Sports
Heartbreak for Sri Lanka as Kiwis win last ball thriller
New Zealand conjured up a remarkable victory for the second time in two weeks by chasing down a target of 285 runs on the final ball of the rain-shortened final day to beat Sri Lanka by two wickets in the first Test in Christchurch yesterday.
The dramatic win, which came on the back of the one-run victory over England after following on in Wellington, put the hosts 1-0 up in the two-match series and ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of playing in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Kane Williamson played the leading role by notching up his 27th Test century in a beautifully controlled innings of 121 not out after the first four and half hours of play at Hagley Oval had been washed out by rain.
The winning run came when the former captain and the injured Neil Wagner ran a bye, Williamson securing the victory by diving full length to get his bat down in the crease before a direct hit broke the stumps.
The Black Caps went into the final day on 28-1 needing 257 more runs for victory and after the rain finally cleared were allowed 52 overs in one extended session to achieve the task.
First-innings centurion Daryl Mitchell contributed 81 to a stand of 142 with Williamson for the fourth wicket that put victory within grasp but there were plenty of nervous moments before the win was finally secured with eight wickets down.
Sri Lanka were still chasing a win that would keep them on course for a spot in the WTC final and Prabath Jayasuriya put them on the front foot with two early wickets.
The left-arm spinner bowled Tom Latham for 25 and had Henry Nicholls caught in the deep for 20 but that only brought Williamson and Mitchell together in the middle.
Seamer Asitha Fernando (3-63) gave Sri Lanka renewed hope with yorkers to dismiss Mitchell and Tom Blundell (3) before having Michael Bracewell (10) caught at deep midwicket.
That set up the dramatic finish with New Zealand needing 15 runs from the last two overs, and local nerves intensified when skipper Tim Southee holed out in the deep and Matt Henry was run out.
Williamson kept his own nerve and clubbed a four off the fourth ball of the final over but Fernando’s last two deliveries were short and high, giving the batsmen no option but to go for an undignified scramble to secure victory.
Sri Lanka would have qualified for the WTC final if they had swept New Zealand in the two-match series.
The second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka starts at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on Friday.
Hong Myung-bo has resigned as head coach of South Korea’s men’s national football team after they failed to advance to the World Cup knockout stage.
The team had hoped they could still qualify for the next round of the tournament as one of the best third-placed teams, but that hope was quashed on Saturday.
The early exit has prompted widespread criticism at home, with President Lee Jae Myung calling for an investigation into reasons behind the team’s disappointing performance.
Hong apologised to fans on Sunday and said the responsibility “rests entirely with me as head coach”.
Ranked 32nd in FIFA’s men’s rankings and led by star player Son Heung-min, South Korea recorded two losses and one win at the World Cup, finishing behind Mexico and South Africa, who are ranked 15th and 60th respectively.
Criticism had mounted quickly after the team’s last match with South Africa on Thursday, which South Korea lost 1-0.
The defeat left them third in Group A. It still gave them hope to qualify for the next round under a new rule introduced with this tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams, which allows the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage to progress to the knockout round. But on Saturday, they were knocked out because of the other teams’ final scores.
Fans blame Hong, who has been coaching the team for the past two years. On Monday, the national team’s official fan club Red Devils issued a statement calling on Hong to “kneel before the entire nation and leave the football world forever”.
Announcing his resignation at a news conference in Mexico on Sunday, Hong said that “we didn’t deliver the results that our fans expected”.
“Even though I am leaving the national team, I am not abandoning Korean football altogether,” Hong said. “I will cheer for the national team from the bottom of my heart and hope that the team will be trusted and loved by the people once again.”
The announcement came after President Lee said that he felt “not just confusion but utter bewilderment at the unexpected outcome”.
In a post on X, Lee said that the early exit of the team “appears to be a failure of organisation and personnel”.
“When favouritism and cronyism take precedence over competence in selecting a commander, the result is as predictable as fire burning paper,” he said.
Hong’s appointment to the head coach post was controversial from the start. The former defender was a hero of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup success, having captained the team to a historic semi-final finish. But when he led the team as a coach in 2014, they failed to advance beyond the group stage – or win a single match.
When Hong was appointed to the same job again in 2024, it was met with harsh uproar. Many football fans criticised the appointment as football association’s old guards giving the top job to their friend, as the KFA passed on a few foreign-born candidates who had undergone a rigorous vetting process.
