PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa: Captain Faf du Plessis is a doubt to start South Africa’s one-off day-night Test against Zimbabwe, starting at St. George’s Park on Tuesday.
Du Plessis has not played since suffering a back injury during a one-day international against Bangladesh in October.
He said he was still feeling some discomfort and would only play if he felt he was fully fit and that his progress had been slowed by a virus he picked up a week ago.
“The professionals say that if there is still pain in the disc it’s a little bit dangerous so that’s why we’re seeing how it works today,” the 33-year-old said.
“Last week I would have said my chances were 80-20, right now it is about 60-40.”
Du Plessis acknowledged that the match against Zimbabwe was a stepping stone toward a “big summer” which includes three Tests against India and four against Australia.
He hinted strongly that he was setting his sights on being fully fit for the first Test against India, starting in Cape Town on January 5. “I’d rather feel good and play no cricket rather than play and not feel good,” he said.
Du Plessis admitted that a selection dilemma would be eased if he didn’t play. “It gives someone else an opportunity to play, which was quite a headache in the first place.”
Fast bowler Dale Steyn, who is making a comeback after more than a year out of action with a broken shoulder, is another doubt, with Du Plessis saying he would not be rushed back into action.
“With Dale, in terms of the amount of overs he’s bowled leading up to the first Test I think it’s important to assess how ready he is to bowl at full intensity,” said Du Plessis.
“We want him to be 100 percent. If he we feel he isn’t quite there, there’s still time to get him ready between now and the first Test against India.”
Du Plessis said that a stand-in captain would have to be chosen if he didn’t play.
He didn’t offer an opinion but the choice probably rests between AB de Villiers, who captained the side when he last played Test cricket in January 2016, and opening batsman Dean Elgar, who was captain in the first Test in England earlier this year when Du Plessis had returned home for the birth of his first child.
Du Plessis said South Africa’s first home day-night Test, and the first in the modern era to be played over four days, put a premium on tactics.
“There’s more room for thinking out of the box and seeing if you can outsmart the opposition.”
He added the use of a pink ball under lights would give heavy underdogs Zimbabwe reason for hope.
“The great thing for Zimbabwe is that they have some senior players back. With the pink ball they will probably see themselves offering more of a challenge because the pink ball does a little bit more.
“The game is still played 70 percent in the day. The ball does something when it’s new but then it goes a bit softer, then at night it does a bit more. But there will still be good batting conditions for a lot of the time.”
While the Zimbabwe Test offered South Africa a chance to “get ourselves running again,” Du Plessis admitted that India loomed large.
“We’re already thinking about the balance of the team and what will be best for beating India.”
Du Plessis doubtful for Zimbabwe Test
Du Plessis doubtful for Zimbabwe Test
Saudi Arabia complete preparations ahead of Gold Cup quarterfinal clash with Mexico
- The Green Falcons held their last training session at Phoenix Rising Stadium in Arizona
GLENDALE, Arizona: Saudi Arabia’s national football team have concluded their final preparations ahead of their high-stakes quarterfinal encounter against Mexico in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.
The Green Falcons held their last training session at Phoenix Rising Stadium in Arizona, with head coach Herve Renard overseeing the workout.
The session featured warm-ups, passing drills, tactical routines, and stretching exercises as the squad fine-tuned their approach for the match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
There was some positive news on the injury front, with defender Abdullah Madu rejoining full team training.
However, midfielder Hammam Al-Hamami was sidelined after suffering an ankle injury during Thursday’s session and did not take part in the final run-out.
Kick-off for the quarterfinal is scheduled for Saturday night local time, as Saudi Arabia look to book their place in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since joining the Gold Cup as a guest nation.
Chelsea's Club World Cup travel plan derailed by group-stage slip-up
- Chelsea will now face Benfica on Saturday at the Bank of America Stadium
- The detour means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice
MIAMI: Chelsea are facing a logistical headache at the Club World Cup after finishing second in their group, forcing an unexpected trip to Charlotte for their last 16 match instead of staying in Miami, where the club thought they would be based for the knockout stage.
A club source told Reuters that travel, accommodation and training arrangements were all made with the assumption that the West Londoners would top Group D and play their round of 16 match at Hard Rock Stadium.
Instead, after a 3-1 loss to Brazil's Flamengo and only managing second place despite a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis in their final group stage fixture in Philadelphia, Chelsea will now face Benfica on Saturday at the Bank of America Stadium.
The detour means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice, but the club still intends to return to its Miami base after the match, adding more miles to an already hectic itinerary.
If Enzo Maresca's side reach the quarter-finals, they will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo.
