All posts by h716a5.icu

Ashley Giles, the former England limited-overs coach, has admitted he was disappointed with the comments Michael Carberry made earlier this year about his exclusion from England’s limited-overs side

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-20141:09

Giles irritated by ‘unnecessary’ Carberry comments. Watch the full #politeenquiries here

Michael Carberry did not take his chance in the England one-day side with both hands•AFPAshley Giles, the former England limited-overs coach, has admitted he was disappointed with the comments Michael Carberry made earlier this year about his exclusion from England’s T20 and ODI sides and has clarified what he told the batsman during the Australia tour.Following the Ashes, during which Carberry had played all five Tests, he could not find a spot in the limited-overs matches against Australia and was dropped for the tour of West Indies and World T20.In an interview with the in March, Carberry said that when he approached Giles towards the end of the one-day series in Australia to find out why he was not playing – having been part of the side at the end of 2013 English season – Giles responded with “I don’t know.”Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s #politeenquiries series, Giles acknowledged he had used those words but in relation to a question from Carberry about whether he would play for England again.”I did [say it] but it’s all in context. At the top of the order we had Cook and Bell, at No. 3 with tried different things – we had Stokes and Trott before that – so the ‘I don’t know’ was more that I cannot guarantee anyone a place in a one-day or T20 side. If I had, that would have been wrong.”In the , Carberry had said: “I sat there game after game, watching us lose, thinking: ‘What more can I do to get in the squad?’ – bearing in mind that I was without doubt the leading batsman in one-day cricket last year… to suddenly be on the sidelines, not getting a game, just didn’t make any sense.””I had a brief chat with Ashley during the fifth ODI in Adelaide. His response was that he didn’t really know. If you don’t know mate, I sure as hell won’t know.”Leaving Adelaide after our brief chat I’ve got to be honest, it didn’t fill me with a great deal of optimism. I feel that this is a question he should have answered. And, okay, if it’s not him answering, it should be one of the selectors. But that’s the way England like to do things. It disappoints me because I’m quite an approachable guy. Maybe I’m a bit straight-talking but it’s the best way to be in this world – say what’s on your mind.”About Carberry’s comments Giles added: “It was unfortunate, I think unnecessary, especially the timing. You don’t do your laundry in public.”Carberry did not only have barbs for Giles, having a significant dig at the management as a whole for their lack of communication with him after the Australia tour. The ECB referred the article to the Press Complaints Commission, not for any dispute over whether Carberry’s quotes were genuine but because they did not think enough had been done to reflect the ECB’s side.However, a change of coach brought a clean slate and Carberry was included for the T20 and ODIs against Sri Lanka earlier this season, although he endured a poor T20 outing and only played once during the one-day series.

A five-member ICC sub-committee will look into relaxing certain conditions of the five-year ban imposed on Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir after the spot-fixing scandal of 2010

