MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Dhananjaya de Silva and debutant fast bowler Milan Rathnayake both made fine fifties as Sri Lanka recovered from a dramatic top-order collapse on Wednesday’s opening day of the first Test against England at Old Trafford.
Sri Lanka were in dire straits at 6-3 after skipper De Silva won the toss, losing their first three wickets for no runs in 10 balls.
Yet they recovered to 236 all out, De Silva top-scoring with 74 and tailender Rathnayake, with only his third first-class fifty, close behind in making 72.
The pair checked England’s progress during an eighth-wicket partnership of 63, with no other Sri Lanka batsman making more than Kusal Mendis’s 24.
“The captain wanted me to stay in there and support him,” number 9 Rathnayake, speaking via a translator, told reporters after stumps. “That’s what I did and when he got out, then I played my natural game.”
Chris Woakes struck twice in an over on his way to 3-32 in 11 overs.
De Silva’s impressive innings ended when he turned a quicker ball from off-spinner Shoaib Bashir straight to Dan Lawrence at leg slip, with the 20-year-old taking 3-55 in 23 overs.
Ben Duckett and Lawrence, recalled in place of the injured Zak Crawley, guided England to 22-0 before bad light ended play for the day at 5:52 p.m. (1652 GMT).
“I think it’s a good day,” Woakes, now the leader of England’s attack following James Anderson’s retirement, told Sky Sports.
“When you bowl on day one on a Test surface like that, to be batting at the end of the day I think you’re really happy.
“It would have been nice to bowl them out earlier than what they got, but with the bad light we couldn’t bring our quick guys on to mop up the tail.”
Sri Lanka’s initial collapse ensured a dream start for stand-in England captain Ollie Pope, leading his country for the first time after Ben Stokes was ruled out with a torn hamstring.
The tourists came into their first Test in England in eight years on the back of just a solitary warm-up fixture — a defeat by the second-string England Lions — and it was soon clear some of their batsmen could have done with more time in the middle.
Sri Lanka’s collapse began in the sixth over when Dimuth Karunaratne top-edged a hook off fast bowler Gus Atkinson to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Woakes then took two wickets in the next over, with Nishan Madushka, the other opener, driving loosely at an outswinger and edging to Joe Root at first slip as he fell for four.
Five balls later, Angelo Mathews was lbw for a duck playing no shot to a Woakes delivery that nipped back off the pitch.
Mendis, by contrast, could do little else than glove a superb 93 mph (150 km/h) delivery from express quick Mark Wood that reared up from short of a length to second slip.
De Silva, however, pulled Atkinson for a commanding four and completed an impressively quick fifty off just 56 balls.
He was reprieved on 65, when Smith missed a tough stumping chance off Bashir, but was out soon afterwards to leave Sri Lanka 176-8.
Nevertheless the 28-year-old Rathnayake, undaunted by the loss of his skipper, went to a 96-ball fifty in style when the left-handed batsman launched Bashir for a straight six that also took Sri Lanka past 200.
Bashir though had his revenge when Rathnayake drove him to Woakes at mid-on.
Before play started there was a minute’s applause in honor of Graham Thorpe, the former England batsman and assistant coach, with both teams, as well as the match officials, wearing black armbands in his honor.
Thorpe died aged 55 earlier this month after being hit by a train. His wife Amanda confirmed he had taken his own life having suffered from depression for several years.
De Silva and Rathnayake star in Sri Lanka revival against England
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De Silva and Rathnayake star in Sri Lanka revival against England
Spanish and German soccer royalty collide in third round of Champions League games
- All four teams have been European champions inside the last 30 years and they’ve made mixed starts to this season’s revamped format
- Just like last season when reaching the Champions League final against the odds before losing to Madrid, Dortmund have been far more impressive in Europe than in the Bundesliga
- If Manchester City beat Sparta Prague at home on Wednesday, the English champions will set the record for consecutive games undefeated in the history of the competition
LONDON: It’s the best in Spain against German soccer royalty in the latest round of games in the Champions League.
A rematch of last season’s final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund is the headliner on Tuesday, before Barcelona host Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the next chapter of what has been a fairly one-sided rivalry in Europe’s top club competition.
All four teams have been European champions inside the last 30 years and they’ve made mixed starts to this season’s revamped format.
