CHITTAGONG: South Africa produced another clinical performance to beat England by three runs in Chittagong to advance to the World Twenty20 semi-finals on Saturday.
AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla hit half-centuries to anchor South Africa’s highest total of the tournament of 196-5 before Wayne Parnell took 3-31 to keep England down to 193-7 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium.
South Africa are the second team to qualify for the semis after 2007 champions India cruised to the last four from Group Two.
The defeat — second in three Group One Super-10 matches — sent 2010 champions England out of the semifinal race.
Sri Lanka meet New Zealand in their last Group One match on Monday and the winners will join South Africa in the last four.
Pakistan meet Bangladesh in a Group Two match in Dhaka on Sunday and if the 2009 champions beat the hosts their last match against title holders the West Indies will decide the last semi-final berth.
England, who chased down a 190-run target against Sri Lanka on Thursday, failed to match that performance with Alex Hales (38), Jos Buttler (34) and Ravi Bopara (31) unable to benefit from good starts.
Parnell, who was released from the squad for two days to attend a court hearing relating to drug charges in the 2012 Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Friday, dismissed Michael Lumb (18), Hales and Moeen Ali (10) to jolt England after they were off to a 46-run start by the fifth over.
Hales hit six boundaries and a six off 22 balls but once he departed the target continued to climb on England with 45 needed off the last three overs and 22 off Dale Steyn’s final over.
South Africa’s total was built around a swashbuckling 28-ball 69 not out by De Villiers and a 37-ball 56 by Amla.
De Villiers was ruthless in the final overs, taking 26 off Jade Dernbach’s 18th over and reached his fifty with a towering six off just 23 balls.
In all he hit nine boundaries and three sixes to help South Africa during an innings stopped twice for floodlight failure.
South Africa smashed 75 in the last five overs.
Amla and Quinton de Kock (29) helped South Africa to 90 without loss in the 11th over with the former in a punishing mood.
The bearded Amla hit six boundaries and two sixes before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Stuart Broad.
South Africa made two changes from the line-up which beat the Netherlands in their last game, with Farhan Behardien and Parnell in for regular skipper Faf Du Plessis — suspended for one match due to a slow over-rate — and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
New Zealand routs Netherlands
Brendon McCullum hit a robust half-century to steer New Zealand to a comprehensive six-wicket win over the Netherlands in Chittagong on Saturday.
McCullum hit a punishing 45-ball 65 with three sixes and four boundaries to make easy work of a 152-run target, which New Zealand chased down in 19 overs.
McCullum also became the first man to reach 2,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket when he cleared 21 in his 67th match.
The victory gives New Zealand their second win in three games while the Netherlands, the only associate side to qualify for the second round, crashed out of the event with three defeats in as many games.
McCullum added 42 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (29) and another 46 for the fourth wicket with Corey Anderson who made an unbeaten 20.
McCullum holed out in the 17th over off paceman Timm van der Gugten who took 3-30 in his four overs.
But there was no support from any other Dutch bowler as New Zealand’s strong batting line-up was too good for them.
“Definitely, Netherlands put up a really good fight,” said man-of-the-match McCullum.
“There was a lot of talk about their game against Sri Lanka (Netherlands out for 39), but we had a lot of respect for them and we were focused.” The losing captain Peter Borren said McCullum made the chase easy.
“Brendon got them through, but if we’d got him early something could have happened.” Earlier Borren made 49 and Tom Cooper an unbeaten 40 during their 60-run fourth wicket stand off just 35 balls to steer their team to 151-4 in 20 overs.
Borren hit seven boundaries and a six off 35 balls to improve on his previous best T20 score of 38 not out made against Afghanistan at Sharjah last year.
Cooper knocked two sixes and four boundaries off 23 balls to help his team add 43 in the last five overs.
The Netherlands were off to a steady 34-run start with opener Stephan Myburgh hitting a boundary and a six before he holed out to paceman Trent Boult, who replaced Tim Southee in the team.