Umar Farooq01-Jul-2013A five-member ICC sub-committee, which was set up after the 2013 annual conference to review the anti-corruption code, will also look into relaxing certain conditions of the five-year ban imposed on Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir after the spot-fixing scandal of 2010. While the most stringent stipulations of the ban will still remain, the PCB has requested the ICC to consider a few concessions, especially with regard to Amir using the board’s facilities for training.A PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “The ICC, during the annual conference week, constituted a five-member committee that will review and recommend amendments to the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, and on recommendation from the PCB, will also provide its suggestions to the ICC board on the ban related to Mohammad Amir.” The ICC was unwilling to the reveal who would comprise the sub-committee.Regardless of the recommendation from the committee, Amir will not be able to play any kind of club, domestic, or international cricket and will not train with the national team. The only significant allowance that could be made is that he regain access to the training facilities offered by the PCB.ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB made the request to the ICC only because Amir had complied with conditions of the ban: not committing any further breach of the anti-corruption code and undergoing the ICC’s educational and rehabilitation programme. Amir will be available for national selection from September 3, 2015, and the PCB sought the relaxation of some terms so that he could be ready to play as soon as his ban ends, rather than spend more months in training.Amir had not been aware of the PCB’s request but seemed content with anything that would help him return to cricket. He hasn’t been doing full-fledged training but has kept himself in good shape. By the time he completes his ban he will be 23. “I will come hard despite the five-year in-activeness,” Amir had told ESPNcricinfo last year. “I want to come back with my head held high, with a new spirit and as a role model.”Salman Butt, the Pakistan captain who was banned for ten years by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test in 2010, had made a similar request in a personal capacity two days before the ICC’s annual conference. His case, however, was not accepted as it was believed that Butt had not fully complied with the ICC’s conditions.Butt had recently taken the first step in his rehabilitation by publicly admitting to and apologising for his part in the spot-fixing scandal. He also indicated his willingness to participate in the PCB and ICC’s rehabilitation programmes. Five out of Butt’s ten-year ban from any cricketing activities were to be a suspended sentence on condition that he would commit no further breach of the anti-corruption code and participate in a PCB-controlled anti-corruption education programme.Of the three players banned by the ICC before the criminal trial began in London – fast bowler Mohammad Asif being the third – only Amir had pleaded guilty to the charges at the Southwark Crown Court. Both Butt and Asif had pleaded not guilty and appealed their bans at the Court of Arbitration in Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mohammad Hafeez has suggested that the decision to leave out R Ashwin, India’s leading limited-overs spinner, for the first Twenty20 helped Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2012Mohammad Hafeez has suggested that the decision to leave out R Ashwin, India’s leading limited-overs spinner, for the first Twenty20 helped Pakistan. India opted to go in with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Ashwin for the match in Bangalore, which Pakistan won by five wickets.”This is the combination, they knew very well what they (wanted), Ashwin was not there in this team,” Hafeez said. “So our plan was that if we play out the new ball, then their spinners are not world-class; I know Yuvraj is in great form, but when you don’t have a world-class spinner then we can dominate.”Jadeja bowled 2.4 overs, including the final one of the game, and was taken for 29 runs, and he contributed only two runs with the bat. “It was a surprise for us that they didn’t play [Ashwin], at the end we are happy that we won the game.”Dhoni, though, defended the decision saying Ashwin was more of a threat with the new ball. “Ashwin has been one of our main bowlers, he had to bowl in the first six overs a lot,” Dhoni said. “Once we had three seamers, we wanted to give Jadeja a chance also, and once the field has opened up in the last two games Ashwin has also gone for runs, [though] he has bowled beautifully in the first six overs.”Only one of Pakistan’s top seven batsmen was a left-hander, another reason Dhoni provided for the decision to leave out the offspinner Ashwin. “They had lots of right-hand batsmen, and if we needed an offspinner, we had Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. If we needed an option of a left-arm spinner in case Yuvi had a bad day, we wouldn’t have any option in the XI [if Jadeja was left out].”This was only the second Twenty20 match Ashwin has missed since his debut against Zimbabwe in 2010; the other one was the meaningless fixture against England in the World Twenty20. Ashwin himself was philosophical about his omission: “Even Fernando Torres has to sit out for Chelsea.”

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is hopeful that the funds it has expended in clearing Kusal Perera of doping charges will be covered by the ICC

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-May-2016’WADA code ineffective in safeguarding clean athletes’

Tony Irish, the executive chairman of FICA (Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations), has expressed his concerns over some of cricket’s anti-doping regulations following the ICC’s withdrawal of disciplinary proceedings against Kusal Perera.
“We are pleased that the right result has been achieved and welcome the decision, however, this case brings to light several issues in regard to anti-doping regulation in cricket” Irish said in a statement.
“The damaging impact of the error on Kusal’s career is not to be underestimated. He has been removed from the game for a significant period of time in the middle of a developing career, for reasons which have been found to be unjustifiable.
“The case highlights many of the pre-existing concerns held by FICA and athlete representatives around the world around the inflexibility and unfairness of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code, the requirement for sports to be compliant and its appropriateness for sophisticated team sports such as cricket. We have voiced these concerns to the ICC over the past year, and will seek to discuss this further.
“The concerns raised have included the view that the WADA programme is ineffective in safeguarding the interests of clean athletes and is open to penalties being imposed on players who are not ‘cheats’.
“FICA is supportive of fair, proportionate and appropriate measures to ensure that cricket is a clean sport. However, the game must ensure that any measures are effective and tailored to the game of cricket.”

