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West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer (right) looks on as South Africa’s wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock makes an appeal during the third Twenty20 international in Johannesburg. (AFP) Shimron Hetmyer smashed an unbeaten 48 in 22 balls to help West Indies to a six-run victory over hosts South Africa in a Twenty20 International reduced to 10 overs per side at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday. South Africa had already wrapped up the three-match series going into the final fixture on Saturday, when the threat of lightning on the Highveld shortened the contest.South Africa won the toss and sent the tourists into bat for the third time in the series, with Hetmyer and opener Shai Hope (48 from 25 balls) helping the West Indies to 114 for three in their 10 overs. The target for the home side was adjusted to 125 via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, but the West Indies applied early pressure through their spinners. Akeal Hosein (1-25) and Gudakesh Motie (3-17) put the home side on the back foot and as the rate grew, they lost wickets at regular intervals. South Africa needed 16 runs off the last over from Shamar Joseph, who bowled a succession of yorkers to close out the game for the visitors. Both countries now head to the T20 World Cup where the West Indies start against Scotland on February 7, while South Africa’s first match is against Canada on February 9. BRIEF SCORESWest Indies 114 for 3 (Hetmyer 48, Hope 48) beat South Africa 118 for 6 (de Kock 28, Motie 3-17) by 6 runs – DLS …
England’s Tom Banton in action during the second Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka Sunday. (Reuters) England completed a convincing six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20 international to wrap up the three-match series with a game to spare at Pallekele Sunday. The series, a warm-up for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, underlined why England remain among the contenders for the title. Having edged the opener by 11 runs, the tourists produced another clinical display to take an unassailable 2-0 lead. “It was an outstanding performance. We are gearing up well for the World Cup and couldn’t have asked anything better from the lads,” said England captain Harry Brook. “Our batting looks good and so is our bowling, especially the spin department as we know spin will be a key factor playing in this part of the world.” A rain interruption with England on 57 for two in 7.2 overs saw an original target of 190 revised to 168 in 17 overs under the DLS method. At that stage, the hosts sensed an opening as their spinners tightened the screws and dragged England behind the required rate. However Brook changed the complexion of the chase in the blink of an eye. Brook launched a brutal counter-attack, smashing 36 off just 12 deliveries, peppering the stands with two fours and four towering sixes to swing the momentum firmly England’s way. Brook’s assault reduced the equation to a manageable 39 off 27 balls and from there it was a matter of milking the bowling and punishing anything loose. Tom Banton played the finisher’s role to perfection, anchoring the chase with a fluent 54 off 33 balls as England crossed the line with two balls to spare. Sri Lanka had done well earlier to post 189 for five after being sent in, but against a versatile and deep England batting line-up it was always a total that needed something extra. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara provided a rollicking start, adding 56 off 33 balls while Pavan Rathnayake impressed with 40 off 22 balls. BRIEF SCORESEngland 173 for 4 (Banton 54*, Buttler 39, Brook 36) beat Sri Lanka 189 for 5 (Rathnayake 40, Mishara 36, Nissanka 34, Mendis 32, Archer 2-42) by 6 wickets (DLS method) Related Story Source link
Saim Ayub and Babar Azam hit half-centuries and Mohammad Nawaz took five wickets as Pakistan thrashed Australia by 111 runs to sweep the T20 series 3-0 Sunday.Ayub hit 56 off 37 balls at the top of the order and Azam added an unbeaten 50 as Pakistan posted 207-6 before spinner Nawaz’s career-best 5-18 helped skittle Australia for 96 in Lahore. The series gives Pakistan another T20 whitewash of Australia, following a 2-0 victory in 2010 and a 3-0 sweep in 2018, providing a timely boost ahead of next week’s T20 World Cup. The tournament, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on February 7. Australia, who lost the first match by 22 runs and the second by 90, were jolted early when skipper Mitchell Marsh was bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi for one. Nawaz removed the other opener Matthew Short cheaply and also accounted for Cameron Green (22) and Marcus Stoinis (23). Shaheen, who took 2-16, bowled Matt Renshaw as Australia slumped to 63-5. Nawaz then dismissed Josh Philippe for 14 and Cooper Connolly without scoring to improve on his previous best T20I figures of 5-19 against Afghanistan in Sharjah last year.Skipper Salman Agha praised his team’s performance in the series. “We have been excellent in all departments; I can’t find any mistakes,” said Agha. “We dominated them. I am in a great frame of mind right now. “I know how to handle the captaincy when I go out to bat and I really want to do that in the World Cup as well.” Marsh admitted his team had not been good enough. “Pakistan certainly outplayed us throughout the whole series. “As I said yesterday, there are learnings for us in this series,” said Marsh. Pakistan, who won the toss and batted for the third time in a row, were led by Ayub and Azam. Once opener Fakhar Zaman went for 10 and Agha for five, Ayub and Azam steadied the innings during their third-wicket stand of 69 off 45 balls. Ayub smashed two sixes and six fours in his sixth T20I fifty while Azam’s knock included a six and three fours. Shadab Khan ignited the innings with a blistering 46 off just 19 balls, hammering five sixes and two fours as he added 57 from 28 deliveries with Azam. Pakistan piled on 70 runs in the final five overs to surge to a commanding total. BRIEF SCORESPakistan 207 for 6 (Ayub 56, Babar 50*, Shadab 46, Dwarshuis 2-39) beat Australia 96 (Stoinis 23, Green 22, Nawaz 5-18, Shaheen 2-16) by 111 runs Related Story Source link
