to begin full training. The opening match is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by games on Friday and Sunday.
In a welcome off-field gesture, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced that profits from the series will be channelled towards rebuilding the lives of those affected by the recent cyclone. A three-match T20 series against India in August has also been announced for the same cause.
by Rex Clementine ✍️
Kagiso Rabada, who returned to action on New Year’s Eve after almost ten weeks on the sidelines with a rib injury, will lead South Africa’s attack at the men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February-March. Rabada, who took 2 for 48 on comeback for MI Cape Town (MICT) in the SA20, has been named alongside five other quicks: Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi and Kwena Maphaka complete South Africa’s pace battery.
Maphaka and Bosch are among seven players who will appear at a World Cup for the first time. The others are batters Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi and Jason Smith, and allrounders George Linde and Donovan Ferreira.
South Africa will be led by regular T20 skipper Aiden Markram and will have only seven members of the squad that reached the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Quinton de Kock is back at the top of the order after making himself available for South Africa in October, while David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Jansen, Rabada and Nortje were all in the XI that lost to India in Barbados in June 2024.
Of those not in the squad, Heinrich Klaasen has retired from international cricket while Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi have missed out. All eight of these players are currently in action in T20 franchise leagues, with the first seven at the SA20 and Shamsi at the ILT20 and then the BBL.
Among the biggest talking points in the current squad is the addition of de Zorzi, who has not played in a month, since injuring his hamstring in an ODI against India in Raipur. De Zorzi had been in good form prior to that match, and is seen as someone who is suited to subcontinent conditions. He is part of the Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) squad in the SA20 but has yet to play a game.
Tony is recovering well,” Moroney said. “He’s working with a medical team and he will be fit and ready to go when we play the West Indies. He’s probably slotting in at number three.”
Moroney also explained the selectors’ thinking behind leaving out Rickelton and Stubbs.
“It was a big decision between Quinny de Kock and Ryan Rickelton and ultimately we’ve opted to go with Quinny de Kock in that opening berth along with Aiden Markram,” he said.
“On Stubbs, in theory what we’ve really looked for there is to make sure that we have that attacking middle order where the left-handed David Miller slots in for us ideally and then with [Dewald] Brevis and [Donovan] Ferreira complementing him on either side is our general plan.
“That’s what we’ve opted for with Stubbs not included in this tour, in this World Cup.”
Smith, who only has five international caps to his name, is also something of a surprise inclusion. Smith has recently enhanced his reputation as a finisher after an unbeaten 68 off 19 balls to send Dolphins into the playoff of the CSAT20 Challenge, and the 14-ball 41 for MICT against DSG in the SA20 opener. Smith also offers a seam-bowling option, though he has not bowled since October as he recovers from a niggle. MICT coach Robin Peterson confirmed Smith may start bowling towards the end of the competition.
“Jason brings us a lot of versatility and is able to bat nearly anywhere in the order,” Moroney said. “He also gives us that opportunity to go in in the powerplay. That’s something that we were looking at, to get that player movement, to give the coach the opportunity to be strategic and slot batters into different positions in the batting order. It definitely gives us that versatility that we look for.”
Left-arm quick Nandre Burger, Moroney said, was unlucky to miss out. Burger sustained a hamstring injury recently, but it wasn’t this as much as competition for slots that led to his non-selection, with Nortje selected instead.
“Nandre Burger was part of the selection [conversation] and we’ve opted to go with Anrich Nortje instead of a player like Nandre. He’s recovering and everything indicates that he’ll be fully fit, but from a selection point of view we’ve gone with Anrich.”
In the spin department, South Africa have stuck to their two left-arm spinners in Maharaj and Linde, while Markram and Ferreira (who also keeps wicket) will be the offspin options. The international career of left-arm wristspinner Shamsi, who recently won a case for a no-objection certificate against Cricket South Africa and is no longer centrally contracted, appears to be over.
The T20 World Cup will be the first white-ball tournament under all-format coach Shukri Conrad, who took over the limited-overs sides in July last year. His regular support staff of Ashwell Prince (batting coach), Piet Botha (bowling coach) and Kruger van Wyk (fielding coach) will be enhanced by Albie Morkel as a specialist T20 consultant. Morkel is currently part of the management team of Joburg Super Kings at the SA20.
All South Africa’s players will be involved in the SA20 for most of this month. They will then host West Indies for three T20Is before heading to India for the T20 World Cup. Their campaign starts against Canada on February 9. South Africa will also play Afghanistan, New Zealand and the UAE in the group stage.
South Africa squad for the T20 World Cup:
Aiden Markram (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith
(Cricinfo)
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