Nigeria’s High Commissioner in Cameroon, Abayomi Gabriel  Olonishakin was on Monday in Garoua, venue of Nigeria’s group matches.

According to a correspondent for Sports Village Square in Cameroon, Olonishakin, a retired army general, met with the Governor of Northern Region of Cameroon which capital is in Garoua.

Olonishakin, a former Chief of Defence Staff also met with the Nigerian community in Garoua to prepare for a comfortable as well as garner support for the Super Eagles who are programmed to play their three group matches in the city which is also the home town of former CAF president, Issa Hayatou.

If the Super Eagles top the group which also have Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau, they will play an additional match there before moving southward as the tournament progresses.

In interview with Sports Village Square correspondent in Garoua, Olonishakin remarked that the reason for his being in the Northern city was to sensitize the people about the Super Eagles and gather support for the team hoping to win the Africa Cup for the fourth time.

He also appreciated the Governor of the Northern Region for the support they have been given to the Nigerian community.

He also checked the facilities and rated them as excellent. He told Sports Village Square correspondent that the Super Eagles have strategies for each of their three group opponents and that no team is being underrated.

“In competitions like this, there is no team that is a pushover. Surprises can be sprung up. So we take each match and each team as they come.

“We are preparing for the Egyptian team as a strong side, the same will be the case for Sudan and Guinea Bissau.”

“I met with the Nigerian community on Sunday and sensitize them on the need to give the Super Eagles a rousing welcome and to supprt the team for all their matches.

“We hope to top the group and play a fourth match in Garou and also move ahead to get into the semi-finals. That means, we are playing about five matches in Garoua”, said Olonishakin.

France striker Kylian Mbappe and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski have voiced concerns over holding a World Cup every two years.

Fifa has proposed a biennial World Cup rather than holding it every four years as part of a revamped calendar.

The governing body told delegates at a summit that a biennial World Cup would generate more than £3.3bn in additional revenue over a four-year cycle.

“The World Cup is the World Cup,” said Paris St-Germain forward Mbappe.

“It’s a special thing because it’s something [held] every four years.”

Uefa, Europe’s major league , and South American football’s governing body Comebol have opposed the plans.

Caf, the African governing body, has given its backing.

“[It is] the best thing, the best competition in the world,” added 23-year-old Mbappe, who helped France win the 2018 World Cup.

“If you hold it every two years, it can start to be normal to play [in the] World Cup. I want to say that’s not normal. That [should be] something amazing.

“We play over 60 games in a year. You have Euros, the World Cup, now the Nations League – so many competitions. We are happy to play but when it’s too much, it’s too much. We have to recover, we have to stay relaxed.

“If people want to see quality in the game, the emotion, to see what makes the beauty of football, I think we have to respect the health of players.”

Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski echoed Mbappe’s concerns over the demands on players if a World Cup was held on a biennial basis, with both speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards.

“We have so many games every year, so many tough weeks, not only the games but preparation for the season, preparation for the big tournaments,” said the 33-year-old.

“If you want to offer something special, something different, we also need a break.

“If we have a World Cup every two years, the expectation is the time where footballers play at a high level will go down … It is physically and mentally impossible.”

Austrian world number 15 Dominic Thiem has pulled out of January’s Australian Open with a long-standing wrist injury.

The 28-year-old former world number three has not played since he sustained the injury at June’s Mallorca Open.

The issue meant Thiem could not defend the US Open title he won in 2020 a month after reaching the Australian Open final.

The Melbourne Park tournament begins on 17 January and will feature Britain’s Andy Murray, who was given a wildcar.s

Tournament organisers are still unsure if defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic will play while women’s 2021 runner-up Jennifer Brady has also withdrawn because of a foot injury.

Thiem, whose 2022 season will start at the Cordoba Open in Argentina at the end of January, said of his withdrawal: “We believe this is the right decision in order to have a good return to competition.”

England meekly surrendered the Ashes on the morning of the third day of the third Test as Australia crushed them by an innings and 14 runs to take an unassailable 3-0 series lead.

Resuming on 31-4, England were bowled out for just 68 inside 81 minutes, with debutant Scott Boland taking an astonishing 6-7.

Their final five wickets fell in the space of 30 balls as England offered the weakest of resistance in front of a jubilant home crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

England’s 68 all out is their lowest total in Australia since March 1904 and their ninth lowest score against them in Tests.

The result means Australia have retained the Ashes after just 12 days of cricket and will be eyeing a 5-0 series win.

The fourth Test will begin in Sydney on 4 January.

Same old for England

Even by the low standards England have shown on this tour, this was an abysmal performance.

After being blown away on the evening of the second day, England were always facing a tough task even to make Australia bat again. But no-one could have seen this capitulation coming.

The match was done before the lunch break, England’s batters undone the night before by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins’ pace before succumbing to the 32-year-old Boland’s relentless accuracy.

England arrived in Australia short of match practice but that is no excuse. They, simply, have not been good enough with the bat.

Root, as he has done all year, has carried England. During the second innings at Melbourne, he went past 1,700 Test runs for the calendar year. England’s next best, Rory Burns, has managed 530 in the same period. Relying on one man, who is also captain, was never going to be enough.

England made four changes for Melbourne and still put in their worst batting performance of the series. Their bowling on the second day was the one bright point, with the indefatigable James Anderson and Mark Wood’s pace unsettling Australia.

However, the same problems that have plagued England with the bat remain. And there seems to be no solution.

How the end came

• 46-5: Stokes b Starc 11 – quick delivery jags back and beats Stokes’ defensive push
• 60-6: Bairstow lbw b Boland 5 – Bairstow reviews after being struck high on the pad but the umpire’s decision is upheld
• 61-7: Root c Warner b Boland 28 – a loose drive is well held by David Warner at first slip
• 65-8: Wood c&b Boland 0 – a full delivery is chipped back to Boland for a comfortable catch
• 65-9: Robinson c Labuschagne b Boland 0 – England’s 54th Test duck of the year as Robinson flashes to third slip
• 68 all out: Anderson b Green 2 – Anderson’s outside edge is beaten and he is bowled as Australia complete a thumping win

Boland rips through England

As bad as England’s batting has been, Australia’s bowling has been superb, with every change they make working in their favour.

It was Boland, brought into the squad as a replacement for the injured Josh Hazlewood, who took them apart at the MCG, albeit he was helped by England’s rhythmless batting.

His every move was cheered by the home crowd, with Boland raising the ball to them as he dismissed Wood to claim a five-wicket haul.

Few would have expected him to be the one to bowl Australia to glory in the Boxing Day Test, but his accuracy and fuller length was enough to flounder England’s batters.

After the match, when Australia had gone on a socially-distanced lap of honour, Boland was given an award in a moving moment in Melbourne.

Boland, just the second man of Aboriginal origin to play Test cricket for Australia, was given a belt buckle from the Australian indigenous tour of England in 1868.

‘It is embarrassing’ – what they said

England captain Joe Root: “All you can do is try and front up to it and credit to Australia, they blew us away last night and have outplayed us in this Test and in the series so far.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins: “I’m so proud of the group here. Everything’s worked out. I’m happy for Scotty in front of his home crowd. What an incredible feeling.

“We’ve been relentless when we’ve had to be. The bowlers have bowled in a good area and the batters earned their runs. They’ve earned the right to bat long, they left well and they’ve all contributed. It’s a great feeling.”