Amid an incredible attendance of spectators marked by epic success, the curtain fell on the 8th Katara Boxing Championship in Doha on Saturday. The three-day competition, organized by the Qatar Boxing and Wrestling Federation (QBWF), was held in both the amateur and professional categories. The amateur bouts took place over the first two days, featuring around 65 boxers across the three age groups (open, youth, and juniors), representing 15 clubs from Qatar and a team from Lebanon, competing across 10 weight divisions. As for the professional category bouts, which took place in the evening on the final day of the championship, they showcased six intense matches on both the technical and tactical levels, with world champions competing for 5 Asian and World titles under the WBC, as well as the Diamond Belt. In the first match, Russian Kerim Khan Kerimkhanov claimed victory on points over Lebanese Abdulwahab Mashareqi after a balanced contest between the two sides. In the second match, another Russian, Ruslan Satiev, secured a quick win by defeating his Azerbaijani opponent, Bairam Shammadov, in the second round by knockout. The third bout, featuring Philippine boxer Jadalie Carolina Medeiros and her Iranian opponent, Shirin Shabani, was fierce and lasted eight rounds, before Medeiros claimed victory on points. In the fourth match, Algerian Idriss Labidi won decisively over his Indonesian opponent, Rivo Rengkung, finishing the bout in the second round by knockout. In the fifth bout, Iranian Sajad Sattari defeated his Thai opponent, Kaonar, in the second round by knockout. Finally, in the sixth and concluding bout, Russian Ali Aliev triumphed on points over American Chip Moraza-Pollard after a strong contest from both fighters. Speaking to Qatar News Agency, HE President of QBWF Sheikh Fahad bin Khalid Al-Thani said that throughout the three-day saga, the event featured participation from all age categories -Prep, Junior, Youth, and Elite/Professional -with the first and second days dedicated to amateur competitions in the men’s, youth, and junior divisions, featuring 15 clubs from Qatar and a team from Lebanon, competing across 10 weight divisions for 26 gold medals. The final day was reserved for professional bouts in various combat sports, featuring world-ranked fighters competing for 4 Asian and World WBC titles, as well as the Diamond Belt, Sheikh Fahad highlighted. He added that the event is one of the key tournaments in QBWF’s calendar, affirming that the federation is committed to holding it annually to discover new boxing talent for the different age-group national teams, while also giving clubs and centers across the nation the opportunity to participate, gain experience, and develop their competitive level. This was a record-breaking participation and stronger than previous editions, with the number of participants increasing to encompass multiple clubs and academies in the nation, as well as Lebanon’s team, Sheikh Fahad noted. Sheikh Fahad emphasized that QBWF’s plan is based on organizing a substantial number of events to promote the level of boxers and their talent. He stressed that QBWF’s strategy underpins the development of all elements -boxers, trainers, clubs, academies, and special centers -with the objective of enlarging the base and attracting younger people and emerging talent to represent Qatar on all stages. Source link
Pakistan to boycott group match against IndiaPakistan team allowed to participate in tournamentBoycott follows Bangladesh’s withdrawalPakistan will boycott their February 15 match of the Twenty20 World Cup against arch-rivals India in Colombo, the Pakistan government said on Sunday while approving the team’s participation in the global showpiece.”The government… grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” the post on the government’s official X account said without elaborating on reasons behind the decision.Pakistan would forfeit two points if they boycotted the India match. There was no clarity on what would happen should the bitter neighbours meet in a knockout game.Pakistan are scheduled to play their Group A matches in Sri Lanka in keeping with their policy of not touring India due to geopolitical tensions.Bilateral cricket remains suspended between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who engaged in a military conflict that nearly snowballed into a fully-fledged war last year.Their fraught political relations prompted the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) to broker an arrangement allowing them to play at a neutral venue when their neighbour hosts a global tournament.The 2009 champions had earlier announced their squad for the 20-team tournament beginning on February 7, maintaining that their participation was subject to government approval.Their decision to boycott the India match is a serious blow to the tournament because an India-Pakistan clash remains cricket’s greatest blockbuster, which is why they are clubbed together in the same group in ICC events.This is not the first example of geopolitical tension affecting the tournament though.Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland in the global showpiece following their refusal to travel to India over safety concerns.The latest setback is a continuation of the soured India-Pakistan relations which manifested in last year’s Asia Cup in Dubai.India beat Pakistan three times in the tournament, including in the September 28 final, but declined to shake hands with their opponents and refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.Namibia, United States and the Netherlands are also in Group A from which two sides will advance to the tournament’s Super Eight stage.”I extend my best wishes to the Pakistan team for the World Cup,” Naqvi, also the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, was quoted as saying by Geo TV.”I hope the team will return with the T20 World Cup trophy.”The PCB supported Bangladesh’s demands to shift their matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC ruled out any threat to Bangladesh players or fans in India and rejected their late demand for a schedule change.An ICC spokesperson did not immediately reply to a Reuters message seeking comments on the development. Related Story Source link
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres celebrates after scoring their third goal during the Premier League match against Leeds United at Elland Road in Leeds yesterday. (AFP) Arsenal settled any fears of a collapse in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in 22 years by thrashing Leeds 4-0 yesterday as Chelsea came from two goals down to beat West Ham 3-2. The Gunners’ advantage over Manchester City and Aston Villa, who are both in action today, stretches to seven points as Mikel Arteta’s men took another step towards the title at Elland Road. A first home defeat of the season last weekend to Manchester United capped a run of just two points from a possible nine in Arsenal’s previous three league games. After finishing runners-up for the past three seasons, questions were raised over the mentality of Arteta’s men and their ability to get over the line in a title race. The visitors were dealt another blow before kick-off as Bukayo Saka was injured in the warm-up. But his replacement Noni Madueke played a major part in inflicting just a second defeat in 12 games on Leeds. “A very impressive performance, a very impressive result, especially in the context that we’ve done it,” said Arteta. Madueke’s cross was headed in by Martin Zubimendi to open the scoring. Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow could then only parry another dangerous delivery from the England winger into his own goal before half-time. Despite a fine run of form, Leeds remain only six points above the relegation zone. Their first defeat at home since November was confirmed when the much-criticised Viktor Gyokeres latched onto Gabriel Martinelli’s cross to blast in his 11th goal since joining Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon.Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to round off the scoring with a blistering strike four minutes from time. Arsenal will be hoping local rivals Tottenham can do them a favour when City visit north London, while Villa host Brentford today.Rosenior inspires Chelsea comeback Chelsea’s fine start under Liam Rosenior continued but they climbed into the top four the hard way after being outplayed by relegation-threatened West Ham for 45 minutes at Stamford Bridge.The Blues were booed off at half-time by their own fans after goals from Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville gave the visitors a deserved lead. A third consecutive league win would have taken Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to within two points of safety. But they wilted under the weight of Chelsea pressure after Rosenior’s triple half-time substitution inspired a transformed second-half performance.Two of those introduced at the break, Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella, brought Chelsea level before Enzo Fernandez fired in the winner in stoppage time. Chelsea move above Manchester United into fourth and open up a four-point lead over Liverpool, who host Newcastle later, in the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League. Everton snatched a 1-1 draw at Brighton thanks to Beto’s 97th-minute equaliser in a result that does little for either side’s aspirations of European football next season. Pascal Gross’ first goal since returning to the Seagulls from Borussia Dortmund put Brighton in front.Bournemouth ended any remaining worries of being dragged into a relegation fight as goals from Eli Kroupi and Alex Scott earned a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Wolves.The Cherries climb up to 12th and 13 points clear of the relegation zone. Source…
Pakistan’s players celebrate after winning in the second Twenty20I against Australia at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore yesterday. (AFP) Skipper Salman Agha hit his highest score in the shortest format before Pakistan’s spinners routed Australia by 90 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Lahore yesterday. Agha hit a 40-ball 76 and Usman Khan smashed a 36-ball 53 as Pakistan made 198-5, their highest-ever T20I total against Australia. This was enough for Pakistan’s spin quintet who shared all ten wickets between them with Abrar Ahmed returning the best figures of 3-14 and Shadab Khan finishing with 3-26. Australia were routed for 108 in 15.4 overs, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I victory over Australia eclipsing the 66-run win in Abu Dhabi in 2018. “It has to be a perfect game,” said Agha. “We batted well and then were outstanding with the ball. Fielding