SYDNEY: On one of its most dominant days of the summer, Australia set up a 303-run first-innings lead before declaring at 649-7 and then tore through England’s top order to close in on victory in the fifth test and a 4-0 Ashes series win.
After the Marsh brothers scored centuries to lead Australia into a commanding position, the bowling attack claimed four wickets to leave England floundering at 93-4 at stumps, still 210 runs behind, in oppressively hot conditions Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Skipper Joe Root was unbeaten on 42 and Jonny Bairstow was 17 not out at stumps, as England tried grimly to prevent a collapse reminiscent of its last appearance at the SCG in 2014 where it was bowled out in 31 overs to complete a 5-0 series loss.
“In many ways the last few days have summed up our trip,” England assistant coach Paul Farbrace said. “It’s been exceptionally tough, we’ve come up against a team that is playing very good cricket but the one thing that we’ve been talking about is making sure we keep on fighting and battling.”
Resuming at 479-4 on day four, already with a 133-run first-innings lead, the Marsh brothers combined for a 169-run partnership and each raised their hundreds in the first session.
The feat meant Shaun and Mitch Marsh became the first Australian brothers to combine for a century partnership since Stephen and Mark Waugh put on 197 together in the fifth test at The Oval in 2001.
“To be out there with Mitch, to both get our test century today for Australia, being out there and sharing each other’s emotions when we got to our hundreds, was an extremely happy moment,” Shaun Marsh said. “It’ll certainly be a day that we won’t forget.”
Mitch Marsh was the only wicket to fall in the morning session, bowled by Tom Curran (1-82) for 101, the delivery after reaching his century. Shaun Marsh was run out for 156 after lunch.
Tim Paine (38 not out) and Pat Cummins (24 not out) combined for a late flurry of runs before Smith’s declaration midway through the afternoon session.
After nearly 14 hours and 193 overs in the field, England’s second innings started poorly, losing Mark Stoneman (0) lbw to Starc (1-17) in the third over.
Stoneman reviewed the decision but replays showed the ball was hitting leg stump and the out decision was upheld, meaning England lost one of its two reviews early in the innings.
The blow was very nearly doubled the next ball as Cook edged to first slip, but the chance was dropped by Shaun Marsh to spare the opener, who had just become the sixth player to tally 12,000 test runs.
Only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Ricky Ponting (13,378), Jacques Kallis (13,289), Rahul Dravid (13,288) and Kumar Sangakkara (12,400) have more test runs than the 33-year-old English batsman.
But Cook’s reprieve was short-lived as Lyon (2-31) produced a perfect ball to clip the top of off stump and remove the veteran opener in what may well be his last tour of Australia.
Inside two overs James Vince survived a referral for caught behind and a near miss in the slips, before Pat Cummins (1-12) had the batsman edging to slip again and Smith grabbed a catch at the second attempt.
Root batted bravely for the cause, including being hit twice by Starc, with the second blow needing a lengthy stop in play while the England captain’s right index finger was treated by medical staff.
England team officials confirmed after play that the finger injury was likely not serious and the captain would resume batting when play resumes Monday.
Lyon did get another deserved breakthrough when he trapped Malan on the back leg for five. Malan’s review was unsuccessful as England slipped to 68-4 and batting through the day will be increasingly difficult for the English batsman on a day five SCG wicket.
“I think (Lyon) is the key tomorrow,” Shaun Marsh said. “The wicket is definitely suiting his condition, especially with the left handers he’ll come into play.”
Australia regained the Ashes by winning the first three tests. The fourth match ended in a draw last week in Melbourne.
Dominant Australia push towards big victory in 5th Ashes Test
Dominant Australia push towards big victory in 5th Ashes Test
UEFA suspends Turkiye player Merih Demiral for 2 games for making nationalistic gesture at Euro 2024
UEFA suspends Turkiye player Merih Demiral for 2 games for making nationalistic gesture at Euro 2024
The ban rules Demiral out of Turkiye’s quarterfinal against the Netherlands on Saturday, and the semifinal, should Turkiye progress.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to attend Saturday’s game. He scrapped plans to attend a meeting in Azerbaijan and decided to attend the match instead to support the team.