Norris maintains upper hand on Piastri in Austrian GP practice
- Leclerc puts Ferrari on front row, Piastri third
- Verstappen only seventh at Red Bull’s home circuit
- Bortoleto into top 10 for first time, Lawson sixth
SPIELBERG: Lando Norris bounced back from his collision in Canada to put McLaren on pole position for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday while championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri qualified third.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc joined Norris on the front row with teammate Lewis Hamilton fourth, raising the Italian team’s hopes after a difficult weekend so far.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualified only seventh at his team’s home circuit after pulling out of his final flying effort when Alpine’s Pierre Gasly spun at the last corner and briefly brought out yellow flags.
Piastri was also forced to bale but had been slower than Norris in both of the first two phases.
Norris, who needs a strong result after a collision with Piastri in Canada two weeks ago, is 22 points behind the Australian in the championship after 10 of 24 races.
“I did what I planned to do and when I plan to do something and it goes right, it normally goes very, very well,” said Norris.
“A good day and it has been a good weekend for me so far, so hopefully we can keep it up.”
The pole was his third of the season and he won both of the previous two with fastest lap in Australia and Monaco.
RED FLAG
George Russell, last year’s race winner, qualified fifth for Mercedes but faced an investigation for a potential unsafe release in the pitlane.
Liam Lawson will line up sixth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Verstappen, with Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto making it into the final phase for the first time and qualifying eighth for Sauber.
Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was ninth fastest for Mercedes and Gasly completed the top 10.
The second phase of qualifying was red-flagged when the trackside grass at turn 10 caught fire, the latest of a series of such incidents.
The governing FIA said the fire was caused by a car going off track, rather than by sparks from the titanium skid blocks, and carried out additional dampening of the grass before the final top 10 shootout.
Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Carlos Sainz made early exits, neither getting through the opening phase.
“There’s damage in the car, for sure. The car is undriveable ... it’s pulling under braking, no load in high speed,” said Sainz, who qualified 19th with only Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg behind.
He explained later that the team had put new brakes on the car for qualifying, as usual, but it started pulling to one side immediately. (Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond and Andrew Cawthorne)
Baniyas impress on opening day of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- Al-Jazira in second place, MOD UAE third
ABU DHABI: Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club seized an early lead on the first day of the fourth round of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which was held on Friday at Zayed Sports City’s Mubadala Arena.
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation-organized event drew strong competition from local clubs, with competitors across youth, adult, and master divisions. Al-Jazira claimed second place, while MOD UAE rounded out the top three.
Yousef Abdullah Al-Batran, board member of the UAEJJF, praised the generosity of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, in doubling the championship’s prize money.
He said the move reflected the UAE leadership’s commitment to the development of top-level sports, especially jiu-jitsu, which has become the country’s national sport.
Al-Batran said: “The fourth round of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is especially important. It marks a key moment in the competition and gives us a chance to evaluate club performances and how well the athletes are prepared to continue their success in the upcoming stages.”
Jasem Al-Marzooqi, the CEO of the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, who was attending the event, affirmed that the strong organization of the event reflected the UAE’s ambition to position itself as a leading global sports destination.
He said: “The championship is progressing with every round. Both the technical and organizational levels show how successful the overall system is, giving athletes the ideal environment to grow and excel.”
Igor Lacerda, the coach of the Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club’s youth team, said: “This round once again confirms the incredible progress the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is making across the board. It gave us as coaches extra motivation.
“We focused our preparations on the mental and tactical aspects, and we are working to make the best use of our athletes’ capabilities. From the start of the season our goal has been clear: to strongly compete for the title. We believe this path requires consistent performance and discipline.”
Bouchaib El-Idrissi of Morocco, who was representing Baniyas, took gold in the men’s masters’ brown/black belt 62 kg division, and said: “This achievement means a lot to me, especially since I faced an opponent in the final who was 20 years younger.
“This championship is a unique platform for athletes of all ages to showcase their talent and chase their goals. I sincerely thank the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the organizers for the tremendous effort they put into delivering such a professional event and creating a competitive environment that matches our ambitions and pushes us to give our best.”
4Aces, inspired by Reed and Warner, top both leaderboards at LIV Golf Dallas
- Both players shot 5-under 67s at Maridoe Golf Club, emerge as co-leaders on individual leaderboard
CARROLLTON: Teammates Patrick Reed and Harold Varner III fed off each other to lead the way during Friday’s first round of LIV Golf Dallas presented by Aramco.
They will hope to do the same on Saturday.
Reed and Varner each shot 5-under 67s at Maridoe Golf Club to emerge as co-leaders on the individual leaderboard, while also helping the 4Aces to a commanding advantage in the team competition.
It was a dominating day for the 4Aces, with captain Dustin Johnson contributing a 2-under 70 that included chip-ins for a birdie and an eagle on his first two holes. It was the kind of performance reminiscent of the 4Aces’ dominance during the inaugural 2022 LIV Golf season when they won four consecutive regular-season tournaments, then claimed the season-ending Team Championship.
