WESTBURY. NY: Sri Lanka were blown away for a record low 77 and South Africa won their T20 World Cup opener by six wickets on Monday.
South Africa overcame their own hiccups on the two-paced pitch to score 80-4 as it crossed the finish line with 3.4 overs to spare.
South Africa’s best bowling performance in tournament history included pace bowler Anrich Nortje career-best 4-7 in four overs, pacer Kagiso Rabada’s 2-21, spinner Keshav Maharaj’s 2-22, and fast bowler Ottneil Baartman’s 1-9 in his second Twenty20.
Opener Kusal Mendis led Sri Lanka with 19, one of only three scores in double figures at Nassau County Stadium on Long Island.
The Sri Lankans were dismissed in 19.1 overs for the 13th lowest score in T20 World Cup history.
Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga took 2-22 but South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen kept a calm head to finish off proceedings for the Proteas with an unbeaten 19.
South Africa win T20 World Cup opener after Sri Lanka all out for 77
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South Africa win T20 World Cup opener after Sri Lanka all out for 77
- The Sri Lankans were dismissed in 19.1 overs for the 13th lowest score in T20 World Cup history
Saudi artist on track as work displayed at Jeddah Corniche Circuit
- Race Through Art competition launched in cooperation with Ministry of Sport
- ‘This message reflects our culture to the whole world,’ says winner Yara Al-Harthi
JEDDAH: Yara Al-Harthi, the winner of the Race Through Art competition, has captured the spirit of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in a powerful piece of artwork at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Al-Harthi’s artwork was displayed at the circuit ahead of the arrival of the pinnacle of motorsport in Jeddah.
The Race Through Art competition was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, which invited amateur and professional artists to participate in designing artistic works that reflected the unique culture of the Kingdom. The winning artwork was displayed in the run-off area at the circuit ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian GP, which takes place on Sunday.
The aim of the competition was to provide a platform for creative Saudi talent to showcase their work. It was open to all Saudi nationals over the age of 18, living anywhere in the world, who wanted the opportunity to present their vision of the historic sporting occasion.
Al-Harthi said: “This design is not just an artwork: It is a message, and this message reflects our culture to the whole world, especially in the fifth edition (of the grand prix).
“I used bold colors at the circuit to reflect the spirit of enthusiasm and to increase the energy of fans, and also to make them notice the integration of culture … and the main landmarks in Saudi Arabia with the race.
“I am very happy and proud that I won the competition.”
UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach
- The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento
- Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah
DUBAI: Cosmin Olaroiu has been appointed United Arab Emirates head coach, the country’s FA announced on Saturday.
The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento, who was fired last month despite a last-gasp win over North Korea in Asia’s World Cup qualifiers.
The UAE are third in Group A of the preliminaries for the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The first two finishers in each of Asia’s three groups progress automatically to the World Cup while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another round.
Iran have already claimed one of the two berths available from Group A while second-placed Uzbekistan are four points clear of the UAE with two matches remaining.
Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah, and last week guided the team into the final of the AFC Champions League Two.
He has worked extensively in the Gulf region, coaching Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Emirati side Al-Ain before moving to China, where he won the Chinese Super League title with Jiangsu Suning in 2020.
Olaroiu’s first game in charge of the UAE will be their World Cup qualifier at home to Uzbekistan on June 5. They then visit Kyrgyzstan in Group A five days later.
Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivač dies in car accident at age 39
- The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident
- Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team
ZAGREB: Nikola Pokrivač, a former Croatia national team midfielder who played at the 2008 European Championship, has died in a car accident, his country’s soccer federation said. He was 39.
The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident in the city of Karlovac.
Pokrivač played for Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Salzburg before being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015.
Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team.
Marijan Kustić, president of the Croatian Football Federation, called Pokrivač a “great football player” who “showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease.” He offered condolences to Pokrivač’s family.
Dinamo said in a statement that Pokrivač was a talented midfielder who played 69 times for the team and participated in four championship titles.
F1 fans enjoy start of Saudi Arabian GP weekend at fan zone
JEDDAH: Fans from around the world enjoyed the first day of the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race weekend on Friday at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit fan zone.
The site, next to the racetrack, offered a range of experiences including F1 interactive simulators, sim racing, a pit stop challenge, an F1 show car, driver selfies in augmented reality and a virtual pit tour, all designed to bring fans closer to the sport.
There were also food trucks, live music, cutting-edge driving simulators, virtual racing games and several F1 cars for photo opportunities.
Many fans who spoke with Arab News said they had traveled from places such as Riyadh, Dammam, Hail, Taif, Madina and Jizan to experience the race in Jeddah.
“It is an amazing event and as a family we are really enjoying every bit of it. I was really looking forward to seeing a racing car close up, and this is what Formula 1 is all about,” said local Saudi businessman Fahad Al-Malki, there with his family from Jeddah.
He added: “It is an amazing experience from the moment you start arriving around the road. It is so organized. I love the way everyone is so cooperative while you walk in, people are smiling and everyone is welcoming you, I enjoy that. My family is here and you get different ages of groups and families are sitting together and they are enjoying it. It is an amazing experience.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy from Glasgow, Scotland, described the Formula 1 weekend as “amazing.”
“This is my first time to attend the F1 race and I am glad to see it here in Jeddah,” he said. “Besides watching the (racing) I also had the chance to explore the fan zone. It is incredible and the food court is fantastic. Simply, my friend and I are just having fun and enjoying everything here.”
Laisly, from the Philippines, said: “I am very surprised. I was really looking forward to seeing a racing car from close up, it is really an interesting event. I’m really excited to see the race and at the same time enjoy the atmosphere of the fan zone.”
She added: “For us as Filipinos who are working here in Saudi Arabia, it is really one of a kind and hopefully these kinds of events will continue and recently there are many opportunities to see a race like this.”
Dortmund to treat every game as a final in bid for top four, says Gross
- “In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world. (Missing out) on that would hurt a lot,” Gross told reporters on Saturday
Borussia Dortmund will approach every match like a final as they push for a top four finish in the Bundesliga, midfielder Pascal Gross said ahead of Sunday’s home game against seventh-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Dortmund are eighth in the table with 42 points from 29 games, their worst position since 2014-15 when they finished seventh. They trail fourth-placed RB Leipzig by six points with five games remaining in the season.
Dortmund’s confidence in securing a European spot has grown, with Gross seeing his side’s 3-1 midweek home win over Barcelona in the Champions League as a boost, despite the side losing 5-3 on aggregate, which eliminated them from the competition.
“In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world. (Missing out) on that would hurt a lot,” Gross told reporters on Saturday.
“That’s why we need to do everything in our power in the final five games to get as many points as we possibly can. This season is crazy. We’ve almost lost too many games already to be able to reach that goal.
“But when you look at the table, you can see that anything is possible. The next five games are all finals for us.”
The 33-year-old added that the team was more cohesive now, “I feel like we’re more solid now. If one person makes a mistake, someone else smoothes it out for him. That helps you to trust in what you’re doing.”
Dortmund manager Nico Kovac called for more passion and aggression in the next five games and said captain Emre Can and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who missed the Barcelona game with injury, are in contention to feature against Gladbach.