Dortmund have won both of their opening matches — 3-0 at Club Brugge and 7-1 at home to Celtic — to be the early leader and top scorer of the league stage, which sees all 36 teams play eight matches: four at home and four away.
Just like last season when reaching the Champions League final against the odds before losing to Madrid, Dortmund have been far more impressive in Europe than in the Bundesliga. Indeed, after thrashing Celtic, Dortmund lost at Union Berlin four days later.
Madrid, meanwhile, is coming off a surprising 1-0 loss at Lille, the defending champions’ first defeat in the competition since the semifinals in the 2022-23 season.
In fact, the second round of matches threw up a few shockers, including Bayern losing 1-0 at Aston Villa to end their unbeaten run under new coach Vincent Kompany.
Now Bayern head to Barcelona in search of a seventh straight win in their head-to-head, a streak that includes a humiliating 8-2 loss for Barca in the quarterfinals in 2020. Hansi Flick was in charge of Bayern that night and is now the coach of Barcelona.
Man City record
If Manchester City beat Sparta Prague at home on Wednesday, the English champions will set the record for consecutive games undefeated in the history of the competition — even stretching back before 1992 into the European Cup era.
City are currently on 25 matches unbeaten, tied with Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team from 2007-09.
The last loss for Pep Guardiola’s team in the Champions League was the 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the second leg of the semifinals in 2022, which cost City a place in the final that season.
Since then, City have won 17 matches and drawn eight, having won the competition in 2022-2023 and been eliminated on penalties by Madrid in 2023-24 after back-to-back draws in the quarterfinals.
Unlikely high-flyer
Of the seven teams on a maximum six points, Brest is undoubtedly the most surprising.
This is the unheralded French team’s European debut — in any competition — after an unexpected third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. It couldn’t be going any better.
A 2-1 win over Austrian champion Sturm Graz was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of another Austrian team, Salzburg, in the second round of games.
They will be the easiest opponents Brest are going to face. Now the hard work begins, with German champion Bayer Leverkusen next up on Wednesday.
Leverkusen won’t be heading to Brest, a pretty port city in Brittany, but Guingamp — about 114 kilometers (71 miles) away. That’s because Brest’s stadium doesn’t meet UEFA standards so its home games have been relocated.
Bad starts
With each team playing eight games in the new league system, opening with back-to-back losses isn’t the nightmare start it would have been in the old format when there were six matches per side in the group stage.
Still, AC Milan, Leipzig, Girona, Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade will be desperate to get at least one point on the board in the third round of fixtures.
Salzburg and Young Boys haven’t even scored a goal.
One of the eight pointless teams is sure to get off the mark, with tournament newcomer Girona hosting Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.
Leipzig could easily be on zero points after three games, though, with Liverpool visiting on Wednesday — a match that has more intrigue since former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was signed as the head of global soccer at Red Bull, whose international network of clubs includes Leipzig.
Tiger Woods to make TGL indoor league debut the 2nd week of the season after NFL wild-card weekend
- The TGL debuts on Tuesday, Jan. 7, from the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
- The first match is between New York Golf Club, led by Xander Schauffele, against The Bay Golf Club in San Francisco, headed by Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark
NEW YORK: Tiger Woods makes his debut in the second week of the indoor TMRW Golf League, part of a schedule released Monday that has the six teams wrapping up the inaugural season on ESPN two weeks before the Masters.
Rory McIlroy, among the owners with Woods of TMRW Sports, won’t play until the fourth week after he gets back from playing on the European tour in Dubai.
The TGL debuts on Tuesday, Jan. 7, from the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, an arena roughly the size of a football field that can hold about 1,500 spectators.
Three players from the four-man teams compete in 15-hole matches that blend virtual and real-time golf. The longer shots will be hit into a 3,400-square-foot screen, roughly 24 times the size of a standard golf simulator. From about 50 yards and in, there will be actual shots to a 41-yard turntable green that can provide a variety of shots.
The first match is between New York Golf Club, led by Xander Schauffele, against The Bay Golf Club in San Francisco, headed by Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark. It is scheduled for 9 p.m. following a college basketball game.
Woods and his Jupiter Golf Club play the second week, the night after the sixth and final NFL wild card playoff game on Monday night.
Key to this hi-tech indoor league is being on the ESPN platforms, with the opening six weeks of TGL held right after a weekend of football. TMRW Sports, the sports and entertainment venture that created the indoor golf league, is counting on promotion during the college football and NFL telecasts.
