分类： sports

GALLE, Sri Lanka – The opening day of the first test cricket clash between Sri Lanka and India at the iconic Galle International Stadium wrapped up Saturday with India holding a strong position at 288 runs for the loss of two wickets after 73 overs. But the island nation’s seasonal monsoon rains threw a wrench into proceedings on Sunday, completely wiping out the scheduled morning session of day two and delaying the restart of play well into the afternoon.

After India captain won the pre-match toss and elected to bat first, young opening batter Devdutt Padikkal delivered a career-defining performance, notching up his first ever century in test cricket with an unbeaten 131 runs. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant remained solid at the crease alongside him, finishing day one not out on 27 runs.

With weather forecasts showing a potential break in the rain later on Sunday, match organizers have drawn up contingency plans to get play back on track. If conditions improve and the wet outfield dries sufficiently, two shortened sessions of around 90 minutes each, separated by a 20-minute tea interval, will be held to make up for lost time. Under this revised schedule, a total of 43 overs will be bowled before the close of day two, provided no further rain interruptions occur.

Notably, this test match carries extra historical significance: it marks the 50th test match to be hosted at the Galle International Stadium, a venue renowned for its spinning pitches that have shaped the strategy of both competing sides. Heading into the match, both Sri Lanka and India named spin-dominated bowling attacks, a tactical choice tailored to the Galle ground’s famous turning surface that has long favored slow bowlers over fast bowlers.

DARWIN, Australia – Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz has put Bangladesh on the brink of a landmark first Test victory over Australia, claiming three crucial morning wickets on Day 4 to leave the host nation 243-7 at lunch, still holding only a slender 15-run first innings lead.

Resuming their first innings at 161-4 on Sunday, Australia scrambled 82 runs through the opening session to avoid the embarrassment of an innings defeat inside two days on home soil. But the session, much like the three preceding days of the first match of the two-test “Top End” series, once again showcased Bangladesh’s dominance over the world’s top-ranked Test side, with the result only delayed rather than flipped in Australia’s favor.

All-rounder Cameron Green was the only Australian batter to offer sustained resistance against Bangladesh’s disciplined spin attack. Nailing his eighth Test half-century and posting his highest Test score on home soil, Green entered the lunch break unbeaten on 85, closing in on what would be his third Test century and first on Australian home grounds. Speedster Mitchell Starc held firm alongside him on 14 not out, with the pair building an unbeaten 36-run partnership for the eighth wicket that represents Australia’s last remaining chance to turn the match around.

Mehidy, who dragged the match firmly into Bangladesh’s control by dismissing Steve Smith on the evening of Day 3, picked up exactly where he left off on Sunday. He claimed his first wicket of the morning when wicketkeeper Litton Das pulled off a sharp catch behind the stumps to remove Alex Carey, who had scored 30.

The off-spinner followed that up with a spectacular delivery that straightened past Beau Webster’s bat, clipping the top of off stump to send Webster packing for 5. That wicket left Australia 193-6, still trailing Bangladesh’s first innings total by 35 runs with the lower order exposed.

Captain Pat Cummins’ time at the crease was cut short shortly after, when he popped a simple catch to Mehidy at short leg, handing the spinner his third wicket of the morning and fourth of the innings to move his figures to 4-50.

Green and Starc chipped away at Bangladesh’s lead in the final half hour before lunch, with Green looking increasingly settled at the crease. However, history is heavily stacked against Australia pulling off a miraculous comeback. The largest first-innings deficit Australia has ever overcome to claim a home Test win is 206 runs, achieved against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2010. Ahead of this lunch break, Australia’s first-innings deficit sat at 228 runs, a gap 22 runs wider than that historic comeback.

This opening Test kicks off a grueling 12-month schedule for the Australian men’s Test side, which will feature 20 matches across the coming year including away tours to South Africa, India and England.

IRVINE, Calif. — A stunning upset unfolded at the Pan Pacific Championships on Saturday night, as rising Australian swimming star Lani Pallister handed distance legend Katie Ledecky her first international defeat in the women’s 800-meter freestyle.