New Zealand also brought in all-rounder Jimmy Neesham for Colin Munro from the line-up, which beat England on Saturday.
Michael Swart made a run-a-ball 26.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa innings:
H. Amla c Hales b Broad 56
Q. de Kock st Buttler b Tredwell 29
AB de Villiers not out 69
JP Duminy run out 5
D. Miller c Ali b Jordan 19
A. Morkel b Bresnan 3
Extras: (b4, lb2, nb1, w8) 15
Total: (for five wkts; 20 overs) 196
Fall of wkts: 1-90, 2-98, 3-120, 4-174, 5-196.
Bowling: Ali 2-0-17-0 (1w), Dernbach 3-0-44-0 (1nb, 3w), Bresnan 3-0-28-1, Jordan 3-0-30-1 (3w), Tredwell 3-0-25-1, Broad 4-0-33-1, Bopara 2-0-13-0 (1w).
England innings:
M. Lumb c Miller b Parnell 18
A. Hales c Miller b Parnell 38
Moeen Ali c de Kock b Parnell 10
E. Morgan c de Kock b Tahir 14
J. Buttler c Morkel b Tahir 34
R. Bopara c Miller b Steyn 31
C. Jordan c de Villiers b Hendricks 16
T. Bresnan not out 17
S. Broad not out 1
Extras: 14
Total: (for 7 wkts; 20 overs) 193
Fall of wkts: 1-46, 2-73, 3-73, 4-105, 5-131, 6-167, 7-175.
Bowling: Duminy 2-0-18-0 (1w), Morkel 2-0-19-0 (1nb, 1w), Hendricks 4-0-50-1 (2w), Steyn 4-0-44-1, Parnell 4-0-31-3 (3w), Tahir 4-0-27-2.
Clinical South Africa sinks England to enter semis
Clinical South Africa sinks England to enter semis
Coach Steve Kerr excited for US basketball clash with Serbia in Abu Dhabi ahead of 2024 Olympics
- US will face Australia and Serbia on July 15 and July 17, respectively, at Etihad Arena
- 2023 FIBA World Cup finalists Serbia will take on Olympic medalists Australia on July 16
ABU DHABI: Ahead of the US basketball men’s national team facing Australia and Serbia on July 15 and July 17, respectively, in Abu Dhabi, head coach Steve Kerr heaped praise on Serbia, calling them “one of the best teams in the world.”
For the second straight summer, the USA Basketball Showcase will take place in the UAE capital’s Etihad Arena.
Abu Dhabi will mark the first international stop of the six-game event, which will be held in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Team USA is scheduled to face Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the Olympic tournament group stage.
“One of the best teams in the world, and to play them right away is really exciting,” said Kerr, noting the importance of these preparatory games.
“We know how good they are, and we are familiar with their players. The biggest thing is us; I’m not worried about playing all our cards right away. Our focus is to use these games to get better and to worry about ourselves, not just our opponents.”
Kerr praised the Serbian team, saying: “We saw them last year; coach Pesic did an amazing job. They reached the final without Nikola Jokic, and they’ll be even better with Jokic, who is spectacular. We are aware that they will be a huge challenge. They have a lot of continuity, with many players playing together over the years.”
The US team features 12 athletes with extensive experience, including three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), winner of two Olympic gold medals. In addition to Durant and James, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) will be on the roster.
James and Curry are “excited” as the US chases a fifth straight gold at next month’s Olympics, Kerr said.
The 2024 US men’s team also features Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers), and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).
In addition to the US team matches in Abu Dhabi, Serbia, ranked No. 4 in the world, will face the Australian Boomers, ranked No. 5, who are the 2022 FIBA Asia champions and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists, also at the Etihad Arena.
All three games in Abu Dhabi are set for 8 p.m. UAE time. Tickets now available via ticketmaster.ae.
