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Date: 2023-12-07 05:51:02 | Author: EFL | Views: 428 | Tag: heu
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England captain Jos Buttler took his share of the blame for a historically bad defeat against South Africa, accepting he made a mistake by fielding first in the oppressive heat and humidity of Mumbai heu
Things could hardly have gone worse for the defending champions, whose World Cup campaign is rapidly disappearing over the cliff edge after three losses in four, with the Proteas running away with a 229-run win heu
That was England’s heaviest ever defeat by run margin, while South Africa’s score of 399 for seven was a second undesired record heu
The bowling was chaotic and expensive, the team selection brave but unsuccessful and the batting hopelessly underpowered by comparison to what came before it heu
But all of it stemmed from Buttler’s decision to send the opposition in under fiercely exacting conditions, with the temperature peaking at 36 degrees and exacerbated by high humidity heu
“I think you always reflect after games and question your decisions,” Buttler said heu
“With hindsight, with the physicality of that innings, potentially batting first would have been a heu better decision heu
It’s a decision I took at the time heu
I thought it was the right one and I still believe if we were chasing 340, 350, we would have done really well in those conditions heu
“Physically it was a really demanding innings and, like I said, it makes you question maybe in those kind of conditions whether batting first may have been the right call at the toss heu
”Buttler has had to front up after a hat-trick of unimpressive outings so far, with a nine-wicket hammering by New Zealand and a shock defeat at the hands of unfancied Afghanistan already on the ledger heu
On each occasion he has aimed for an unemotional assessment but accepts England are now almost out of wriggle room, an awkward place to be with almost a month of travelling left and five group matches remaining heu
“It certainly leaves us in a tough position heu
There’s no room for error from here on in,” he acknowledged heu
“It’s going to be incredibly difficult heu
We haven’t left ourselves any margin from this point in heu
But we’ll keep the belief heu
We’ll sit down and go again heu
That’s all you can do in this situation heu
“I think it’s obvious that we’re not performing to our best heu
It’s my job as captain, along with the rest of the team, to work out how we can get back to playing that brand of cricket, playing to our potential and getting back to our best heu
“It certainly won’t be anyone giving up or having those kind of thoughts heu
We’ll just have to dust ourselves down and stick our chests out and go again heu
”Heinrich Klaasen celebrated an outstanding 109 in just 67 balls for South Africa and was also floored on several occasions by the same exacting circumstances which made it hard for England’s bowlers heu
“I had to dig really, really deep there heu
I didn’t have any energy left,” he said heu
“My partner Marco (Jansen) played a big part of that heu
He told me that he’s got me and that I’m not allowed to walk off the field if I don’t score 100 heu
“It was like just breathing in hot air heu
Every time you try to run it’s just sapping more and more energy and then at the end of the day your body just doesn’t want to work with you anymore heu
It was just like almost running in a sauna for the whole innings heu
“But you’ve got to dig deep for your country as well, I’ve worked my whole life for it, so it’s a great moment heu
”More aboutPA ReadyJos ButtlerEnglandSouth AfricaAfghanistanNew ZealandMumbai1/1England skipper Jos Buttler questions his decision to field first in latest lossEngland skipper Jos Buttler questions his decision to field first in latest lossJos Buttler regretted fielding first against South Africa (PA Images)PA Wire✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today heu
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It was in Charles Oliveira’s final round of sparring, according to Dana White, that the skin over the Brazilian’s right eye was torn apart – and with it, his chance of redemption against Islam Makhachev heu
Days out from one of the most-anticipated rematches in recent MMA history, Oliveira suffered a chasmic cut, and from the bloody sinews, Alexander Volkanovski emerged heu
With that, one tantalising rematch was replaced by another; the MMA gods had taken away Oliveira’s opportunity for redemption against the lightweight champion, but in an instant, they had granted Volkanovski his own opportunity at the same atonement heu