There have been weekday golf exhibitions for years, going as far back as the “Showdown at Sherwood” featuring Woods and David Duval when they were Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, and most recently the December match in Las Vegas featuring PGA Tour stars (Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy) against LIV Golf’s biggest draws (Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka).
TGL is a new concept but figures to have a faster pace with nine holes of alternating shots among three players and six holes of singles play. There will be a 40-second shot clock, allowing for matches to easily fit into the two-hour window.
Mike McCarley, the former Golf Channel executive who is CEO and founder of TMRW Sports, described it as a “live, courtside experience for golf on an unprecedented scale.”
He said TGL would complement the PGA Tour as a fast-paced team competition. The regular season ends March 4, followed by the semifinals March 17 and 18 — after The Players Championship — and the best-of-three final on March 24-25.
Each of the teams will play five times during the regular season. The schedule was built around feedback from the 24 players and where they plan to play on tour. McIlroy is the defending champion at the Dubai Desert Classic, for example, which is why his Boston Common Golf does not start until Jan. 27.
Hideki Matsuyama also plays for Boston and plays the first two weeks in Hawaii.
Five players in the opening TGL match will be going to Florida from The Sentry, the PGA Tour’s season opener at Kapalua on Maui.
Neymar returns as Al-Hilal edge 9-goal Asian thriller against Al-Ain
- Salem Al-Dawsari, Soufiane Rahimi bag hat-tricks
- Neymar, returning from injury, almost capped his return to action with a goal
AL-AIN, UAE: Neymar finally returned to action after a year out through injury, but it was Salem Al-Dawsari who grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick as Al-Hilal won 5-4 at Al-Ain in a thrilling AFC Champions League elite clash.
The victory, against the tournament’s holders, meant that the Saudi Arabians have taken a big step toward the knockout stage, while they also enjoyed a modicum of revenge against the team from the UAE.
Three goals in the first half put the visitors from Riyadh ahead at the break to help maintain a perfect record of three wins from three in their group which, after a semifinal loss to the UAE powerhouse in last season’s edition, provided welcome news.
Al-Ain, coached by Hernan Crespo, thought they had taken the lead in the seventh minute and Al-Hilal goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Rubaie was relieved when it was ruled out for offside. The replacement for the injured Yassine Bounou misjudged a long ball out of defense and breathed a sigh of relief that the flag went up after Soufiane Rahimi — the Moroccan who wreaked havoc in the meeting between the two teams in their last meeting — put the ball in the net.
The visitors took the lead after 26 minutes thanks to a well-taken strike from Renan Lodi. The Brazilian left-back, who has enjoyed a fine start to the season, picked up possession on the corner of the area and sent a low shot into the corner.
Six minutes before the break, however, Rahimi, the tournament’s top scorer from last season, equalized for the defending champions. The Saudi Arabian visitors failed to clear a corner and the forward poked home a low cross from Brazilian midfielder Erik.
Al-Hilal then scored twice in added time. First, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed home a Joao Cancelo cross from the right and then, on the counter-attack, Nasser Al-Dawsari picked up the ball well inside his own half and slipped a low pass through to his namesake, who had broken free of the backline to get to the ball ahead of the goalkeeper to sweep home, first time, from the right corner of the area.
Mateo Sanabria fired home from the left side of the area after 63 minutes to make it 3-2 and get the Al-Ain fans on their feet.
But if there were nerves from the boys in blue then they were not apparent as they restored their two-goal advantage almost immediately. Malcom backheeled to Milinkovic-Savic on the right and the Serbian’s cross was swept home high into the net by Al-Dawsari for his second and Al-Hilal’s fourth.
Four-time Asian champions Al-Hilal are not the kind of team to throw away a two-goal lead with 25 minutes remaining, but Al-Ain scored again after 67 minutes. Rahimi cut inside the area from the left and his shot beat the goalkeeper at the near post to make it 4-3.
But with 15 minutes remaining, Al-Dawsari completed a fine hat-trick, shooting home powerfully from just outside the area to score a goal worthy of winning any game.
Then it was time for Neymar to come off the bench, but the impact of the superstar, injured a year earlier in action for Brazil, was limited as Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi was red-carded for handball on the edge of the area 10 minutes from time. From the resulting free-kick, Al-Rubaie saved well from Rahimi.
