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Anthony Crollas rollercoaster career dipped so low he almost quit four years ago, but on Saturday he believes it will hit new heights.The Briton defends his WBA world lightweight title against Venezuelas Jorge Linares (40-3, 27 KOs) in front of Crollas home fans at the Manchester Arena.The winner will be acclaimed the divisions No. 1 but four years ago Crolla (31-4-3, 13 KOs) was contemplating a change of jobs following defeats to British rivals Derry Mathews and Gary Sykes.The 29-year-old was then left on the brink of retirement in Decemeber 2014 when he suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle after he interrupted a neighbours house from being burgled and was attacked. Crolla had caught up with the burglars, who then hit him with a concrete slab.Its tough to put into words how my career has changed, its been a right rollercoaster, Crolla told ESPN. Ive never doubted I could get to this level but it looked very unlikely at various points of my career.I never once thought about packing it in but when I fought Kieran Farrell in 2012 my career was on the line and there was a job waiting for me to start on the Monday morning, because it would have been hard to come back if I had lost that make or break fight.Ive come so far in four years and I would be lying to say I thought I would be fighting the likes of Linares for the world title back then. I thought I might have to retire a couple years ago as well with injuries.Linares has not fought for nearly a year because of a fractured right hand and was stripped of the WBC belt because of his lay-off.Despite entering Saturdays fight as challenger, Linares is still widely regarded as the worlds leading lightweight and last year stopped Londoner Kevin Mitchell.But Crolla has been in inspired form since lifting the WBA belt and makes a second defence against Linares after two knockout wins over Darleys Perez and Ismael Barroso.I feel with my momentum now I can achieve anything, Crolla said. Confidence is a great thing to be running on and Im a happy fighter.You grow as a fighter and a person. Ive matured later than other fighters and Ive made a few tweaks in training which has helped too.Ive changed my strength and conditioning work and do things like yoga as well, which has helped me in the ring. The general conception is that Linares is No. 1 at the weight and I see beating him will make me the main man.I feel better than ever right now. Arguably Linares is number one in the division, but I believe its myself and others would argue otherwise. On Saturday we will find out who is the best.Linares, 31, was last in action when he knocked out Ivan Cano in four rounds, but Crolla says the lay-off is irrelevant and plans to box clever against his dangerous challenger who has registered four successive stoppage wins in four different countries.Ive watched him for years, even before I thought I might fight him, and technically hes brilliant, Crolla said. Hes had a bit of time out but he looked sharp in training in the video he put on social media so hes been working hard.He likes to fight at his pace and I cant allow that and Ive got to be switched on from the opening bell. I cant be lazy because hes a good counter puncher.I have to use my brain in this fight. Ive been working hard on my boxing ability and my angles because hes too good to walk in straight lines.Crolla visited the Manchester United training ground last week and hopes some of the players will be ringside to cheer him on at the Manchester Arena after the English Premier League sides game with Leicester City earlier in the day.As a United fan it was very special to be able to watch them train, meet a few of the players and the manager, Crolla added. I dont definitely know who is coming and weve got Leicester that day but hopefully Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young will be there.The crowd in Manchester gives me that extra gear and they will be better than ever. I just want to do them proud and give them a good night. Cheap Oilers Jerseys . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Edmonton Oilers Store . 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At this springs ICC Combines scattered across eight cities in the USA, close to 500 men in the junior and senior age groups took the field hoping to be noticed for a chance at inclusion in USAs Under-17 and senior mens squads. Such was the demand for competition that several hundred other male applications were rejected.Officials had been looking to encounter similarly enthusiastic participation from women, particularly since there had been few opportunities for them in the USA since 2011, the last time the USA Cricket Association held a national womens tournament. Instead, there were approximately 45 women nationwide who signed up. About half came to the New York trials, while 16 came to San Francisco, leaving single-digit participation - or none at all - for the other sites.Were still learning how many women play the game across the US, Tom Evans, the ICC Americas high performance consultant who coordinated the ICC Combines nationwide, said. Theyre a really passionate group, some of those girls, which is great, but its not a huge number at the moment from what we understand. There might be more out there that didnt come to the combines and hopefully we can work them into some sort of talent ID process down the track.Based on the numbers of that last USACA tournament in 2011, there were about 100 women playing across the country at that time. That has stagnated, or even gone backwards, despite initiatives such as the New York PSAL high school cricket competition, which welcomed girls to play as part of co-ed teams.At junior level wed love to see more girls take up the game and build