UEFA said it banned Demiral “for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute.”
Demiral scored both goals Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Austria to earn Turkiye’s place in the quarterfinals and celebrated with a hand sign associated with an ultra-nationalist group.
After scoring the second goal he made a sign with each hand that is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with the Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Ulku Ocaklari, which is more widely known as the Gray Wolves.
Demiral defended the gesture afterward, saying it was an innocent expression of national pride and that he was hoping he’d have “more opportunities to do the same gesture again.”
It was condemned by German interior minister Nancy Faeser and other German politicians, leading to a harsh rebuke from Turkish authorities and the summoning of the German ambassador.
Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry slammed UEFA’s investigation as a politically motivated reaction “to the use of a historical and cultural symbol” and said German authorities’ statements about Demiral’s gesture “themselves contain xenophobia.”
UEFA launched its investigation into Demiral’s gesture on Wednesday. The Turkish camp had until Friday to state its case. There was no immediate reaction from the Turkish soccer association to the ban.
Demiral was previously one of 16 Turkiye players reprimanded in 2019 for making military-style salutes at games at a time when the country was conducting a military offensive in Syria.
The Gray Wolves group was founded as the youth wing of Turkiye’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, which is currently in an alliance with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party.
In the decades following its founding in the 1960s, the group was accused of involvement in politically motivated violence, mostly against leftist groups.
Palestinian soccer team plans to play World Cup qualifiers in the West Bank
- The football association has proposed playing games in the third stage of its Asian qualification campaign in the West Bank
After advancing further than ever in World Cup qualifying, the Palestinian soccer team is determined to host a game for a change.
The football association has proposed playing games in the third stage of its Asian qualification campaign in the West Bank and already has support from a number of its opponents, starting against Jordan on Sept. 10.
The Palestinian team progressed through the second round of continental qualifying for the first time in its history in June but, because of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, staged its ‘home’ games in nearby Kuwait and Qatar.
“Playing at a neutral venue isn’t permanent and was never meant to be so,” Susan Shabali, the PFA’s deputy president, told The Associated Press. “Faisal Al-Husseini is ready to host.”
The 12,500 capacity Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium is situated in the West Bank town of Al Ram. In 2019, it hosted the team’s last competitive home game, a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia that ended 0-0.
“We hope that all goes well,” Shalabi said, adding that there’d been “no objections” from FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, or the Asian Football Confederation.
Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza in response to an Oct. 7 Hamas attack into southern Israel in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 people were abducted.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 38,000, according to health officials in Gaza, who don’t say how many were civilians or militants. The war has caused vast destruction across the territory, displaced most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million — often multiple times — caused widespread hunger and raised fears of famine.
The Palestinian team’s success has been remarkable amid the ongoing war and the fact it has played dozens of games on the road since 2019, and the players have had to move for safety and seek overseas contracts.
While there is little soccer currently being played in the territory, most players in the Palestinian roster belong to clubs in foreign leagues. The most recent roster saw coach Makram Daboub select players based in countries including Sweden, Belgium, Libya, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan.
Mohammed Rashid, who plays club soccer for Bali United in Indonesia, told reporters in Perth last month ahead of the second-round finale against Australia that the hardest part of competing in international competition was not being able to play at home.
On June 27, the Palestinian team, currently ranked No. 95 in the world, was drawn in Group B of the third round which contains South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Kuwait.
The top two from each of the three groups of six qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup.
After the opening game in South Korea on Sept. 5, the Palestinians return to West Asia to take on Jordan five days later.
The Jordan Football Association issued a statement this week to “affirm its position in support of the Palestinian Football Association’s right to hold its home matches on its land and among its fans.”
“Jordan is proud to be the first team to face our Palestinian brothers in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Palestinian territory,” the statement said.
The Oman Football Association also said it supported the PFA’s “legitimate right to hold official national team matches in front of its fans on home soil.” Kuwait earlier issued its support.