Pakistan’s first Olympic markswoman, Kishmala Talat, guns for historic medal
- The 21-year-old Talat, who comes from a military family, is the first Pakistani woman to qualify for Olympic shooting
- Talat has won dozens of medals at national level and four internationally, including Pakistan’s first shooting medal ever, a bronze, at the Asian Games last year
JHELUM, Pakistan: Slowing her breath and focusing on a bullseye in her pistol’s sights, Kishmala Talat is aiming to become the first woman from Pakistan to win an Olympic medal.
At the Paris Games starting on July 26, Talat will compete in the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events, going for glory abroad and defying stereotypes back home.
Pakistan’s medal prospects are undercut by modesty codes which dissuade women from participating in sport.
The 21-year-old Talat, who comes from a military family, is the first Pakistani woman to qualify for Olympic shooting.
“In Pakistan there’s a prevalent taboo that dictates girls should stay at home, do girly things, and play with dolls, while boys are to play with guns,” she said.
“I see no one as competition. I compete with myself,” she told AFP at a target range in the eastern city of Jhelum.
Talat has won dozens of medals at national level and four internationally, including Pakistan’s first shooting medal ever, a bronze, at the Asian Games last year.
Pakistan have only ever won 10 Olympic medals — all by men — and none since the 1992 Games.
Talat, who has just completed her university degree in communications, realistically faces an uphill task to get on the podium in Paris.
She has a global ranking of 37th in the 10m event and is 41st in the 25m, according to the International Shooting Sport Federation.
“I longed for recognition. I wanted to do more,” she said.
“I wanted that whenever shooting is discussed, or ‘Kishmala’ is mentioned, it would be associated with someone who did something great for Pakistan.”
Hoping to defy the odds, she spends 10 hours a day training — one hour of physical exercise and then four hours each on the 10m and 25m ranges.
The last hour in the evening is spent meditating, concentrating on the flickering flame of a candle in an attempt to hone the zen needed to find her target.
“I am dedicated to giving my best performance to let Pakistan’s name shine,” said Talat.
She takes her shots with her spare hand stuffed in her pocket and one eye covered by custom-fit glasses, her face frozen in expressionless concentration.
The sport of target shooting is not a common pursuit in Pakistan.
Cricket is by far the most popular pastime, but all sports suffer from chronic underfunding.
However, guns are omnipresent in Pakistan.
Swiss weapons research group the Small Arms Survey estimated in 2017 that there were nearly 44 million legal or illicit guns held by civilians in Pakistan.
The figure is the fourth highest globally and means there are 22 weapons per every hundred citizens in the nation of more than 240 million.
Talat’s talent has been nurtured by Pakistan’s military, the sixth-largest in the world with a vast budget allowing it to operate ski resorts, polo grounds and mountaineering academies.
Talat is trained by officers and a foreign coach at a military facility in Jhelum, known as “City of Martyrs” for its strong ties to the armed forces.
She hails from the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where the armed forces are headquartered.
Her 53-year-old mother, Samina Yaqoob, serves as a major in the military’s nursing service and proudly displays her daughter’s many medals in the family living room.
Yaqoob once dreamed of competing herself.
“I got married and got busy with that life, but it makes me happy when I see my daughter move forward with my dream,” she said.
“Girls should step forward, observe, work diligently and their parents should support them,” the mother said.
“She believes she can do anything. That’s just who she is.”
Bhatia grabs PGA Detroit lead with fabulous finish
- Bhatia: This tournament is always kind of a birdie-fest, so birdies and eagles help a lot
- The 22-year-old American is seeking his third career PGA title and third within the past year
WASHINGTON: Akshay Bhatia made four birdies and an eagle in the last seven holes to seize a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the US PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The 22-year-old American fired a bogey-free 8-under par 64 at Detroit Golf Club to finish just ahead of countrymen Michael Kim and Taylor Montgomery for 18 holes.