up the depth of that talent pool, Evans said. But for the moment well work with the girls that weve got and theres some really talented and passionate girls in that group and I think with some good coaching and development work, that group could have some success.Five years ago, the USA Women team was having its share of success and appeared to be on the rise. After taking two years to find its footing upon the womens programme initiation in 2008, they defeated Canada in a best of three series in Canada during the 2010 summer to be the regions representative at the following years World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh, something that would ideally lay the foundation to spur greater awareness and participation numbers.The following summer, a private donor wrote a six-figure check exclusively earmarked for USA Womens preparation for Bangladesh. The mens team had never received such generosity in all its years competing in ICC events and such financial backing, if done on a consistent basis, could open up all sorts of opportunities for women.However, that seed funding money had served mainly to sow discontent as petty squabbling between players and administrators broke out. The Bangladesh tour stipend offer to women players from the USACA was less than typically given to men players on tour. The USACA claimed that the lower stipend was tied to their destination, with the cost of expenses being lower in Bangladesh than a mens tour of Dubai. The womens stance was that it was discrimination.Separately, the women were also unhappy that coach Linden Fraser, who also led the dominant Tri-State Lynx club team from which most of the USA Womens squad competed for locally, had been replaced as USA Womens coach by Robin Singh shortly before the final 14 to tour Bangladesh was expected to be picked. A standoff ensued: give us our money - and our coach - or we wont go.The USACA called their bluff, despite a stern warning from the ICC to come to an amicable resolution with the players. The end result was that eight Tri-State Lynx players, all in their 20s, stayed home, and were replaced by women in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s. Outsidee of a shock one-run win over Zimbabwe, USA Women were trampled in their other five matches.dddddddddddd The repercussions continue to this day. After the 2013 Womens World T20 Qualifier, when Canada represented the Americas and finished tied for last in the eight-team event, the berth designated for the Americas region for the World T20 and World Cup qualifiers was withdrawn by the ICC. Despite announcements that it would stage womens tournaments, the USACA never produced one after 2011. Only a dedicated but small group of players in pockets around the country have kept the dim flame of womens cricket from being extinguished altogether, organising tournaments on holiday weekends in places like Atlanta, Georgia.A hastily organised pair of matches last November by USACA against a touring Pakistan womens team were the first signs of life at the national level since 2012. However, the T20s were lopsided with Pakistan Women chasing a target of 57 in five overs followed by a 142-run win on Duckworth-Lewis. Mahika Kandanala, who was part of that USA squad but did not make the starting XI, says the experience highlighted how much work needs to be done to get USA competitive.I learned that the international standard is very, very high, Kandanala said. The 14-year-old, who plays in a boys academy squad in suburban Dallas, travelled to the New York ICC Combine to compete with about 20 other women. In order to get to that level, you have to work a lot. You have to practice almost every day and you have to be willing to try new things and see what works best for you.Kandanala is waiting to take up the baton currently being carried by players like Erica Rendler, who was USAs second-highest scorer at the 2011 Womens World Cup Qualifier. At 31, it was only Rendlers second tournament for USA after the former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) athlete had picked up the sport on a family trip to Australia two years earlier. Her future seemed bright, but last years games against Pakistan and this springs ICC Combine leading to the MCC tour next month are the first chances shes getting at serious competition after losing her prime years to administrative indifference.I was hoping to see a little more women participants out here, Rendler said of the New York Combine. She had flown out from California to participate in the New York Combine after being unable to attend the one in San Francisco due to work commitments. I think we had a group averaging about 20 and thats the key takeaway, encouraging others to get involved and everybody bringing a cricketer out so that we can increase the talent pool and continue to build up the national programme.Though she was one of the older players to show up at the combine at age 35, Rendler still comfortably had the best fitness of any of the women on the field and even beat former USA mens captain Steve Massiah in a timed 2K run. However, most of the other female players were charted well below the targeted guidelines, highlighting the need for elevated standards and a more competitive player pool to pick from.The conundrum about participation numbers, though, continues to be a chicken versus egg scenario. Does there need to be greater investment to spur interest in terms of playing numbers, or will funding and fixtures increase only after the player pool rises? One way or another, players like Kandanala hope the commitment is there for womens trials and competitive opportunities on a regular basis.It was a good experience, Kandanala said. If we do this every six months, itll see this is how much Ive done, this is how much I need to do. ' ' '