Sports
South Africa edge out West Indies to reach semis
South Africa are through to the T20 World Cup semi-finals after a tense three-wicket win on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method over co-hosts West Indies in a winner-takes-all Super 8s match.
After England secured their place in the last four on Sunday, the game in Antigua was essentially a quarter-final to decide the other side to progress from Group 2.
Chasing a DLS revised target of 123, South Africa wobbled at times but ultimately withstood the pressure and Marco Jansen thumped a six to seal the win with five balls to spare.
Having restricted West Indies to 135-8, the Proteas appeared in control but Andre Russell struck twice in the second over of the chase to leave them 15-2.
The Windies’ momentum was halted immediately, though, by a sudden downpour that kept the players off the field for 75 minutes.
South Africa returned with a new target from 17 overs and a flurry of boundaries quickly put them back in the ascendency.
But with a raucous crowd at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium urging them on, the West Indies kept fighting with Roston Chase, who made 52 with the bat, taking three wickets.
As the game headed towards a nervy conclusion with South Africa needing nine from seven balls, Kagiso Rabada hit a glorious cover drive for four and Jansen finished the job at the start of the last over.
Earlier, it was South Africa’s spinners who did the damage with the ball with Tabraiz Shamsi taking 3-28.
The Proteas go through top of the group, with England second, and will face the runners-up in Group 1.
It is still unclear which semi-final either team will play in until India’s final position in Group 1 is confirmed, since Rohit Sharma’s side will definitely play their last-four match in Guyana on Thursday. The other semi-final is in Trinidad, also on Thursday.
Spinners lead the way for Proteas
South Africa remain unbeaten at this World Cup after a seventh straight win.
They have been involved in a number of extremely tight games but keep getting over the line with different players stepping up at crucial times.
In North Sound, it was the turn of the spinners with captain Aiden Markram the first to make an impact, removing the dangerous Nicholas Pooran as West Indies slipped to 5-2 early on.
The skipper, who is better than a part-time off-spinner but by no means a genuine all-rounder, bowled his four overs in succession for just 28 runs.
Shamsi took over in the middle overs, breaking a key 81-run partnership between Chase and Kyle Mayers and eventually dismissed both, as well as Sherfane Rutherford.
Keshav Maharaj played his part, too, dismissing Windies skipper Rovman Powell with a beautiful delivery that dipped late and gripped to turn past the bat, leading to a stumping.
The effectiveness of the Proteas spinners was such that fast bowler Rabada was not introduced to the attack until the 18th over.
West Indies’ powerful batting line-up was negated and, despite more than a few sticky moments with the bat, South Africa got over the line to reach their first T20 World Cup semi-final in 10 years. (bbc)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
Ireland Women 118/9 in 20 overs (Alana Dalzelle 14, Orla Prendergast 26, Leah Paul 10, Alice Tector 10, Louise Little 26*; Lauren Bell 1-39, Linsey Smith 1-20, Sophie Ecclestone 3-22, Charlie Dean 2-11, Dani Gibson 2-10) lost to England Women 119/6 in 17.3 overs (Dani Wyatt Hodge 16, Nat Sciver-Brunt 48, Heather Knight 26; Aimee Maguire 2-23, Orla Prendergast 2-17) by 4 wickets
Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown, he also became the joint highest scorer at World Cups with the feat.
The former 38-year-old forward thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute in Kansas City on Tuesday when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was raised.
The dream start to his record-setting appearance, which will be matched by Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against DR Congo on Wednesday, was not to be denied for long though.
A trademark, mazy run was capped by a drive on the edge of the box from that famed left foot. The power too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of World Cup winner with France, Zinidine.
Messi doubled his tally on the hour mark with a simple tap in from a rebound off the keeper following a drive from Alexis Mac Allister.
The moment that even a player as decorated as Messi came in the 76th minute when he drilled low past the keeper from just outside the box.
The strike took Messi level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals.
His substitution came just three minutes later to a standard ovation, even old maestro seemed disappointed to be removed – and most likely rested for Argentina’s tilt at becoming only the third side to defend a World Cup title.
Algeria – the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners – offered little, but were themselves denied an early goal when Fares Chaibi’s ninth minute strike was ruled out for offside.
Messi saw to it that there was no opening game upset to be had tat this edition, having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia.
Messi, who spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris-Saint Germain, plys his trade in US football’s Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
Jordan and Austria open their account in the group later on Tuesday in San Francisco.
[Aljazeera]
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