“I’ve been playing pretty solid,” Bhatia said. “It’s nice to be in this position.
“Putted great. I missed one green today, so I got that up and down. All in all, I hit it pretty nice with the irons and I made some putts.”
A fourth-place pack on 66 included England’s Aaron Rai, Germany’s Matti Schmid and Americans Eric Cole, Will Zalatoris and defending champion Rickie Fowler.
Bhatia is seeking his third career PGA title and third within the past year, having won playoffs to capture last July’s Barracuda Championship and last April’s Texas Open.
After birdies at the second and par-5 fourth holes from 10 and 16 feet respectively, Bhatia began his late charge with a 10-foot birdie putt at 12 and a 16-footer at the par-5 14th.
Bhatia knocked in a birdie from just inside six feet at 16 then chipped in from 82 feet at the par-5 17th and sank a seven-foot birdie putt at 18.
“It’s always nice to finish like that,” Bhatia said. “This tournament is always kind of a birdie-fest, so birdies and eagles help a lot.
“These greens are pretty tricky, they have a lot of small slopes, but they’re soft so you can still be aggressive toward a couple of these pins.”
Montgomery, chasing his first PGA triumph, birdied six of the first nine holes and added a tap-in birdie at the par-5 17th in a bogey-free round.
Playing was a last-minute decision due to nagging shoulder injuries.
“I wasn’t expecting to play as solid as I did. I had no idea what I was getting into,” Montgomery said. “I probably played four times in the last two months. I haven’t been like grinding as hard as I could.
“I haven’t worked hard at all on my game because I haven’t been able to. Come out and shoot 7-under. What the hell? How is that possible? It’s so weird.”
Kim, a back-nine starter, closed his bogey-free round with three consecutive birdies, tap-ins at seven and nine, to seize his share of the lead.
“I felt better as the round went on,” Kim said. “Got off to a scrappy start, then I kind of got into the groove of things and was able to make some really nice putts for some birdies.”
Unbeaten India and South Africa ready to end glory waits in T20 World Cup final
- India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs a day after South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets
- This will be South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy played in Bangladesh in 1998
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Unbeaten throughout almost a month of cricket across the USA and the Caribbean, India and South Africa will face off at the Kensington Oval on Saturday in the T20 World Cup final both looking to end long waits for glory.
A tournament which has been a mixed bag in terms of quality, entertainment and attendances, has certainly succeeded in setting up a final between the two best teams in the shortest format.
India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday, the day after South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets in Trinidad to end a long and agonizing wait for a title game.
This will be South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998 when the Proteas beat the West Indies in the title match.
Over the years they have been labelled ‘chokers’ by their critics and had many question how a nation that has produced so many talented players, hasn’t been able to make a final for 26 years.
Skipper Aiden Markram was part of the team which were beaten by Australia in the ODI World Cup last year but says the players haven’t reflected much on the years of near-misses and disappointments.
“We haven’t spoken about it to be honest. I think it’s a personal and individual motivation that you get to a final; to earn the opportunity to hopefully lift the trophy,” he said after the win over the Afghans.
“So you reflect back to five months ago we couldn’t get over the line in that semifinal and you look at (here) a few things went our way. We managed to win the game and we found ourselves in the final.”
Certainly there has been no hint that South Africa have lacked belief in this tournament — they topped group D with a 100 percent record including wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Then in the Super Eights, they won all three games with victories over England and co-hosts West Indies and the USA.
“This team’s been together for a long time now as a white ball group, both formats. We feel and we believe that we can compete with the best in the world and we can win trophies. And it’s nice for us to now have that opportunity,” Markram said.
“You do get belief though from winning close games and potentially winning games that you thought you weren’t going to win. It does a lot for your changing room and the vibe in the changing room. So, we’ll take a little bit of confidence from that and see if we can put it to any use in the final,” he added.
India have the chance to banish the memory of their loss to Australia in the final of the 50-over World Cup on home soil last year.