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) could not rule out further legal action after the ICC withdrew its charges against wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera, board president Thilanga Sumathipala said. SLC is unlikely to initiate a lawsuit against the ICC, but was hopeful that the funds expended in clearing Perera will be covered by the governing body. The Qatar-based lab whose findings led to Perera’s five-month suspension will also come under scrutiny.”We have to definitely get our costs back,” Sumathipala said. “By that I mean the direct costs. The indirect costs are colossal. So we will discuss that separately.”Sumathipala said the board had spent at least 13 million rupees (approx. USD 92,000) on the case. This included the money spent on a polygraph test on Perera, a hair analysis commonly used in forensics and a separate urine test, the results of which all helped leverage Perera’s case and bought his legal team time. SLC had also paid for the consultation of UK-based Morgan Sports Law firm, during the challenge on the lab’s findings.Sumathipala said the board would discuss the matter with Perera and the nation’s sports ministry before any further action is decided upon.”We got the hard part right and now we have a definite claim, now that we have proved our player is innocent,” Sumathipala said. “I’m sure Sri Lanka Cricket will go forward and discuss with ICC. We can’t sour the relationship also. If the sports minister has a directive that is separate, we want to discuss that as well. Definitely the player has a claim.”Sumathipala also likened the results of Perera’s case to Muttiah Muralitharan’s campaign to have his action, and later his doosra, cleared by the ICC. On that occasion, Muralitharan’s action proved a catalyst for further scientific testing, which ultimately led to a landmark change in the ICC’s playing conditions – specifically, 15 degrees of flexion was deemed legal, as almost all bowlers were found to straighten their arms.In addition to consulting local and foreign legal teams, SLC and Perera’s management also approached chemical pathologists and independent lab operators for their views.”We decided to go the scientific route,” Sumathipala said. “We have seen SLC do the same thing in the past with the straightening of the arm issue. We did it after Murali was no-balled in Boxing Day 1995. Then we did it again when the doosra was banned. Once we concluded that route, we were that much stronger with the ICC.”Prompted by our scientific evidence, we have taken the ICC to a different level about how they should process this kind of situation in the future. We’re happy about that. We’ve taken an approach that we’re not sure anyone has taken in the past. We were very happy.”Sumathipala said the board believed in Kusal from the outset. His board had initially set aside five million rupees to fight the case, but that figure was repeatedly revised upwards.”We spoke about this at the board and we decided that we trusted him, and that he was telling the truth. We decided to represent him as best we can. We thought that we would be able to get him cleared, so we set aside 15 million rupees to spend on him, which is unprecedented for this board.”Perera is eligible for selection for Sri Lanka with immediate effect, but the selectors have not yet decided whether to add him to the Test squad currently in England.

Gurunath Meiyappan, the top Chennai Super Kings official who was arrested by Mumbai Police on Friday night, has been suspended by the BCCI “from any involvement in the sport of cricket and in particular from any involvement with the Chennai Super Kings te