The 4Aces won twice in 2023 but nothing since, and their only individual win was Johnson’s victory last year. Friday’s fast start presents an opportunity to reinforce their status as one of the league’s big dogs.
At 9-under as a team, they are six shots ahead of Crushers GC, who have won the last two tournaments and have the hometown support with captain Bryson DeChambeau being a local resident. The Crushers were the only team on Friday in which all four players shot par or better.
“The biggest thing is to keep the throttle down,” said Reed, among the league’s best players without a LIV Golf win. “Even though we have a lead now, (we will) start tomorrow as if everyone is even par and try to go win the day as a team and build on the lead.”
On a course that became more difficult throughout the day, Varner had the only bogey-free round through 17 holes. Although his tee shot on his last hole, the par-4 ninth, left him with an awkward lie, he managed to find the green — but then three-putted for the only blemish on his card. Even so, it was his best round, relative to par, this season.
“I’ve been hitting it unbelievably this whole year and I just happened to make a couple of putts today,” said Varner, who has six top-20 finishes this year. “I don’t think there’s like a genie in a bottle or anything like that but I felt like I was going to play well.”
Reed’s round was highlighted by a chip-in eagle at the par-5 second, allowing him to keep up with Varner in a threesome that also included teammate from 4Aces Thomas Pieters, the team’s leading points producer this season, who shot a 3-over 75.
“Harold is out there playing some solid golf, hitting some quality golf shots,” said Reed, who has five top-three finishes in his LIV Golf career. “It’s always nice when you’re seeing that because you can feed off of it. Obviously it was a bonus chipping in there for eagle.”
Varner did not even think the eagle was his teammate’s best chip of the day. He cited Reed’s third shot at the par-5 13th from an awkward lie out of the greenside rough 30 yards from the pin.
Varner said: “He chips it, somehow shimmies it through the rough, misses the bunker and it goes to four feet — and he misses the putt. But it was the best chip, best shot I saw. It will be the best shot in all of golf on this golf course this week, without a doubt.”
The closest pursuer to the individual co-leaders is Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm, whose 4-under 68 included an eagle at the par-4 sixth. His strong iron play allowed him to overcome an off-day with his driver, as he hit just five fairways.
Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer is solo fourth. He had a share of the lead until a double bogey on his final hole left him shooting 69. His seven total birdies on Friday led the field.
“Definitely (it) hurts to finish the way I finished with a double bogey,” Ancer said. “(It) just felt like I just lost a little bit of concentration on that par 3. Other than that, I felt great.”
Reed, Varner and Rahm will be in the final group off the first tee on Saturday. Rahm has been the league’s most consistent player since joining LIV Golf prior to last season, but is looking to start turning his top 10s into wins. Meanwhile, Reed and Varner are hoping to turn this weekend into a 4Aces’ party.
Varner said: “The team camaraderie in the locker room, I think we’re having a lot of fun. Maybe too much fun.”
TEAM SCORES
LIV Golf’s new scoring format this season now involves all four scores counting in every round in the team competition (click here for more on the new format). Here are the results and scores for each team after Friday’s round one of LIV Golf Dallas presented by Aramco.
1. 4ACES GC -9 (Reed 67, Varner III 67, Johnson 70, Pieters 75)
2. CRUSHERS GC -3 (Lahiri 70, Casey 71, DeChambeau 72, Howell III 72)
3. LEGION XIII E (Rahm 68, McKibbin 71, Hatton 74, Surratt 75)
4. FIREBALLS GC +2 (Ancer 69, Puig 70, Garcia 75, Ballester 76)
5. STINGER GC +3 (Oosthuizen 71, Schwartzel 72, Burmester 74, Grace 74)
T6. IRON HEADS GC +6 (Kozuma 72, Jang 74, Lee 74, Na 74)
T6. MAJESTICKS GC +6 (Westwood 72, Poulter 73, Stenson 73, Horsfield 76)
8. HYFLYERS GC +9 (Tringale 72, Ogletree 73, Steele 75, Mickelson 77)
T9. RANGEGOATS GC +10 (Campbell 73, Schniederjans 74, Watson 75, Uihlein 76)
T9. CLEEKS GC +10 (Bland 70, Kaymer 73, Meronk 77, Rottluff 78)
11. SMASH GC +15 (McDowell 70, Kokrak 73, Gooch 79, Koepka/Carrera 81)
12. RIPPER GC +16 (Herbert 75, Leishman 75, Smith 75, Jones 79)
13. TORQUE GC +17 (Pereira 72, Muñoz 76, Niemann 78, Ortiz 79)
Wild Cards: Kim 75, C. Lee 80