Pakistan play Thailand today in Asian snooker championship final in Riyadh
- Duo of Asjad Iqbal and Awais Munir beat Hongkong in semis, India in quarter-finals
- Asian 15-Red Men’s Team Snooker Championship 2024 taking place in Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan snooker team has qualified for the Asian 15-Red Men’s Team Snooker Championship 2024 finals and will play Thailand today, Friday, after the duo of Asjad Iqbal and Awais Munir beat Hong Kong in a match-winning 3-1 semifinal performance in Riyadh.
The Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports (ACBS), which governs non-professional snooker and English billiards in the Asian region, has organized the international snooker tournament. The ACBS, previously known as the Asian Billiards and Snooker Federation, was officially inaugurated in 1984.
“Pakistan has qualified for the final of Asian 15-Red Men’s Team Snooker Championship 2024 beating Hong Kong in Saudi Arabia,” state-run Radio Pakistan said on Friday. “In the semifinal, the Pakistani team defeated Hong Kong by 3-1 in Riyadh.”
The Pakistani team played arch-rival neighboring India in the quarter-finals, beating India’s Sarav Kothari and Hussain Khan by 3-0 with frame scores of 63-35, 75-22 and 70-06. Earlier, Pakistan also defeated Myanmar 3-0 with frame scores of 87-39, 72-45, and 71-25.
The Pakistani team has already secured the silver medal in the Asian snooker championship by reaching the semifinals. The championship comprises 18 teams divided into six groups, with the top four teams in the round matches qualifying directly for the quarterfinals.
Last year, Pakistani snooker player Mohammad Asif stunned seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry 4-2 in the qualifying round of the British Open.
Argentina reach Copa America semifinals, beating Ecuador 4-2 on penalty kicks after 1-1 draw
- Seeking their third straight major title, Argentina advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight Copa America and will play Venezuela or Canada on Tuesday
- Under Copa America regulations, the match went straight from the end of regulation to a shootout, without extra time
HOUSTON: Emiliano Martinez saved Argentina’s bid for a second straight Copa America title after the Albiceleste conceded a tying goal to Ecuador in second-half injury time.
Martinez stopped shootout attempts by Angel Mena and Alan Minda, and Argentina advanced to the Copa America semifinals with a 4-2 victory on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw Thursday night.
“I wasn’t ready to go home,” Martinez said. “This team deserved to advance. They complicated us a lot. They played a great match, very physical. We knew they were one of the top rivals in Copa America.”
Lionel Messi, returning from a leg injury that caused him to miss Argentina’s group-stage finale, put the first Albiceleste penalty kick off the crossbar, but the Albiceleste recovered and Nicolas Otamendi beat Alexander Domínguez with the winning kick.
“Our goalkeeper came up clutch,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter.
Seeking their third straight major title, Argentina advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight Copa America and will play Venezuela or Canada on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina is looking to win a record 16th Copa America championship.
Playing in front of a pro-Argentinian crowd of 69,456 at NRG Stadium, Lisandro Martinez gave the Albiceleste a 35th-minute lead following Messi’s corner kick.
Ecuador’s Enner Valencia put a penalty kick off a post in the 62nd minute after a hand ball by Rodrigo De Paul, but Kevin Rodríguez tied it in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
With Argentina going first in the shootout, Messi tried a Panenka and hit the crossbar.
Martínez, the goalkeeper in Argentina’s shootout win over France in the 2022 World Cup final, stopped Mena by diving to his left and batting the ball with his trailing hand. He denied Minda by leaping right, then followed the save with a short dance.
Julian Alvarez and Alexis Mac Allister converted to put Argentina ahead 2-0, and John Yeboah made Ecuador’s third attempt.
Gonzalo Montiel gave Argentina a 3-1 lead, Jordy Caicedo converted to keep Ecuador alive and Otamendi got the winner, tucking the ball inside the post just past the outstretched arm of Dominguez.
Despite the victory, Scaloni said he “did not enjoy the win.”
“We have reached the semis, and given the great level of performance of every national team, I think it’s a great achievement,” he said.
Lisandro Martinez had put Argentina ahead in the 35th minute with a header after Mac Allister headed on Messi’s corner kick. Rodríguez scored when he headed in John Yeboah’s cross.
