At the time of him leaving the field, Bumrah had sent down 151.2 overs across five Tests with only his Australia counterpart Pat Cummins having bowled more [Cricbuzz]
India captain and pace ace Jasprit Bumrah had to leave the field early in the post-lunch session on Day 2 of the Sydney Test with a suspected injury concern. Bumrah was filmed leaving the stadium premises, potentially to undergo scans. The nature of the injury is as yet unknown.
Bumrah bowled eight overs on the second day’s play at the SCG for the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne but left the field one over into a new spell at the start of the post-lunch session.
At the time of him leaving the field, Bumrah had sent down 151.2 overs across five Tests with only his Australia counterpart Pat Cummins having bowled more (152 overs). Bumrah’s toils have fetched him a chart-leading 32 wickets at 13.06 in the series but his workloads, necessitated by both team combination and lack of potency elsewhere have left him susceptible to be overbowled, thereby risking injuries.
At the end of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Rohit Sharma had admitted there was a risk of Bumrah being overbowled. “If somebody is in such a great form, you want to try and maximise that form how much ever you can,” Rohit had said. “And that is what we’ve been trying to do with Bumrah.
“But there comes a time where you need to step back a little bit and give him that little bit of extra breather as well. So, we’ve been very careful. I’ve been very careful. I talk to him about how he feels and stuff like that. So, yeah. Those things should be managed carefully. And I’m trying to do that on the field.”
Incidentally, India had been dealt a scare as early as the second Test in Adelaide when Bumrah needed the physio’s attention while sending down his 20th over in that match over some discomfort near the groin area. He was able to shrug off that concern and continue to have an incredible series, one that saw him match Harbhajan Singh’s tally of wickets for the most scalps by an Indian in a single Test series against Australia.
Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco celebrates after his side's third goal (Aljazeera)
Morocco twice overcame the shock of conceding to Haiti to win a World Cup thriller 4-2 in Atlanta, but missed out on the top spot in Group C to Brazil.
Haiti bowed out with their first World Cup goals in 52 years, as a Yassine Bounou own goal and Wilson Isidor’s stunning strike twice gave them the lead on Wednesday.
Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari, with his third goal in as many games at the World Cup, levelled before half-time.
Soufiane Rahimi was nearly brought to tears when the 30-year-old’s deflected effort found the top corner to give Morocco the lead, before Gessime Yassine rounded off the scoring.
Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco celebrates scoring his team’s third goal [Aljazeera]
But Morocco missed out on the top spot in the group to Brazil on goal difference, meaning they will head to Monterrey for a likely meeting against the Netherlands or Japan on Monday.
Despite bowing out without a point, Haiti’s performances at their first World Cup since 1974 have done a nation gripped by poverty proud.
Les Grenadiers were already eliminated after losing to Scotland and Brazil , but the thousands of Haitian expats in the stands in Atlanta were undeterred as every attack was met with deafening cheers.
Morocco boss Mohamed Ouahbi made four changes to the side that had impressed in holding Brazil and beating Scotland in their opening two games, and the Atlas Lions started sloppily.
Haiti’s long wait for a goal on the global stage was ended after just 10 minutes, when Jean-Kevin Duverne got to the byline, and Lenny Joseph flicked the resulting cross into the net via a deflection off Bounou.
Hakimi has continued to captain Morocco despite learning mid-tournament that he is to face a trial on rape charges in France.
The reigning African footballer of the year stormed forward from right-back at every opportunity and was in the right place to equalise on 39 minutes.
In his final game for Haiti, 38-year-old goalkeeper Johny Placide could only parry Bilal El Khannouss’s strike, and Hakimi had a simple task to force the ball over the line.
Within four minutes, though, Haiti had restored their lead in far more spectacular fashion.
Sunderland striker Isidor pounced on a loose ball and let fly from outside the area with a shot that arrowed into the top corner.
Hakimi and Ouahbi were visibly angered by conceding for a second time, but the 2022 World Cup semifinalists responded before half-time.
Saibari stroked home his third goal of the tournament with a cool finish from Hakimi’s low cross.
Brahim Diaz nearly gave Morocco a half-time lead when his curling effort shaved the post to end a thrilling first half.
With Brazil cruising to victory over Scotland in Miami, Morocco knew that only a comprehensive victory would secure them the top spot in Group C.
Ouahbi began turning his attention to the last 32, as Bayern Munich-bound Saibari and Real Madrid’s Diaz were replaced with more than 20 minutes remaining.
But two of his substitutes came on to win the game for Morocco.
Rahimi’s powerful strike from a corner flew into the top corner via a deflection off a desperate Haiti defender.
He then turned provider by robbing possession on the Haiti byline and crossing for Yassine to roll into an empty net.
A strong earthquake struck northern Japan at around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. The Japan Meteorological Agency says there is no risk of tsunami.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says the magnitude 7.2 quake occurred off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, revised up from an original 6.9. It also revised the estimated depth of the quake from 50 to 44 kilometers. The hardest-hit areas were on the Pacific side of Aomori Prefecture. Hashikami Town observed an intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. The agency says there is a possibility of changes to tidal levels along the coast, but there is unlikely to be any damage.
The agency reports Class 2 “long-period ground motion” was observed in Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate, Miyagi and Akita prefectures. The JMA labels tremors lasting more than 2 seconds that shake high-rise buildings as “long-period ground motion” and grades them on a 4-class level. They can make it difficult to walk without support and can knock over items on shelves.
If you are in these areas, try to remain in a safe location. More tremors are possible, so please stay alert.
Fallen items are scattered at a convenience store in Hashikami Town, Aomori Prefecture (NHK)
Brazil's Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring their second goal (Aljazeera)
Brazil advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup in style after Vinicius Junior netted twice in a 3-0 win over Scotland in their final Group C match, while Neymar also made his first appearance in a Brazil shirt in three years.
The victory on Wednesday came at a full house in Miami Stadium, where 64,478 fans watched Carlo Ancelotti’s side top the group with seven points, while Morocco finished second with a 4-2 win over Haiti.
Vinicius has scored in every game so far, and the 25-year-old has four goals in the tournament to find himself in elite company, level with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, and sitting just one goal behind Lionel Messi.
Scotland boss Stephen Clark said he expected Brazil to attack from the outset, and the South Americans needed seven minutes to go 1-0 up when Scott McKenna failed to clear the ball, allowing Rayan to nick it and find Vinicius unmarked.
As goalkeeper Angus Gunn scrambled to stop him, the Real Madrid forward simply took one touch to move the ball past him and tap it into an empty net as the fans in yellow erupted.
Brazil nearly made it 2-0 just before the first hydration break, when Vinicius nicked the ball off Jack Hendry to score, but Scotland earned a reprieve after a VAR check, and the goal was overturned by the referee for a foul by the Brazilian.
That remained the theme in the first half, with Brazil being more combative to win the ball back, while Scotland failed to capitalise on set-pieces – the only time they had opportunities to score – as they finished the half with no shots on target.
Brazil’s second goal was a dagger to Scotland’s hearts on the stroke of half-time, when, once again, they won the ball high up the pitch and Bruno Guimaraes crossed the ball to the far post, where a grateful Vinicius headed home his second.
In the second half, Brazil pressed for a third goal, and it came with another scything move through the midfield as Guimaraes grabbed his second assist, dancing into the box before setting up Matheus Cunha for his third goal of the tournament.
But the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Neymar, as Ancelotti brought the 34-year-old on for his first appearance in a Brazil shirt since October 2023.