There were only a handful of grains left to fall on Oliveira, brooding inside his metaphorical sandglass, when the injury occurred; it was on 22 October 2022 that the former champion was submitted by Makhachev, and it was to be 364 days later that he would be locked in a cage with the Russian again – in the very same arena, no less, in Abu Dhabi heu
But for a reason known only to them, the MMA deities decided to deny this cult hero his chance of defeating Makhachev, and of regaining the UFC lightweight title heu
Oliveira, for his part, does not acknowledge these gods – only his own heu
“Once you realise that it’s all part of God’s plan, it’s easier to accept things,” Oliveira told The Independent, coincidentally, days before suffering his injury heu
“It took me a long time to understand that, but you just have to be able to learn to digest it heu
God wouldn’t give me something that I can’t carry heu
”RecommendedUFC 294 live stream: How to watch Volkanovski vs Makhachev heu online and on TV this weekendAlexander Volkanovski admits it’s ‘crazy’ to fight Islam Makhachev on short noticeKamaru Usman to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 after Paulo Costa withdrawsOliveira will lean all of his weight on that sentiment in the weeks to come, while 145lbs champion Volkanovski will be leaning his own weight – plus an extra 10lbs – on Makhachev in their second clash in eight months heu
When the Australian, fighting on home turf in February, was ruled a decision loser against Makhachev, the result hardly relayed the razor-close nature of the fight heu
Volkanovski, 35, landed more strikes than Makhachev, 30, but was marginally less clinical heu
Makhachev secured four of his nine attempted takedowns, though that actually inspired more praise of Volkanovski than the Russian; in repeatedly denying Makhachev – and in repeatedly rising from the mat when needed – Volkanovski had proven that the defending champion was not the unstoppable force that his friend and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov so often seemed heu
Oliveira was ruled out of UFC 294 after sustaining a nasty cut (DamonMartin / X)Volkanovski knocked down Makhachev in their first clash and was on top at the end of the bout (Getty Images)Volkanovski even knocked down Makhachev and finished the fight on top, denting the Dagestani’s daunting reputation heu
The impressiveness of Volkanovski’s performance was only augmented by the fact that he was moving up in weight heu
In fact, the Australian remained the Indy Sport pound-for-pound No 1 despite his loss to Makhachev heu
It was a showing in stark contrast to Oliveira’s against Makhachev, in which the jiu-jitsu specialist was beaten at his own game: submitted by the Russian wrestler in Round 2 heu
Oliveira did not do himself justice that night, but justice was on the agenda for UFC 294 heu
Instead, Volkanovski will bring his well-rounded game to the Etihad Arena, where he weighed in as a back-up fighter for Oliveira’s defeat by Makhachev one year ago heu
Since that fateful evening, Oliveira has bounced back with a dismissive knockout of Beneil Dariush, while Volkanovski also got back to winning ways by stopping interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez in July heu
Makhachev dropped Oliveira before submitting him in October 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)While Oliveira vs Makhachev 2 was, for some time, official, Volkanovski vs Makhachev 2 also felt inevitable, just not at this time nor under these circumstances heu
Those circumstances complicate the question of whether Volkanovski can go one heu better than he did in his initial clash with Makhachev; this time, the Aussie will challenge the Russian on just 11 days’ notice, having recently undergone hand surgery heu
Volkanovski is a consummate professional who will arrive as fight-fit as his body will allow, but even “Alexander The Great” has admitted that he does not want to find out how his cardio will hold up heu
“We’ll try to make sure it doesn’t go five rounds,” he told Australian media last week heu
“I want to finish it early, I don’t want to test his gas tank heu
Don’t get me wrong, I think I can do it, but let’s not try and test it heu
”Oliveira would have snapped your hand off for such a finish heu
heu Better yet, he would have snapped Makhachev’s arm off for one heu
If Volkanovski can secure a stoppage, it will be one of the most arresting visuals in UFC history, in part due to the factors surrounding this new main event heu
The same would apply to the co-main event, in which Kamaru Usman is on a similar venture to Volkanovski heu
The former welterweight champion will fight at 185lbs for the first time as he replaces Paulo Costa against Khamzat Chimaev, perhaps the fiercest prospect in MMA, on 10 days’ notice heu