was outstanding.”The victory gives Pakistan an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they won the first match by 22 runs, also in Lahore, on Friday. “We want to play in the same way, forget the 2-0 scoreline and come again with the same intensity and go to the World Cup with the same energy,” said Agha of the event starting in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. This is Pakistan’s first T20I series win over Australia since 2018. The final match is today, also in Lahore. Despite skipper Mitchell Marsh coming back after resting on Friday, the visiting batters had little answer to Pakistan’s spin assault. Ahmed dismissed Marsh for 18, Josh Inglis for five and Matthew Short for 27. Cameroon Green top scored with a 20-ball 35 before spinner Usman Tariq dismissed him on his way to figures of 2-16. Marsh admitted Pakistan were better. “Pakistan outplayed us,” said Marsh. “Hopefully, we can improve and come back tomorrow. They put us under great pressure in batting; it was probably a 160-170 wicket so they scored a big total.” Earlier, Agha and Usman led Pakistan to a fighting total after they won the toss and batted. Agha built the innings with Saim Ayub (11-ball 23) during a second wicket stand of 55 as Pakistan scored 72 runs in the power-paly.Agha’s previous highest in all T20 cricket was 68 not out. After Babar Azam failed with a five-ball two, Usman helped Agha add another quickfire 49 for the fourth wicket before Sean Abbott broke the stand. Agha smashed four sixes and eight fours in his sixth Twenty20 half century. Pakistan added a good 61 runs in the last five overs with Usman knocking two sixes and four fours in his second T20I half century while Shadab’s knock had two sixes and a four. The Usman-Shadab fifth-wicket stand yielded 63 runs off just 39 balls. Shadab finished with an unbeaten 20-ball 28. Pacer Xavier Bartlett and spinner Matthew Kuhnemann were expensive, conceding 92 runs between them in their eight overs.BRIEF SCORES: Pakistan 198 for 5 (Salman 76, Usman 53, Connolly 1-30) beat Australia 108 (Green 35, Abrar 3-14, Shadab 3-26, Tariq 2-16) by 90 runs. Source link
India’s Rinku Singh (centre) lifts the trophy alongside Abhishek Sharma (left), Ishan Kishan (second from left), Harshit Rana (second right) and Axar Patel after their victory…
Australia’s Pat Cummins during practice ahead of their ICC World Cup semi-final against South Africa in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India, Saturday. (Reuters) Star paceman Pat Cummins was ruled out of Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign Saturday, while batsman Matthew Renshaw has come into the squad at the expense of Matt Short.Test skipper Cummins only played one of the five Ashes Tests against England over the Australian summer as he slowly recovers from a lower back injury.He was hoping to be fit for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on February 7, but has run out of time and been replaced by Ben Dwarshuis.”With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said.”We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace, along with clever variations, will be well-suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.”The only other change to the provisional squad named this month sees Renshaw come in for Short, who has paid the price for his ordinary performances in the Big Bash League.”Matt (Renshaw) has impressed in all formats of late, including in multiple roles in white ball formats for Australia, the Queensland Bulls and the Brisbane Heat,” Dodemaide said.”With the top order settled and spin-heavy conditions expected in the pool stages in Sri Lanka, we also feel Matt provides extra middle-order support, with Tim David completing his return to play programme in the early phase of the tournament.”Big-hitter David is on the comeback trail from a hamstring injury.The squad is spin-heavy in preparation for the sub-continent conditions, with left-armer Matt Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly complementing chief tweaker Adam Zampa and part-timer Glenn Maxwell.Australia’s group-stage matches are all being played in Sri Lanka. They open their account against Ireland in Colombo on February 11.Squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Related Story Source…
Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah clinched the Hail Toyota International Baja Rally 2026 title for the sixth time in his career at the 21st edition of the event. Al Attiyah, alongside his French co‑driver Max Delfino, piloting an OPTIMUS MD rally vehicle, finished first in the overall classification after accomplishing the final special stage of 323 km in a total time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, and 32 seconds. Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi claimed second place overall, finishing 42 seconds behind Al Attiyah, while Saudi competitor Dania Akeel secured third place, trailing the leader by 14 minutes. In the Challenger class, Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al Kuwari finished third, behind Saudi driver Yasser Al Saeedan, who took first place, and Omani driver Hamad Al Wahaibi, who finished second. In the motorcycle category, British rider Alex McInnes won the title with a time of 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 17 seconds, with Emirati rider Mohammed Al Balooshi finishing second, 34 minutes and 24 seconds behind, while fellow Emirati Sultan Al Balooshi took third place, two minutes further back. In the local category, Saudi driver Faris Al Shammari earned first place, ahead of his compatriot Muteb Al Qanoun in second, with Khalaf Al Waj’an finishing third. Related Story Source link