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2013Gurunath Meiyappan, the top Chennai Super Kings official who was arrested by Mumbai Police on Friday night, has been suspended by the BCCI “from any involvement in the sport of cricket and in particular from any involvement with the Chennai Super Kings team” pending further investigations.In a release issued on Sunday morning, the Indian board said: “The BCCI has taken note of the detention by Mumbai Police of Gurunath Meiyappan, who is a member of the team management of Chennai Super Kings. As an accredited team official, Mr Meiyappan is subject to the provisions of the IPL operational rules and the BCCI anti-corruption code for participants. Pending further investigations and any subsequent hearing by the BCCI disciplinary committee or the IPL code of behaviour committee, Mr Meiyappan has been suspended by the BCCI.”Public prosecutor Wajid Sheikh, meanwhile, confirmed to news channel that “the evidence” against Gurunath till now only pointed to betting offences. “We have evidence of betting only at this stage. Only betting,” Sheikh said. “We want to investigate him for fixing also. Till today there is no proof, that which match, which player is fixed.”Gurunath’s family lawyer, PS Raman, said the charges against him were ambiguous and insignificant. “They [Mumbai Police] are yet to find out what he has done, so they have taken him in police remand. Now they say not spot-fixing or match-fixing, but betting,” Raman was quoted as saying in . “This is such a case that anyone can plead guilty and walk out by paying a fine of Rs 200.”It is such a small offense for which Meiyappan would not run away. The quantum of betting is irrelevant. Just because Meiyappan’s number was found in the phone does not mean that he is guilty. He has known Vindoo Randhawa for the past three years or so and was introduced to celebrities by the film actor.”Meanwhile, the BCCI confirmed that its president – who is also managing director of Super Kings’ owner, India Cements, and father-in-law of Gurunath – will address the press at 4pm on Sunday.The three Rajasthan Royals players, Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, who were arrested on May 16 for alleged spot-fixing, will be produced in a Delhi court today as the stipulated period of their police custody runs out.

Stephen Cook has been appointed first-class and 50-overs captain. Neil McKenzie will lead the 20-over side while Temba Bavuma will serve as vice-captain across formats

Firdose Moonda09-Jun-2014A new-look Lions leadership pack, headed by Stephen Cook, will take the franchise into the 2014/15 season. Cook has been appointed first-class and 50-overs captain while Neil McKenzie will lead their 20-over side. Batsman Temba Bavuma will act as deputy in all three formats. Alviro Petersen, who stepped down as captain last season, remains part of Lions’ squad but has not been tasked with any leadership duties.”I am greatly honoured to have been given this job. I grew up on the banks of the Wanderers watching my dad play and leadership is something I’ve always wanted to be involved in,” Cook told ESPNcricinfo. “I know its going to be a tough challenge but I am really looking forward to it.”After finishing second in the first-class competition and winning the twenty-over trophy in the 2012/13 season, Lions were rudely brought back down to earth last summer. They finished bottom of the points table in all three competitions in a season that was plagued by injuries and unhappiness. While seamer Chris Morris battled an ankle injury, Petersen stood down on the morning of a match after what he called interference by the selectors, forcing Thami Tsolekile to take over at the 11th hour.That marked the lowest point in the Lions’ dismal season and Cook is keen to move on. “Our players did not become bad overnight. I think what happened is because we had done so well the season before, we didn’t adapt to the fact that other teams had improved and we were caught on the hop,” he said. “But we have resisted the urge to make too many changes.”Lions have held on to their players from last summer and have made two additions to their group. Devon Conway, who was named the provincial one-day cricketer of the year at CSA’s awards last week, has been added to the contracted list along with under-19 World Cup winner Kagiso Rabada, who made his first-class debut at the end of last season.They have three nationally-contracted players on their books: Petersen, Quinton de Kock and Lonwabo Tsotsobe and an experienced core which includes Cook, McKenzie and Tsolekile. McKenzie will turn 39 in the coming season but has committed himself to playing in all formats for Lions.Cook has made it clear everyone, including the new faces, will have more demanded of them this season. “We are all really motivated to do well and guys know they will get will get pressed a little harder and asked to work a little smarter,” he said.For Cook, the goal is simple. He wants the franchise to be able to add to the trophy cupboard and if he has it his way, it will be in the longest format. “Every competition is important but for me, it would be most special to win the first-class [competition] because that is the one that really tests you as a squad,” he said. “You have to play good cricket for 40 days, whereas with the limited-overs [game] you could end up third and have a good day and then make the final. The first-class is also the competition I have never won with Lions. The last time they won it here was the season before I made my professional debut.”That was 15 years ago in the 1999/2000 season, before the franchise system had formed. Back then, all Cook wanted to do was play for what was then Gauteng and eventually for South Africa. A decade and a half later, it is still all he wants. “I have never given up on playing for South Africa. That’s my driving force.”Cook is a regular among the top ten run-scorers in the first-class competition but has struggled for higher honours largely because of where he bats – in the top two. The presence of Graeme Smith in the Test team made it difficult for Cook to get a look-in but with Smith retired, a vacancy in the national team and a platform from which to audition for it, Cook still believes anything is possible, for both him and his Lions.

