CAPE TOWN: South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi will miss all South Africa’s matches against Pakistan this season after suffering a knee injury.
In a statement on Friday, Cricket South Africa said Ngidi, 22, had sustained a right knee ligament injury while fielding in a Twenty20 international against Australia last week.
Dr. Mohammed Moosajee, the team manager and doctor, said investigations and assessments on his return to South Africa had revealed a “significant” injury which will require a minimum of 12 weeks rest and rehabilitation.
Ngidi will miss three Tests, five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals during Pakistan’s tour between December 24 and February 6. The one-day matches are regarded as key in South Africa’s build-up to the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.
Ngidi took 6-39 on Test debut against India last season and formed part of a formidable fast bowling trio with Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada during South Africa’s one-day series win in Australia recently.
South African bowler Ngidi to miss Pakistan series through injury
South African bowler Ngidi to miss Pakistan series through injury
Raducanu rediscovers Wimbledon ‘fun’ factor after turbulent spell
“You have to be on guard because there are a lot of sharks out there. I have been burnt a few times,” she said
LONDON: Emma Raducanu is finally all smiles again at Wimbledon after the former US Open champion rediscovered the fun factor that made her the golden girl of British tennis before a stunning fall from grace.
Raducanu routed ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the Wimbledon third round on Friday to reach the last 16 at a Grand slam for the first time in three years.
Coming hot on the heels of her emphatic victory against world number 33 Elize Mertens in the second round, Raducanu’s Center Court dismissal of Sakkari was a welcome sign she is back to her best.
The 21-year-old admitted she is in love with tennis again after struggling to deal with the aftermath of her incredible rise to fame.
She went from an unknown schoolgirl to the talk of tennis in two transformative weeks in New York in 2021.
Aged just 18 at the time, Raducanu’s fairytale US Open triumph made her the first British woman to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977.
She was also the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a major singles title.
She left Manhattan with the world at her feet, but the problems that have dogged her since provide a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of sudden celebrity.
Raducanu’s form quickly faltered, leading to accusations that she was more concerned by exploiting her success with marketing deals than focusing on tennis.
“When I won I was extremely naive. You have to be on guard because there are a lot of sharks out there. I have been burnt a few times,” she said in an interview last year.
Injuries slowed Raducanu’s progress and surgery on both wrists and one of her ankles wiped out most of the 2023 campaign.
She also cycled through a host of coaches as she searched in vain for the winning formula.
But, having opted to skip this year’s clay-court season, Raducanu started the English summer determined to get her career back on track after splitting with billionaire boyfriend Carlo Agostinelli.
Raducanu reached her first grass-court semifinal in Nottingham and then beat a top-10 opponent for the first time, seeing off world number five Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne.
Raducanu still needed a wild card entry into Wimbledon after falling outside the top 100 in the WTA rankings.
She has matched her best run at Wimbledon from three years ago and tellingly described the victory against Sakkari as “up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court“
“I was saying to myself, ‘how many times in your life are you going to play in front of a full Center Court?’
“Winning that match, it’s a beautiful feeling and one that I really want to savour.”
Raducanu’s life changed forever after the US Open success, but the cheerful demeanour and ever-present smile that framed her Flushing Meadows success had disappeared until the last few weeks.
“I’m very grateful just being healthy. It was really painful last year coming here and not being able to compete,” she said.
“Now even when I lost a point, I found myself smiling or laughing to myself because I was just enjoying the battle.”
Faced with a fourth round tie against New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun, Raducanu has a golden opportunity to reach the second Grand Slam quarter-final of her career.
Regardless of how far she goes in the tournament, she sees her Wimbledon run as a reward for countless hours of gruelling rehabilitation and time on the practice court.
“After a lot of losses, it’s very difficult sometimes to keep working and get back up,” she said.
“You have to have in the back of your mind at some point it’s going to pay off.
“I’ve been having so much fun that I really just want to stay. I don’t want to go home.”
Russian wrestlers reject Olympics invitation
- IOC has moved to allow a handful of Russian athletes to take part under a neutral flag if they meet strict conditions
- The national federation said Saturday that 10 wrestlers who passed the eligibility checks would boycott the Games in protest at the IOC
MOSCOW: Russian wrestlers who were given permission to participate in this summer’s Olympic Games have rejected the invitation, the Russian Wrestling Federation said Saturday.
After initially being barred from the Games over Moscow’s military offensive on Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has moved to allow a handful of Russian athletes to take part under a neutral flag if they meet strict conditions.
But the national federation said Saturday that 10 wrestlers who passed the eligibility checks would boycott the Games in protest at the IOC.
“We do not accept the unsportsmanlike selection principle that guided the International Olympic Committee when forming the list of eligible athletes, the purpose of which is to undermine the principle of unity of our team,” the federation said in a statement.
The federation’s executive committee, coaches and wrestlers “came to the unanimous decision to refuse to participate in the Olympic Games.”
Russian athletes hoping to compete in Paris must demonstrate they do not support Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine and have no links to the country’s armed forces.
Those admitted will have to compete under a neutral banner and will be excluded from any team events and also the opening ceremony.
Russian officials have repeatedly blasted the IOC policy.