“The quarterfinals had us playing against the most difficult opponent, and I thought we delivered well,” Ecuador coach Félix Sanchez Bas said through an interpreter. “We showed this team can compete against any opponent.”
Under Copa America regulations, the match went straight from the end of regulation to a shootout, without extra time.
Messi, who sustained the injury on June 25 against Chile, got a loud ovation when he entered the field 45 minutes before kickoff. He remained without a goal in three Copa games this year.
“I think he finished the match well,” Scaloni said. “We asked him how he was feeling for the last time four minutes before the end.”
Friends again: Norris, Verstappen make up after Spielberg drama
- The Red Bull driver said he and Norris had spoken last Monday, following their controversial collision in the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg
- The 64th lap collision came with Norris attempting to pass the three-time world champion and series leader for the race lead and resulted in both cars suffering punctures
SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom: Max Verstappen on Thursday welcomed the restoration of his friendship with Lando Norris after the Briton had said he did not expect any apology from the three-time champion following their crash last Sunday.
The Red Bull driver said he and Norris had spoken last Monday, following their controversial collision in the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg, and had quickly agreed that they should continue to race each other hard in the same way.
“I said after the race that there’s no point in discussing it now because emotions are running high,” said the Dutchman.
“And then I woke up early and immediately because I wanted to talk to Lando, of course, but he had already texted me in the morning on Monday.
“So on the day afterwards, your emotions are a bit lower so actually I respected that a lot — and we are great friends and he’s a very nice guy, honestly.
“So I was really upset and disappointed that we had got together because on the track we race each other hard, but as a friend you are disappointed that this could happen.
“But we very quickly said that we had to race each other hard because that is what we like to do and we have always done that not only in Formula One but also on-line and stuff and that’s what we enjoy with each other — battling hard and that is what we will continue to do.”
The 64th lap collision came with Norris attempting to pass the three-time world champion and series leader for the race lead and resulted in both cars suffering punctures.
Verstappen rejoined after a pit-stop and finished fifth after being given a 10-second penalty for causing the crash while Norris pitted and retired.
McLaren’s Norris, who trails Verstappen by 81 points in the drivers’ title race, had taken the sting out of their argument by admitting he had over-reacted.
But, he said, he still held reservations about the incident and how it was managed by the race stewards.
“Honestly, I don’t think he needed to apologize,” the 24-year-old Briton conceded.
“Some of the things I said in the pen after the race were more because I was frustrated at the time.
“(There was) a lot of adrenaline and emotions and I probably said some things I didn’t necessarily believe, especially later on in the week. It was tough. It was a pretty pathetic incident, in terms of it ended both of our races.
“It wasn’t like a hit. It wasn’t like an obvious bit of contact. It was probably one of the smallest bits of contact you can have, but with a pretty terrible consequence for both of us, especially for myself.”
“I don’t expect an apology from him,” said Norris.
“I don’t think he should apologize. I thought it was, as a review, good racing. At times, maybe, very close to the edge, but like I said, we’ve spoken about it, we’ve talked about it and we’re both happy to go racing again.”
Verstappen, asked by Sky Sports F1 if he was concerned by the reaction to the incident, Verstappen added: “No, the only thing I care about in my life is that I am getting on well with Lando.”
“Naturally, I always said to Lando, when you go for moves up the inside, outside, you can trust me that I’m not there to try and crash you out of the way.
“Same the other way around because we spoke about that as well. There’s always a human reaction when someone dives up the inside or outside that you have a bit of a reaction to it, but I felt everything that I did was nothing massively over the top.
“Like how you design a car, you try to go to the edge of the rules, maybe you find some grey areas here and there as a car — and that’s the same how you race, otherwise you will never be a top driver and you will never succeed in life anyway.”
Asked if he felt it was possible to remain friends with a rival driver, he said: “It depends a bit on your personalities.
“I know Lando. He’s a great guy, a really nice person who loves F1, very passionate about it. You have to realize he’s fighting for his second potential win, I’m fighting for my 62nd.
“I think naturally your emotions are a little bit different. I know that from myself, when I was fighting for these first wins in F1, but that’s fine.”
