SPORT | IN BRIEF
Platt joins Man City as coach
FOOTBALL: Former England captain David Platt has joined Roberto Mancini’s coaching staff at Manchester City.
Platt, who has managed England Under-21s and Nottingham Forest, has been named first-team coach and will work with assistant manager Brian Kidd and coach Fausto Salsano.
The 44-year-old, who won 62 England caps, played alongside Mancini at Sampdoria.
Flower confident in KP
CRICKET: England coach Andy Flower has backed Kevin Pietersen to end his long wait for a half-century in one-day internationals.
Pietersen goes into tomorrow’s final ODI against Australia looking for his first 50 in 16 innings.
But Flower said: “I think he looks in superb form. His balance is excellent. He is hitting balls through the off side as well as I have ever seen him.”
Meanwhile, England will host the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, the International Cricket Council has confirmed.
Denman’s career is over
HORSE RACING: Godolphin have brought Denman’s career to an early end by withdrawing the four-year-old from next week’s Darley July Cup.
The Australian import has been deemed not fit enough and will now take up stud duties in his native country.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, said: “The idea was to come over here for that race, but we’ve run out of time with him.”
Injured Henin out of US Open
TENNIS: Seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin has pulled out of next month’s US Open with an elbow injury sustained at Wimbledon.
Henin suffered the partial fracture during her fourth-round defeat to compatriot and rival Kim Clijsters on Monday. The 28-year-old has also had to pull out of a planned ‘Best of Belgium’ exhibition match with Clijsters in Brussels next week, which had been expected to draw a world record crowd of 40,000.
Westwood makes steady start
GOLF: England’s Lee Westwood played through a calf injury to start his French Open challenge with a one-under-par first round of 70.
Westwood, who is nursing a swollen calf, is seven shots behind Dutch leader Robert-Jan Derksen, with three players on five under.
Among those is Frenchman Jean van de Velde, who famously fluffed his chance to win the Open 11 years ago.