Saudi Arabia’s Mostafa Nada looks to impress in front of home country crowd
RIYADH: When Saudi Arabia’s Mostafa Nada steps inside the PFL SmartCage in the main event of Professional Fighters League MENA 2 on July 12, he will have the support of a home country crowd behind him as he faces Algeria’s Abdel Rahmane Driai in a welterweight showcase main event.
It will not be Nada’s first trip into the SmartCage, as he is looking to build off the momentum of his first-round win against Korey Kuppe from last season.
While he will be the favorite, Nada admits that competing at home is going to be a different experience altogether.
“This fight will be different for me because it’ll be in my home country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but I’m ready for all the opportunities that I can get,” Nada said. “This fight in Saudi puts pressure on me in a different way because all eyes will be on me including my family, friends, and fans.”
While there is not a lot at stake compared to some of the night’s other fights, Nada is looking to prove himself and hopefully get a shot at next season’s PFL MENA tournament.
“I want to prove myself, and I pray for success, that I may be able to implement my game plan and what I trained for to achieve victory.”
Against Driai, Nada will be facing a bonafide finisher who has recorded eight of nine wins by way of stoppage.
Nada however, is confident in his own abilities.
“I’ve kept an eye on my opponent, I’ve studied him well. He has a strong wrestling game, and he has a dangerous right hand. He’s knocked out many of his opponents, but he won’t be able to do that to me,” he confidently claimed. “I’ve watched all his fights and I’ve learned his style. I can confidently say that his fight with me will be very different from all his other fights.
“I know my skills and my abilities, and I know that I can compete with the best fighters in the world,” Nada continued.
Nada is on a four-fight winning streak of his own, and will look to extend that in Riyadh on July 12.
Turkiye take on Dutch in politically charged Euros quarter-final, England face Swiss
- In the other quarter-final England aim to move a step closer to ending a 58-year wait to win a major tournament by beating Switzerland
BERLIN: Turkiye face the Netherlands in a Euro 2024 quarter-final on Saturday whose lead-up has been dominated by a diplomatic row between the Turks and Germany.
In the other quarter-final England aim to move a step closer to ending a 58-year wait to win a major tournament by beating Switzerland.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the match at Berlin’s Olympiastadion amidst a diplomatic row between his country and host nation Germany over a two-match ban handed to Turkiye defender Merih Demiral.
The center-back, who scored both Turkiye’s goals in a 2-1 win over Austria in the last 16 on Tuesday, has been suspended by UEFA for celebrating with a gesture associated with Turkish right-wing extremist group Grey Wolves.
UEFA said in a statement it was banning Demiral “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.”
Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned “the symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums.”
Turkiye then summoned the German ambassador on Wednesday over politicians’ reactions to Demiral’s celebration.
Turkiye’s Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak claimed the ban “has no legal basis and that we consider it to be purely political.”
Erdogan himself has said Demiral was just “showing his excitement” and several ministers and the spokesman of his ruling AKP party have condemned Faeser’s reaction.
Turkiye will be roared on by tens of thousands of fans who have turned all of their matches, in an unexpected run to the last eight, into a mass of red and white in stadiums around the country.
Germany is home to nearly three million people with Turkish roots.
Vincenzo Montella’s men will try to ride that support to reach the semifinals of a European Championship for just the second time.
The Dutch are the favorites to make the last four for the first time since Euro 2004.
Ronald Koeman’s side disappointed in the group stage as they only qualified thanks to being one of the best third-placed teams.
But they hit their stride in the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Romania and have the joint top goalscorer in the tournament in Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.
The winner of the clash in Berlin will face either England or Switzerland in Wednesday’s semifinal in Dortmund.
England boss Gareth Southgate rounded on suggestions the Three Lions had been handed an easier path to the final as “entitlement” from the media in his homeland.
Despite reaching the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive major tournament under Southgate, England have so far failed to live up to their hype as one of the favorites for the competition in a string of poor performances.
They needed a moment of Jude Bellingham brilliance in the dying seconds to sneak past Slovakia after extra-time in the last 16 and face a step up in class against the Swiss in Dusseldorf.
Bellingham has been cleared to play after the Real Madrid midfielder received just a 30,000 euro ($32,477) fine and one-match suspended ban for mimicking a crotch grab after scoring against Slovakia.
Switzerland dumped out holders Italy 2-0 in the previous round and also held Germany 1-1 in the group stages.
Spain will face France in Tuesday’s semifinal in Munich after two dramatic quarter-finals on Friday.
The hosts suffered a heartbreaking defeat as Mikel Merino’s header in the final minute of extra-time handed Spain a 2-1 win over Germany.
France beat Portugal on penalties after a 0-0 draw that could bring the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo’s illustrious international career.
Saudi national team beats UAE to win Arab Diar Championship
- The Saudi team qualified for the final match after beating their Syrian counterpart 2-0
TAIF, Saudi Arabia: The Saudi national team won the Arab Diar Championship for West Asian U-19 teams, after defeating UAE 1-0 at the King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Taif Governorate on Friday night.
The team qualified for the final match after beating their Syrian counterpart 2-0, state news agency SPA reported.
Talal Haji scored the winning goal in the 43rd minute of the first half, bringing victory and gold medals to the team.
The UAE came in second and was awarded silver medals.