West Indies’ entire second innings lasted less than a session after tea on the third day in Hamilton, leaving New Zealand a target of 122

The Report by Abhishek Purohit20-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTrent Boult took the first three West Indies wickets•Getty ImagesWest Indies had lost 16 wickets on the third day in Wellington to lose by an innings. If one thought their standards couldn’t plummet any further, one was to be proved wrong on the third day in Hamilton. In far friendlier conditions for batting than Basin Reserve, their entire second innings lasted less than a session. It began after tea, and ended so swiftly that New Zealand had time left to face a couple of overs in their second small chase of the series.It was supposed to be a test by spin for New Zealand, and Sunil Narine did as well he could, bowling 42.3 overs, 36 of them on the trot, to take 6 for 91. Ross Taylor batted through that examination to make his third hundred of the series and cut New Zealand’s first-innings deficit to 18. Both feats, outstanding as they were, were consigned to the sidelines by the depressingly familiar drama that West Indies served up after tea.Granted New Zealand’s four-man pace attack, three of them left-armers, were relentless with their tight lines and fuller lengths. Granted there was a bit of cloud cover that afforded some swing. Granted New Zealand came back from their sloppy catching in the first innings with some outstanding grabs. But the pitch was still the same slow one on which the sides had scored 367 and 349.After such scores, it was effectively a second-innings shootout. West Indies shot themselves in the foot instead. It was the same weakness again, an inability to tackle the inswing the left-armers were generating.Their left-handers kept poking at deliveries leaving them, even Shivnarine Chanderpaul falling prey to the malaise, and New Zealand kept snapping up sharp catches in the slip cordon, the highlight being Kane Williamson’s one-handed blinder at gully to send back Chanderpaul for 20 off Neil Wagner. The right-handers drove loosely at inswingers, they prodded at ones going straight across them, they even managed to get strangled down the leg side.The longest anyone lasted was Marlon Samuels, who made 8 off 38 deliveries. The most runs anyone made was captain Darren Sammy, who struck six fours in a hopelessly frenetic 24 off 17 to nudge West Indies into three figures.Like in Wellington, Trent Boult did most of the damage, removing the top three within nine overs on his way to 4 for 23. Wagner and Corey Anderson, a terrific second pair of seamers, kept up the pressure to prise out three more, and Boult returned to trap first-innings centurion Denesh Ramdin in front.Having watched the left-armers take the first seven wickets, Tim Southee helped himself to the final three in one over with his outswingers, also reaching 100 Test victims in the process. West Indies had been blown away for 103 in 31.5 overs, 12 leg-byes helping them scrape past 100.Before tea, Taylor finished with 28 more than 11 West Indies batsmen and the leg-byes put together to pilot New Zealand past 300. Brendon McCullum and Corey Anderson gave it away in the morning, aggression causing their downfall, while Taylor ticked along solidly and calmly, at his own pace, never in doubt.West Indies weren’t able to exert pressure to the extent they had on the second evening, when their specialist spinners Narine and Veerasammy Permaul bowled in tandem. Instead, Darren Sammy gave himself a spell of nine overs at the start, bowling alongside Narine as West Indies worked with the old ball throughout the session. Whatever pressure Narine exerted wasn’t maintained for long enough.Taylor carried on from the second evening, unruffled by the odd delivery misbehaving or by what was happening at the other end. Even as Narine jagged the odd straighter one past the bat, Taylor handled the offbreaks superbly, playing late and softly. West Indies took the second new ball in the 99th over, immediately after lunch, and the change earned them the wickets of BJ Watling and Taylor, who departed after taking 20 runs off Sammy in the 105th over.Wagner and Southee cut the deficit further but the tail could not survive too long against Narine, and he spun out the last three to go to 18 wickets from three Tests against New Zealand. The one over he bowled in the evening signalled that the target of 122 wouldn’t be chased down easily.West Indies had stopped New Zealand short of chasing 112 in Dunedin, but that was on the final day with assistance from rain. Narine is now their only hope, however slender, with two days left. For if you can’t bat, you can at least hope.