Despite India being the epicenter of the T20 game, through the hugely successful Indian Premier League competition, their only triumph in this competition came 17 years ago.
India’s last trophy of any kind was the Champions Trophy in 2013.
But the team have taken care of their business with little drama, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in New York and going on to win their group before a key win over Australia in the Super Eights.
“We’ve been very calm,” said captain Rohit Sharma.
“We understand the occasion of the final. It’s important we stay composed, because that helps you make good decisions. We have been very steady, calm, and that has been the key for us,” he added.
It was India’s spinners who were the heroes against England with left-armers Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel taking three wickets each.
But they also possess one of the most effective quick bowlers in the format in Jasprit Bumrah.
Rohit, 37, and fellow opener Virat Kohli, 35, came into this tournament looking for glory in what could well be their final tournament.
While Rohit has made more runs, 248, than any player in the final, Kohli has disappointed with just 75 runs in seven innings but has the perfect stage on which to make that form irrelevant.
The historic home of West Indies cricket, should produce the right atmosphere with a large contingent of Indian supporters, as always, expected at the game.
US battling for Copa survival after Panama upset
ATLANTA: A moment of madness from Timothy Weah left the USA’s Copa America campaign hanging by a thread on Thursday as the hosts crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat to Panama.
Juventus winger Weah was sent off in the 18th minute after an off-the-ball clash with Panama’s Roderick Miller in a stormy Group C battle at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Although Folarin Balogun fired the US into the lead four minutes after Weah’s dismissal, Panama’s extra man advantage ultimately took its toll and the Central Americans hit back with goals from Cesar Blackman and Jose Fajardo to seal victory.
The defeat means the United States will almost certainly have to win or draw against mighty Uruguay in their final group game next Monday to advance to the knockout rounds.
US coach Gregg Berhalter said after the defeat that Weah’s red card had been the decisive moment of the match, describing Weah’s actions as “silly.”
“The match-changing event is obviously the red card and it puts us in a tough spot but we expected that from them,” Berhalter said.
“I can’t fault the effort of the group, especially after going down a man. The guys dug in and we were close to coming out with a point. But it’s a shame, because there was more in this game, and a silly decision by Timmy leaves us shorthanded.”
Weah, meanwhile, took to social media to apologize for his red card.
“A moment of frustration led to an irreversible consequence, and for that, I am deeply sorry to my teammates, coaches, family and our fans,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I sincerely apologize to everyone. My love for this team goes beyond just football and I’m so sad and angry at myself for putting my brothers through what they went through tonight.”
Berhalter’s team might have snatched the lead in the 81st minute after Weston McKennie’s fine run and cross found substitute Ricardo Pepi at the far post. Pepi’s tame header fell into the arms of Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, however, to leave it at 1-1.
That miss proved costly, as with seven minutes remaining, Fajardo swept in an emphatic finish from Abdiel Ayarza’s low cross to put Panama 2-1 ahead.
A fractious finale saw Adalberto Carrasquilla sent off after a cynical hack on US captain Christian Pulisic in the dying minutes as Panama hung on for the win.
“That’s soccer at the end of the day. We know what we signed up for and playing in a Copa America, we knew it was going to be a fight,” US midfielder Tyler Adams said afterwards.
“Credit to Panama, they did their job and they got the result. Obviously, I think moving forward, we need to control our emotions in certain situations.
“The team fought for everything after we got the red card. Definitely can’t fault the effort. But by winning the first game we’ve put ourselves still in a position that we have all to fight for in the next game.”
Adams said Weah had apologized for his rash dismissal following the game.
“You never mean to get a red card, under any circumstances,” Adams said of Weah. “He’s not that type of person.
“He apologized to the team. And you know, just respect to the rest of the team because they fought for every single ball, every single duel, every single minute, and we still created chances even after going down to 10 men.”
Uruguay were facing Bolivia in Thursday’s late game in Group C.