Neymar almost capped his return with a goal but his low shot from the left corner of the area just went past the opposite post. His miss could have been costly as Al-Ain scored their fourth in the 96th minute, Rahimi completing his own hat-trick from the penalty spot, but it was a little too late as Al-Hilal won a classic.
The top eight from the group of 12 progress to the second round of 16 and, on this showing, Al-Hilal are almost there.
UAE national jiu-jitsu team lands in Greece for World Championships
- Emirati contingent confident of successfully defending their title
- Ramon Lemos: We’ve built a team with great skills, mental toughness and physical conditioning required to excel at the World Championship
ABU DHABI: The UAE’s senior jiu-jitsu team has arrived in Greece for the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, aiming to secure their fifth consecutive title.
The Jiu-Jitsu International Federation is organising the championship in Heraklion from Oct. 24 to 26.
This is the team’s fourth international appearance this season, following strong showings at the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship in Abu Dhabi, the Grand Prix Thailand Open 2024 in Bangkok, and the JJAU Regional Championship West Asia in Jordan.
Mohammed bin Dalmouj Al-Dhaheri, UAEJJF board member and national team administrator, expressed confidence in the team’s readiness. “We believe our champions are fully prepared to reclaim the title. After several weeks in an intense internal training camp, their technical, tactical and mental preparation is at its peak, ready to compete with the world’s elite,” he said.
“The team, sponsored by Mubadala, heads into the competition with one goal — to defend the title for the fifth consecutive year. Given their great level of confidence and the intense training they have undergone, we have all faith in their skills to perform well and bring the championship title back home.”
National team head coach Ramon Lemos is also optimistic about the team’s chances. “We’ve built a team with great skills, mental toughness and physical conditioning required to excel at the World Championship. Our roster features a perfect balance of youth and experience, all committed to delivering an exceptional performance.”
Lemos also emphasised the importance of team cohesion and chemistry, which have been sharpened during recent training camps. “In the coming days, we’ll continue to focus on refining the players’ synergy, ensuring they are in perfect sync for competition.”
The UAE national team includes Omar Al-Suwaidi and Zayed Alkatheeri (56 kg); Khaled Al-Balushi and Khaled Al-Shehhi (62 kg); Mohammed Al-Suwaidi and Sultan Hassan (69 kg); Mahdi Al-Awlaqi and Sultan Al-Hosni (77 kg); and Saeed Al-Kubaisi (85 kg).
In the women’s division, Balqees Abdulkarim and Aysha Al-Shamsi (45 kg) will compete alongside Maitha Shraim and Hamda Alshkeili (48 kg); Hessa Al-Shamsi and Asma Al-Hosani (52 kg); Shamsa Al-Ameri and Alanood Al-Hosani (57 kg); Shamma Al-Kalbani (63 kg); and Muhrah Mahfoudh (70 kg).
Additionally, the UAE youth teams — competing in the under-14, under-16, under-18, and under-21 categories — are gearing up to participate in the same championship from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4.
Saudi racer Orjwan Ammar prepares for 2024 Qassim Rally
- Organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, the three-day off-road rally will navigate the open deserts surrounding Buraydah
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s trailblazing female rally driver, Orjwan Ammar, plans to build on her second-place finish in her debut at the Saudi Toyota Championship in Tabuk last year, as she prepares for this week’s Qassim Rally.
On her return to racing, Ammar will be accompanied by her co-driver, Khalid Al-Kindi of the UAE, as they tackle the 367-kilometer race, which runs from Oct. 23 to 26.
Organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, the three-day off-road rally will navigate the open deserts surrounding Buraydah.
Ammar, who was runner-up in the T4 “Side by Side” category in last year’s competition, is keen to build on her previous success. She said she aims to deliver another standout performance as she eyes an advanced position in the overall rankings.
“The race is a big challenge,” Ammar said. “But with determination and adaptability, I’m ready to face any difficulties and demonstrate my driving skills.”
Ammar said she was determined to cement her status as a leading figure in motorsport, while also hoping to inspire young Saudi and Arab women by showing that they can make their mark in a traditionally male-dominated field.
“I am excited to be part of the Qassim Rally and aim for a podium finish,” Ammar told Arab News. “I will do my best to be among the frontrunners.”