West Indies A tightened their grip on the four-day game in Mysore after their spinners ran through India A’s lower order on the third day

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2013
ScorecardVeerasammy Permaul took 5 for 85 as the home side capsized•BCCIWest Indies A tightened their grip on the four-day game in Mysore after their spinners ran through India A’s lower order on the third day. The home side lost their final seven wickets for 61 runs as Nikita Miller and Veerasammy Permaul showed off the depth in West Indies’ spin stocks and wrested a 184-run first-innings advantage.Miller, who bowled an unchanged spell of 26 overs either side of lunch, told the , “It’s a pitch where you don’t want to bowl too slow because the batsman will have enough time. You want to bowl slightly fast. That was the plan and we executed it.”We don’t want to give the Indians the upper hand,” Miller said. “So, we are looking at getting some more runs on the board, get a decent lead and take it from there.”Manpreet Juneja, the Gujarat batsman, followed up his recent impressive outings against New Zealand A with an 84 that steadied the hosts but his dismissal sparked a collapse that put the visitors in charge. India had moved on to 184 for 3 before Juneja was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Permaul. The rest of the batsmen were clueless against the spinners, with only the wicketkeeper-batsman Rohit Motwani providing any resistance. He was unbeaten on 28 as the visitors ripped through the tail to secure a lead that big enough to allow them the option of enforcing the follow-on, an option they didn’t take.That lead was stretched further by an aggressive 68 from Kieran Powell, who dominated an opening stand of 112 with Kraigg Brathwaite. Offspinner Parvez Rasool, who was the most successful bowler in the first innings, then struck twice as West Indies ended the day on 130 for 3, ahead by 314.Juneja, however, remained undaunted by the prospect of a tall final-day chase. “I think it is possible (India A win),” he said. “West Indies is on top as of now. If we have a decent target in sight, we might just go for it.”

Sir Elton John believes Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be having “more fun” at Wrexham than any movie or television show they have ever made.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Hollywood stars completed takeover in 2021Guided Welsh outfit back into the Football LeaguePop superstar a former chairman at WatfordWHAT HAPPENED?

The Hollywood superstars completed a stunning takeover at SToK Racecourse back in the spring of 2021. They have experienced an emotional roller coaster since then, with the pain of Wembley and play-off defeats being countered by the joy of a record-breaking promotion back into the Football League.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT SIR ELTON JOHN SAID

Sir Elton knows all about the stresses of club ownership from his time as chairman of Watford, but believes Reynolds and McElhenney will be loving the ride. The music industry icon has told : “It’s great and I phoned Ryan when they won and they got promoted and I just think it’s fantastic. They’re on the ride that I was on. It’s slightly different because times have changed but it’s no more un-exciting… it’s so exciting for them. I bet they have more fun doing that than any movie they’ve ever made.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Watford climbed into the top tier of English football during Sir Elton’s time at the helm, finishing as runners-up behind Liverpool in 1983, and reached the FA Cup final in 1984 – losing 2-0 to Everton at Wembley Stadium.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Reynolds and McElhenney have never shied away from the fact that they want to see Wrexham become a Premier League side at some point, with considerable faith and funds being invested in a project that currently has the Welsh outfit sat fourth in the League Two table.