Pallister maintained a blistering pace that stayed beneath the current world record mark for the majority of the race. When she touched the wall at the 800-meter mark, her clock stopped at 8 minutes and 6.10 seconds — a new championship record that erased Ledecky’s 2014 record set six years prior.

Ledecky, the four-time Olympic gold medalist who has dominated the 800-meter freestyle for nearly 15 years, claimed the silver medal with a time of 8:07.26. The American icon had only suffered one defeat in an 800-meter freestyle final dating all the way back to 2010 before Saturday’s race; that single prior loss came in a low-key domestic meet in February 2024, where she fell to Canada’s prodigy Summer McIntosh.

Shortly after crossing the finish line, an elated but breathless Pallister paid tribute to her opponent, acknowledging the magnitude of her win. “Katie’s such a dominant force,” the Australian swimmer told reporters.

This result marks a major milestone in Pallister’s international career, signaling that the next generation of distance swimmers are ready to challenge the long-standing reign of the sport’s most decorated distance racer.

As the All Blacks prepare to kick off their highly anticipated test series against South Africa next weekend, New Zealand’s national rugby union side is waiting anxiously on fitness updates for starting fullback Damian McKenzie, who picked up an ankle injury earlier this week during a tour match against the Sharks.

The team wrapped up their final warm-up fixture this past Saturday at Pretoria’s iconic Loftus Versfeld stadium, securing a lopsided 50-19 victory over the Bulls. In a post-match press conference, All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie delivered an update on the squad’s injury list, offering a more optimistic outlook for two other injured backs: scrumhalf Cam Roigard (calf strain) and winger Will Jordan (back issue).

Both players have yet to take the field on the South African tour, alongside rested captain Ardie Savea, who only arrived in the country this past Thursday after being given time off ahead of the test series. Rennie noted that the coaching staff remains confident Roigard and Jordan will be cleared to play next week, saying, “Both of them we want to have a full week of training. They’re ticking enough boxes.”

While the outlook is less certain for McKenzie, who twisted his ankle in Tuesday’s clash with the Sharks, Rennie still holds out hope the star fullback will be available for the opening test. “Damian we’re less confident about but still think he’s a good chance to play in the weekend,” Rennie said. “Hopefully he can train well on Tuesday. The expectation is all three of those guys will be available.” If all three pass fitness tests, they are all set to start in the first test against the Springboks at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park next Saturday.

Injury replacement flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, who joined the squad late this past Friday following an injury to another player, will not be considered for selection in the first test, Rennie confirmed. Mo’unga’s first appearance for the All Blacks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to come three days after the opening test, when the side faces the provincial Lions side.

The injury crisis has opened the door for other players to claim starting spots, most notably winger Josh Moorby. Moorby got the start in the side’s last test against Ireland last month, and his chances of holding the number 11 jersey have risen sharply after Caleb Clarke was forced to cut his tour short with a season-ending shoulder injury. Rennie also highlighted strong recent performances from loose forwards Peter Lakai and Anton Segner following the Bulls win.

Rennie explained that several starting positions for the first test were still up for grabs heading into the final warm-up, and the team’s performance against the Bulls would factor heavily into final selection calls. “We’ve got a plan around selection and there were a handful of positions that were going to be decided on tonight’s performance,” he said.

The match against the Bulls marked the All Blacks’ first game at high altitude on the tour, and Rennie said the challenging conditions will better prepare his side for the tests ahead. “We’ve not had a game at altitude and we worked really hard in those circumstances and we’ll be better for it,” he added. “We know the quality we come up against next week is three, four, five fold. We’ve played reasonably well on tour and we know we need to up the ante.”

Codie Taylor, who has served as tour captain in Savea’s absence, praised the forward pack’s steady improvement throughout the warm-up fixtures, particularly the scrum – an area that has been dominated by the Springboks in recent encounters between the two sides. “From where we started with the Stormers and built our way through these club games I feel like we’ve made some great strides as a forward pack,” Taylor said. “By no means are we the finished product … and it will be even tougher next week. But we can be really happy and confident with the steps we’re taking.”