On Sunday, Hong said that “accepting the job was not an easy choice”. “I cannot say every decision has been the right one, but I can tell you that I have made every decision with Korean football in mind,” he added.
South Korea police say that they are watching for security threats at Incheon Airport and other locations after a death threat was made online against Hong on his return to Korea over the weekend, local media reported.
[BBC]
Devdutt Padikkal’s half-century and left-arm spinner Dilum Sudeera’s five-wicket haul were the highlights on day four as the first unofficial Test between India A and Sri Lanka A petered to a draw.
India A declared for the second time in the game after setting Sri Lanka A a target north of 300, but were only able to take two wickets in the 15 overs they managed to get in.
India began the day on 48 for no loss and a lead of 170, although B Sai Sudharsan had retired hurt on the third day. Padikkal and Aayush Pandey added 42 runs on the fourth morning before Sudeera removed the latter for 38 for his first wicket. Two balls later, Ravindu Fernando trapped Ruturaj Gaikwad for 1 off 2.
Padikkal went on to make 67 in a knock laced with five boundaries before Sudeera struck in consecutive overs to remove him and Jurel. Shaik Rasheed and Harsh Dubey then added 47 runs for the fifth wicket before Dubey was caught behind off Chamika Gunasekara. Sudeera then snared Rasheed, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi in the next over, when India A decided to declare 311 runs ahead. Sudharsan did not return to bat for India A.
Sri Lanka A’s openers had brisk and solid start, but it slightly came apart when Nabi cleaned up Pawantha Weerasinghe for 20 off 19 in the fifth over and Dubey trapped Niroshan Dickwella lbw.
Nuwanidu Fernando and Ashen Bandara then saw the day out, with India A unable to inflict any further damage.
Scores:
India A 452 for 6 dec in 111.4 overs (Sai Sudharsan 132, Dhruv Jurel 141*, Shaik Rasheed 63; Chamika Gunasekara 3-84, Dilum Sudeera 2-143) and 189 for 8 dec in 57 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 67; Dilum Sudeera 5-49) vs Sri Lanka A 330 in 101.4 overs (Nuwanidu Fernando 84, Ashen Bandara 70, Sahan Arachchige 72; Auqib Nabi 4-58) and 70 for 2 (Pawantha Weerasinghe 20; Auqib Nabi 1-18, Harsh Dubey 1-25). Match ended in a draw
Dilum Sudeera captured five wickets [Cricinfo]
[Cricinfo]
Canada beat South Africa 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time strike by Stephen Eustaquio from distance to reach the FIFA World Cup last 16 for the first time in their history.
Eustaquio received the ball on the edge of the South Africa penalty area and hammered it past diving goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in a thrilling conclusion to the first knockout-round match of the tournament on Sunday.
South Africa, who had seemed content to play for extra time and a possible penalty shootout, made a few furious but unsuccessful attempts to level before the final whistle as the sun broke through the clouds at Los Angeles Stadium.
Canada will next face either the Netherlands or Morocco on July 4 in Houston for a place in the quarterfinals.
“It’s about the two years we’ve been together,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch told the team in a huddle after the final whistle.
“Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan – you guys showing your character. You guys are Canadian heroes here.”
Chances were scarce in a cagey first half, with little to separate the sides, who were both playing in the knockout rounds for the first time.
Canada’s best opening came just before half-time when a corner sparked a scramble in the South Africa box. Moise Bombito sent a header goal-wards, which was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba, before Tajon Buchanan’s close-range effort struck Williams in the chest.
Moments later, Richie Laryea went down in the area, prompting Canadian appeals for a penalty, but the decision not to award a spot kick stood after a VAR review, prompting loud boos from Canada’s red-clad army of supporters dominating the stands.
Marsch continued to protest as the teams left the field at half-time, with Bombito appearing to urge him away from the referee.
Frustration for Canada only grew early in the second half, as South Africa appeared in no rush to press the issue.
Canada had another chance just before the second-half hydration break, when Tani Oluwaseyi’s shot hit the keeper, and Jonathan David was unable to head the ricochet home, thanks to an excellent defensive effort by Mbekezeli Mbokazi to clear the ball.
Eustaquio dedicated the win to “all Canadians” when he spoke to reporters after the match.
“I think it was an amazing goal. When I shot, I thought everyone shot with me. Everyone added a little power to it when it went into the back of the net.
” It started when we came out of group stage. Belief is a big part of it. We will now get either Netherlands or Morocco. Anything can happen. If we keep working like we are doing, we might even win it.”
[Aljazeera]
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