Who has coach Shui Qingxia selected in China Women's World Cup squad? GOAL takes a look…

The China national women's team will be playing in their eighth FIFA World Cup finals in July, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

Shui Qingxia's troops are the reigning Asian champions and qualified directly for the tournament.

In 1999, they finished as runners-up, which is their best performance to date and in this edition, they would like to create history by lifting the World Cup.

In the 2023 Women's World Cup, they have been drawn in Group D with Denmark, England and Haiti.

Who has made Qingxia's final 23-player World Cup squad? GOAL takes a look…

(C)Getty ImagesGOALKEEPERS

Xu Huan is the undisputed number one for China between the sticks. The 24-year-old keeper of Jiangsu LFC is the most-trusted lieutenant of Qingxia under the bar and should have the gloves in the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yu should be the second-choice keeper. She was given an opportunity to impress against Sweden and claim the No. 1 spot but conceded four goals in that match which saw Xu brought back against Ireland.

Meanwhile, the fight for the third spot should go to experienced keeper Zhao Lina of Shanghai Shengli.

Name Club

Xu HuanWuhan Jianghan UniversityZhu YuJiangsuZhao LinaShanghai ShengliAdvertisementGettyDEFENDERS

Qinxia sets her team up with a four-woman backline. They generally play deep to keep things tight at the back.

Their efforts paid dividends in the 2022 Asian Cup as they conceded just five goals in the entire tournament. It would not be surprising if they defend with two banks of four to frustrate the likes of England and Denmark.

Paris Saint-Germain's Li Mengwen, on-loan from Jiangsu, should be the first choice at right-back. And if Mengwen is unfit, Gao Chen can slot in her place.

The likes of Duo Jiaxing, Yao Wei and Wang Linlin are among the first-choice centre-backs.

Chen Qiaozhu should be fielded in the left-back position.

Name Club

Wu HaiyanWuhan Jianghan UniversityYao WeiWuhan Jianghan UniversityWang LinlinShanghai ShengliGao ChenChangchun Dazhong ZhouyueChen QiaozhuMeizhou HakkaLi MengwenParis Saint-Germain (on-loan)Dou JiaxingJiangsuLou JiahuiHenan Jianye(C)Getty ImagesMIDFIELDERS

It is primarily a four-woman midfield with Yao Lingwei entrusted with the responsibility to break down attacks and act as a defensive screener. She is supported by Zhang Rui, who has the license to go forward and join the attack.

Yang Lina is another option who can sit back and absorb the pressure. She will be useful against offensive teams when China will most likely sit deep and maintain their shape, with Zhang Linyan usually deployed on the left.

The likes of Wu Chengshu and Shen Mengyu add further depth in midfield.

Name Club

Zhang RuiShandong Sports LotteryYao LingweiWuhan Jianghan UniversityGu YashaWuhan Jianghan UniversityZhang XinShanghai ShengliYang LinaLevante Las Planas (on-loan)Wu ChengshuCanberra UnitedZhang LinyanGrasshoppersShen MengyuCelticENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesFORWARDS

China's veteran forward Wang Shanshan is the key player of the squad. The forward has close to 150 caps and scored over 50 goals.

She is one of those rare players who can play at both ends of the pitch with aplomb. In the 2022 AFC Asian Cup she was fielded as a centre-back in the semi-final and final, and yet she came out with flying colours.

Shanshan was named as the Chinese Women's Footballer of the Year in 2022, and her presence will be key in what will be her third World Cup.

Wang Shuang has over 120 international caps and has scored 43 goals for China. Her scathing pace along with her dribbling abilities make her a potent threat in the wide areas.

Tang Jiali can be the X-factor in the Chinese team as she boasts of having spent the previous 18 months in Europe with both Tottenham and Madrid CFF, becoming the first female Chinese player to play in England.

She has the vision to split open defences and is strong on both feet, making her an exceptional talent in attacking.

Name Club

Wang ShuangRacing LousvilleWang ShanshanTianjin ShengdeTang JialiShanghai ShengliXiao YuyiShanghai Shengli