Sports
Malan, Moeen headline England’s series-clinching win
After Dawid Malan’s 114-ball 127 had set England up towards a competitive score, Moeen Ali (4-50) led a strong bowling performance from the hosts as they recorded a comfortable 100-run win against New Zealand in the final game of the four-match ODI series. By virtue of this result, England sealed the series 3-1 with a remarkable turnaround, having been 0-1 down in the series initially.
The target of 312 was always going to be difficult on a slowing Lord’s surface and New Zealand needed a strong start in the first PowerPlay to be in the hunt. Unfortunately, Devon Conway had another failure, falling to a clumsy run out and Will Young failed to convert yet another start in the series. England’s bowlers were disciplined and stuck to the basics by bowling nagging lines and lengths. Henry NIcholls was the only top order batter to get some rhythm into his innings but the pressure mounted from the other end with his partners unable to get the scoreboard ticking.
Once the ball got older, Moeen along with Liam Livingstone put the squeeze on the scoring rate. The former was eventually rewarded with the big scalps of New Zealand skipper Tom Latham and Nicholls. Glenn Phillips fell soon and the chase went downward from there. At no point did New Zealand seem like they had any control in the chase and as the wickets kept falling, the result was a foregone conclusion long before the game officially ended. Rachin Ravindra, who earlier took a four-fer with the ball, threw his bat around for his maiden fifty but that only served to reduce the margin of defeat.
Earlier in the day, Malan’s century shone bright amidst an otherwise inconsistent batting performance from England. The southpaw opener seemed the most comfortable batter from the hosts line-up on a two-paced surface and his knock held the innings together even as his partners failed to kick on with their starts. Joe Root and Jos Buttler supported Malan in valuable partnerships but neither were at their fluent best. Root, in particular, looked unusually edgy in the middle and his wicket came at a time when he was just starting to find his tempo. Buttler also fell at a critical juncture when England were set to hit top gear.
New Zealand were dented very early in the innings with a spate of injuries in the opening hour and Tim Southee was the biggest of the casualties. The veteran pacer didn’t return to bowl after the initial four-over burst while Daryl Mitchell and Ben Lister also got injured later on. The left-arm seamer also was unable to finish his full quota as the visitors grappled with their support bowlers to get through the innings. Latham used his resources well and a slowing surface allowed him to bowl more of Mitchell who scalped a couple of wickets as well.
England were never able to get that final flurry to the innings as they kept losing wickets and even the set batters like Liam Livingstone were unable to force the pace. To their credit, New Zealand’s bowlers stuck to their guns despite limited resources and Ravindra’s four-fer was the most crucial spell of them all.
After having suffered a beating in the previous game, the youngster showed admirable resolve in his spell and used the conditions to good effect. Once Malan fell, England lost the plot and if not for the David Willey-Brydon Carse cameos, would have finished under the 300-run mark. As it turned out, the score proved to be more than enough.
Brief scores:
England 311/9 in 50 overs (Dawid Malan 127; Rachin Ravindra 4-60) beat New Zealand 211 in 38.2 overs (Rachin Ravindra 61, Henry Nicholls 41; Moeen Ali 4-50) by 100 runs
(Cricbuzz)
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
American golfer Matt Gogel has been suspended for six months for betting on golf tournaments, the PGA Tour has said.
The 55-year-old competes on the PGA Tour Champions circuit which is reserved for professional golfers aged 50 and older.
Gogel did not bet on events in which he was participating but admitted to unknowingly violating PGA Tour policy by placing “small recreational wagers” in 2024 and 2025.
“I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf,” Gogel said in a statement.
“I made an honest mistake and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions.”
He had two top-10 finishes across 18 PGA Tour Champions events in 2026 and was most recently in action during the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta where he finished tied 30th last week.
Gogel, who has earned more than $760,000 (£559,000) in prize money from Champions events, won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2002 – his only victory in 179 starts on the PGA Tour.
His suspension came into effect on 23 August and lasts until 22 February.
[BBC Sports]
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