PRETORIA, South Africa — The New Zealand All Blacks concluded their pre-test series warm-up schedule in dominant fashion on Saturday, cruising to a 50-19 victory over South Africa’s provincial side the Bulls at Pretoria’s iconic Loftus Versfeld stadium. The win gives the world-famous side a perfect preparation heading into their highly anticipated four-test series against defending world champions South Africa, the Springboks, starting next weekend.

New Zealand’s squad controlled the contest from the opening whistle, racing out to an unassailable 24-0 lead by halftime. The high altitude of Pretoria, a new matchday condition for many of the All Blacks’ squad members on this tour, led to a more competitive, back-and-forth second 40 minutes, but it did little to derail New Zealand’s momentum. By the final whistle, the All Blacks crossed for eight tries, with wingers Josh Moorby and Leroy Carter, plus captain Codie Taylor each scoring a brace. The three-tries concession by the All Blacks on Saturday ended a 124-minute scoreless streak across their three warm-up matches against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls.

While the bulk of the All Blacks’ second-string squad got the runaround against the Bulls, the match provided critical game time that will pay dividends across the grueling upcoming test schedule: four test matches will be held across four consecutive weekends, forcing the All Blacks to dig deep into their roster depth. Speaking to broadcaster SuperSport after the match, Taylor emphasized that the upcoming test series against the Springboks will be a step up in intensity from the warm-up fixture. “No disrespect to the Bulls but they (the Springboks) will lift the tempo and physicality,” Taylor said. “That’s what test match footy is all about. It’s an exciting week ahead.”

Despite the lopsided final score, several All Blacks players turned in standout performances in the expansive, high-energy contest. Flanker Anton Segner, captain Codie Taylor (who was returning to action) and center Rieko Ioane all impressed, while the newly minted front row combination of Taylor, props Tyrel Lomax and Xavier Numia — making their first appearances of the tour — delivered a rock-solid set-piece display. Numia pulled off a critical early stop to prevent a lineout maul try for the Bulls, before the All Blacks pushed back the Bulls’ attacking five-meter scrum in a show of physical dominance. Inside backs Josh Jacomb, Anton Lienert-Brown and Ioane consistently created space out wide for the team’s finishers, capitalizing on the reliable platform built by the forward pack.

Moorby crossed for his two tries while Bulls prop Francois Klopper was serving a sin-bin spell, with Taylor following up with two tries of his own: the first from a quick self-taken tap penalty, and the second from a turnover counter-ruck. The Bulls got on the board immediately after halftime, breaking New Zealand’s scoreless concession streak when lock Ruan Vermaak burrowed over from a lineout. Referee Nika Amashukeli overruled a TMO finding that Vermaak had fallen short of the try line to award the score.

The second half continued with tit-for-tat scoring. Carter crossed with a sharp stepping display along the touchline, before offloading to Ioane to add another All Blacks try. The Bulls responded with tries from winger Stravino Jacobs and captain Marcell Coetzee, while Carter and Wallace Sititi added late scores for the All Blacks to seal the 50-point haul, the second consecutive warm-up match in which New Zealand hit the 50-point mark.

Though the Bulls were considered the strongest provincial opponent the All Blacks would face on their South African tour, the side was underprepared for the fixture, having ended their United Rugby Championship season on June 19 and cut short their offseason break. The side struggled to match the All Blacks’ intensity, rarely testing New Zealand with contestable kicks despite playing an up-tempo, ambitious style similar to the All Blacks’. Taylor acknowledged some unforced errors from his side in the second half, but said the warm-up campaign had set the All Blacks up perfectly for test rugby. “There were a few mistakes in there, but we’ve played three games now and experienced some South African footy and are set up nicely to play some test matches now,” Taylor said.

Across in Johannesburg, the Springboks are putting the final touches on their preparations after a split squad saw them pick up a 17-10 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires last weekend. Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said the squad has had sufficient time to recover and is fully focused on the upcoming series. “The players are well recovered, and ready to give everything for the forthcoming tests,” Erasmus said.