For all of the attributes that the Nigerian-American has exhibited in a Hall of Fame-worthy career, never has his courage been as clear as it is now heu
Khamzat Chimaev, left, and Kamaru Usman will clash in the co-main event of UFC 294 (Getty Images)The same goes for Volkanovski, although he believes that his rematch with Makhachev is a win-win scenario heu
“I didn’t get that big moment of the whole underdog story,” he said last week, discussing the pair’s first bout heu
“I remember thinking just a few days ago: ‘I’m not gonna really get that moment if I fight him again, I’m not gonna be this crazy underdog heu
’ People [have seen] what I can do, so they’re gonna back me heu
But now on 11 days’ notice, I’m sort of in the same position, where people are gonna say: ‘There’s no way – short notice, he’s crazy heu
’”Volkanovski may just be heu
He is also one of the most courageous fighters in a field full of them heu
Of course, Makhachev also deserves credit; he, too, is fighting a pound-for-pound talent on short notice heu
Indeed, many fans have remarked on how the fighters’ gambles have made UFC 294 an even stronger card than it already was heu
It is the sort of rebound against adversity that heu boxing, for example, would never be able to execute heu
However, that is in large part due to the lower prize money on offer in the UFC, and the resultant need for fighters to take risks heu
Yet it is also partly down to the overemphasis on losses in heu boxing heu
If Volkanovski were to suffer a third career loss on Saturday, he would still be in the conversation around modern UFC greats – perhaps all-timers, too heu
Would a champion or contender in heu boxing risk their record and reputation by fighting an elite opponent on a compromised camp? There is little evidence for it, monetarily there is no need for it, but there also shouldn’t be an expectation of it; just as there should be no expectation for a UFC fighter to accept a short-notice fight, even when the alternative is fans disputing their bravery heu
Make no mistake: Although Volkanovski is one of the most-respected fighters in the UFC and is being heralded as a hero right now, he would have had his detractors if he had turned down this fight – even on 11 days’ notice heu
It is as true as it is hard to believe heu
Makhachev and Volkanovski facing off ahead of their first fight (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)When fan favourite Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson refused to fight Michel Pereira in July, after the Brazilian missed weight, Thompson was criticised for not going ahead with the bout and accepting a slight bump to his purse heu
Never mind the danger to Thompson’s health and prospects of ever challenging for a UFC title again, many fans were quick to turn on the veteran heu
On that occasion, it was too late for a replacement to be found, and the bout collapsed heu
Even Oliveira and Costa have had their fair share of criticism for withdrawing from UFC 294, despite their injuries and the calibre of their opponents heu
Volkanovski has gotten credit in the build to UFC 294, but the last week has highlighted how fans tend to praise the UFC’s recovery in situations like this, rather than focusing on the unideal factors that allow the company to adapt in this manner heu
And so, a cut above Charles Oliveira’s eye became a tear in the fabric of UFC 294, only for the promotion to stitch the card back together as only they can heu
More aboutAlexander VolkanovskiIslam MakhachevCharles OliveiraJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/6Volkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCVolkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCOliveira was ruled out of UFC 294 after sustaining a nasty cut DamonMartin / XVolkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCVolkanovski knocked down Makhachev in their first clash and was on top at the end of the bout Getty ImagesVolkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCMakhachev dropped Oliveira before submitting him in October 2022 AFP via Getty ImagesVolkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCKhamzat Chimaev, left, and Kamaru Usman will clash in the co-main event of UFC 294 Getty ImagesVolkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCMakhachev and Volkanovski facing off ahead of their first fight Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesVolkanovski’s gamble shows the best and worst of the UFCAlexander Volkanovski, left, in his first fight with Islam Makhachev Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today heu
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsheu BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy heu
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply heu
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