Latest News
Sunrisers Hyderabad scale new heights in another hit-a-thon
Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to get the highest-ever IPL score, bettering their own 277 against Mumbai Indians scored earlier in the season. Travis Head scored the fastest-hundred by an SRH batter by getting there in just 39 balls, SRH also smashed 22 sixes in all which was the most in any IPL innings. Head’s eight sixes was the joint-most by any SRH batter in IPL history. And he had great company. Heinrich Klaasen, given a promotion at No. 3, scored only 67 but even that contained 7 sixes in all.
The sixes story above summed up SRH’s batting approach in essence. Put in to bat, Pat Cummins only half-joked that 240 was a par total at the Chinnaswamy stadium but his batters seemed to have taken the words to heart. First Abhishek Sharma, alongside the effervescent Head, stole the show with a 108-run stand in just 49 balls.
Abhishek matched Head stroke for stroke as the duo toyed with RCB’s attack irrespective of the bowling changes made. It was a show that continued with Klaasen arriving and having Mahipal Lomror to challenge him early on. Klaasen latched onto the spinner with a couple of sixes to get his innings going while Head took down the pacers with ease. He had started off by picking out Lockie Ferguson and Yash Dayal to get to a fifty in just 20 balls inside the powerplay. And it continued with Will Jacks being taken down for 21 in his third over. He raced towards his ton with three fours off Vijaykumar Vyshak as SRH brought up 200 in just 15 overs.
RCB had entered the game with a host of changes, dropping the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj and continuing to keep Cameron Green out. But it didn’t result in any change of fortune as SRH brought their ‘A’ game on the night. No bowler was spared, with Yash Dayal’s 69 in four overs becoming the second-most expensive spell in IPL history. No RCB bowler had an economy-rate less than Jacks’s 10.70. For if it was not Head or Klaasen, there was Aiden Markram and Abdul Samad. The duo smashed 56 in the last three overs to power SRH to where no team had gone before in the IPL.
No prizes for guessing about the pitch. Although it wore a look of green and brown as some two-paced surfaces do, this one turned out to be a batting paradise. The slower balls were picked up and deposited into the stands with ease and no particular bowler could claim to have come to terms on it from either end.
In a batting exhibition, the bowlers were invariably reduced to sideshows. For even as they started with left-arm spin which has traditionally been an Achilles heel for RCB’s openers, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis got them going with a rousing opening stand that raised 80 in just 38 balls. Du Plessis was the early adopter to the ‘hit everything’ strategy and it brought him a quickfire fifty before some hiccups.
RCB lost Kohli – bowled off a Mayank Markande googly and then saw the highly-reputed Will Jacks be run out backing up too far as bowler Jaydev Unadkat managed a deflection onto the stumps after his follow-through. That dismissal set them too far back, and they further plummeted when Pat Cummins got Du Plessis to glove a pull before trapping Saurav Chauhan LBW first ball. Cummins would also get Mahipal Lomror to chop one onto his stumps, leaving RCB severely dented. But that didn’t matter much to Dinesh Karthik.
Even as the game appeared to be slipping away from RCB at 122/5 at the halfway stage, Karthik did not let go. He continued the hitting exhibition that had been on offer all night, using deft footwork and smart angles to smash five fours and seven sixes in his 35-ball 83. It was still not enough to prevent loss, but saved RCB a few blushes at the end.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 287/3 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 34, Travis Head 102, Heinrich Klaasen 67, Aiden Markram 32*, Abdul Samad 37; Reece Topley 1-68, Lockie Furguson 2-52) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 262/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 42, Dinesh Karthik 83, Faf Du Plessis 52, Anuj Rawat 25; T Natarajan 1-47, Pat Cummins 3-43, Mayank Markande 2-46) by 26 runs
(Cricbuzz)
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]
United States sprinter Noah Lyles has set the world’s best-ever time over the rarely-run 150 metres race, clocking 14.67 seconds at the Golden Spike meet in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.
The 28-year-old Lyles on Tuesday beat the previous best of 14.72 set by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in Florida in April.
At Ostrava, Lyles beat Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa with 14.78, while Australian teenager Gout Gout finished third in 14.96.
“Was there ever any doubt? Was there ever any doubt? We came for a show,” an elated Lyles told Czech TV.
Earlier this month, Lyles took a comfortable win at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Rome with a 9.88 in the 100m, his fastest since clinching gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The high-energy, anime-loving showman has had strong indoor and outdoor performances throughout the year so far, and was named on this year’s Time100 list of the most influential people.
Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol had to bow to in-form Swiss Audrey Werro in her outdoor debut in the 800m.
The 26-year-old Broeders-Bol has switched from 400m hurdles, in which she had won two world gold medals, and clocked an impressive 1 minute 57.13 seconds for second place.
“It was so cool, I love racing in Ostrava. It was tough, but I enjoyed it,” she said.
Broeders-Bol has also claimed multiple medals as the anchor leg in 4x400m relay teams, notably a gold in the mixed event in the Paris Olympics.
She ran her first 800m since 2017 in February, clocking a national record of 1 minute 59.07 seconds before withdrawing from the rest of the indoor season to nurse a foot injury.
The 22-year-old Werro won in 1 minute 54.45 seconds, half a second behind her personal best from March, after shedding Broeders-Bol with 200 metres to run.
“It was a really crazy run, but the time is very good, so I’m really happy,” Werro said.
Having set the eighth best time ever, she stayed over a second behind the oldest world record in athletics of 1:53.28 set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova of then-Czechoslovakia, who watched the race from the stands.
South Africa’s 20-year-old Bayanda Walaza won the men’s 100m as he equalled his personal best of 9.94 seconds, beating Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon with 9.99 seconds.
US favourites Ronnie Baker and Jordan Anthony were demoted to the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with times well over 10 seconds.
[Aljazeera]
Spinners make it two in two for England
Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cup
‘Dancing girl’s’ bare torso restored in Indian textbook after backlash
Tehran selling deal with US as victory – but for Iranians it was necessity
Plans to open underutilised state land for new investment opportunities
National Export Development Plan (2026–2030) presented to the President
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoCIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme
-
Sports2 days agoTharanga set for high-profile javelin clash in Ostrava
-
News5 days agoJustice Minister responds to social media claims he represented Easter Sunday ringleader
-
Features3 days agoPolitics of protected species
-
News4 days agoCommonwealth lawyers urge Lanka to uphold rule of law
-
News2 days agoTheft of USD 2.5 mn from Treasury: CoPF accused of complicity in NPP cover-up
-
News2 days agoRelease of 2025 O/L results likely to be delayed
-
News1 day agoBeijing Capital Airlines to resume flights to Colombo signalling boost to tourism